Public sector graphic design
Your communications carry a responsibility that commercial design simply does not. They need to be clear, accessible and inclusive. Across print, digital and everything in between. We design for public sector organisations that understand those responsibilities and take them seriously.
What makes public sector graphic design different.
Commercial design is built to convert. Public sector design has a harder job. It needs to serve a 75-year-old reading a council leaflet, a parent scanning a school infographic at 7am, a tenant understanding a policy update in a second language.
That diversity changes everything. Language plain. Hierarchy instinctive. Accessibility from the start, not the end. Materials that work printed in greyscale as well as on screen.
Clever Marketing creates graphic design that genuinely serves your communities. Accessible by design, compliant with public sector obligations and built to communicate long after launch.
Everything needed to
deliver better public sector design.
Every design commission we take on is scoped to your specific needs. But across all of our public sector graphic design work, you can expect these things as standard.
1.
Accessibility-integrated design.
Built into every creative decision from the first concept. Proper colour contrast, readable type sizes, designs that don’t rely on colour alone, alt text for digital assets, and print accessibility for partially sighted readers. All considered from day one.
2.
Clear, purposeful communication.
Public sector audiences span the full range of literacy levels and language backgrounds. We structure information logically and make every creative decision in service of the message, not the aesthetic.
3.
Brand and identity consistency.
We work within your brand framework. GDS conventions, council guidelines, NHS brand standards. Creative and effective within your system, not despite it.
4.
Print and digital across all formats.
Publications, reports, infographics, campaign materials, social graphics, presentations, signage. Print-ready, screen-optimised and with editable templates your team can actually use.
5.
Data made genuinely understandable.
We design infographics and data visualisations that make performance reports, consultation outcomes and service statistics meaningful to non-specialist audiences.
6.
Ongoing design support.
We offer retainer arrangements so ongoing design needs are covered. Flexible to your capacity and budget.
A process built around your organisation,
not ours.
Our process is built around the realities of public sector work. Here is how a typical project runs.
1. Discovery
We start by understanding the brief, the audiences and what success looks like. We don’t skip this.
2. Structure & Information Hierarchy
We establish what needs communicating and in what order. Message hierarchy, content structure, call to action. This is often where the biggest improvements happen.
3. Design
Concepts and prototypes reviewed with you before detailed development begins. Everyone aligned, costly revisions avoided.
4. Review & Accessibility Check
Accessibility review, brand compliance check and format testing before anything is finalised.
5. Delivery & Production Files
Final artwork to proper production specifications. Print-ready, screen-optimised, with editable source files and clear documentation.
6. Training & Handover
Proper training and useful documentation. You should feel completely in control of your design assets after handover.
1. Discovery
We start by understanding the brief, the audiences and what success looks like. We don’t skip this.
2. Structure & Information Hierarchy
We establish what needs communicating and in what order. Message hierarchy, content structure, call to action. This is often where the biggest improvements happen.
3. Design
Concepts and prototypes reviewed with you before detailed development begins. Everyone aligned, costly revisions avoided.
4. Review & Accessibility Check
Accessibility review, brand compliance check and format testing before anything is finalised.
We have delivered design programmes for
organisations like these.
- Local councils and district authorities
- Combined authorities and devolved government bodies
- NHS trusts and integrated care boards
- Central government departments and executive agencies
- Emergency services and blue light organisations
- Housing associations and registered providers
- Universities, colleges and further education bodies
- Non-departmental public bodies and arm’s length bodies
We are GCA appointed and
ready to engage.
We are listed on GCA frameworks RM6124 and RM6237. Design services can be procured through either, removing the need for a full competitive tender in many cases. Central government and ALBs should factor in Cabinet Office approval for AMC spend of £100,000 or over.
Why public sector organisations choose us to design their communications.
We understand the sector
Accessibility is non-negotiable for us
We design for your team as well as your community
Templates your team cannot update become a problem quickly. We design editable assets with as much care as the public-facing work.
We are GCA appointed
Listed on RM6124 and RM6237. Set up to make procurement straightforward. Ready to go.
What our clients say
Businesses we've helped grow. In their own words.
Over the years we’ve worked with organisations of all shapes and sizes, from small independents to large teams with complex sign-off processes, across a lot of different sectors. Here’s what some of them say about working with us.
The next step
It’s time to be more clever with your marketing.
Ready for an honest look at where you’re at, what’s possible, and what it’d take to get there? The first conversation costs nothing, no obligation. If we’re the right fit, we’ll both know quickly.
On our discovery call we’ll cover:
- The campaign or service you need people to take up, and how uptake is currently measured.
- Where the website or brand is failing people who need to use the service.
- Accessibility obligations and where the current estate stands against them.
- Which framework route fits, and whether the timeline works against your budget cycle.
Fill in the form and we’ll be in touch to find a time that works.