Hiatus: The Strategic Design Agency

We believe every company, charity, and project deserves a website that looks beautiful yet also works hard to represent their vision and goals. But, we know budget constraints can sometimes make this feel out of reach. That’s why we’re always pushing boundaries—finding smarter, more efficient ways to create exceptional websites that remain affordable. Stay tuned—we’ve got some exciting solutions in the works that might just change how you think about web design. #MakeWebDesignMoreAccessible

Just 10 days stands between us and series 2 of the BBC's brilliant SAS: Rogue Heroes! We’re excited to unveil a brand new merchandise design we did for Bare Arms Ltd. Film and TV advisors when the new series is live.

It’s still early days, but we’re thrilled to begin developing the visual identity for our Hiatus.Foundation as we work on our ongoing projects over the Christmas holidays. Our mission is to inspire sports and outdoor communities to build resilience, strengthen relationships, and provide a counterbalance to the pressures of modern life. Like a lot of the companies and organisations we work with, we believe in the unifying power of sports to bridge divides—bringing together countries, generations, and communities. #HiatusFoundation

Are you following Cat Burford's (aka 'The Molar Explorer’s) incredible personal expedition to the South Pole as closely as we are? Setting out to ski to the South Pole, she’s now covered over 450 kilometres of the approximately 1,130 kilometres — powered entirely by her own strength! This remarkable achievement means she’s completed around 40% of the journey so far, all in the name of fundraising for Bridge2Aid and Community Action Nepal charities. We had the privilege of interviewing Cat on our Tales of Adventure ~ by Hiatus.Design podcast. Check out her story and support this inspiring expedition at themolarexplorer.com. 🖥️ Hiatus: The Strategic Design Agency incorporating the brilliant map produced by ZeroSixZero #WebsiteDesign #TheMolarExplorer

Although it might not be immediately obvious, Hiatus: The Strategic Design Agency began as a social enterprise called The Hiatus Foundation. Our mission was simple but ambitious: to stimulate and grow sports in remote and challenging areas as a counterbalance to the negative effects of modern life. We believe that sports have a unique power to unify—bridging divides across countries, generations, communities, ages, genders, and races. Through sports, people connect, build meaningful relationships, and inspire positive change. However, the years that followed presented significant challenges. The pandemic and global economic turbulence made the social enterprise model increasingly difficult to sustain.  Despite these hurdles, we remained steadfast in our commitment to finding new ways to make a meaningful impact on the world. This photo, taken in 2019, captures Hiatus founder and design director, Chris, atop a 4700-metre unclimbed mountain in the remote wilderness of Kyrgyzstan. It was a moment of reflection, highlighting our efforts and the potential of what The Hiatus Foundation could achieve. Looking ahead, we’re excited to reinvigorate these projects over the next 12 months. Our goal is to bring more young people into the world of sports and physical education, leveraging its unifying power to make life a little easier and a lot brighter for communities everywhere. #TheHiatusFoundation #SportsForGood

This year, we had the privilege of working with the veteran-owned Contact Coffee Co, to bring their Advent calendar to life with a fresh concept: ‘Ally Santa.’ For those in the know, being “ally" (aka your "allyness") speaks to being adventurous, gritty, stoic, and determined — qualities that resonate deeply with Contact Coffee’s military roots and their community.  With this artwork, we set out to blend a festive twist with the bold, no-nonsense ethos that defines their brand. The result? A design that doesn’t just count down to Christmas but also serves as a reminder of the connections that matter most. It’s festive, fearless, and unmistakably Contact Coffee. Let us know what you think of ‘Ally Santa’ — because for us, design is all about creating something that connects. #DesignWithPurpose #AdventCalendar #HiatusDesign #ContactCoffee

Nailing the vibe in your venue isn’t easy—but it’s everything. Our design work brings energy and clarity to your space, aligning it with the message you want to send out into the world. #BrighterSpaces #WorkplaceDesign #Hiatus

Just Keep Going! This year’s Atlantic Ocean rowing race, which started last week, has me reflecting on the highs and lows of my own Atlantic Ocean rowing expedition that began 7 years ago this week. This photo, taken in late December 2017 near the Canary Islands, makes our 6,500-kilometre, world-record-setting Atlantic Ocean crossing look like smooth sailing. In reality, this photo taken less than a week in, came after yet another cold, wet, and miserable night being battered by freezing waves (hence wearing foul weather gear). But as the final gruelling night shift ended, we were rewarded with an incredible sunrise that made it all feel worth it. It’s a fitting metaphor for those difficult early days of entrepreneurship. Assuming you’ve got your strategy and bearing right, sometimes you just have to keep pushing and get those hard night shifts done before you see the sun rise! #OceanRowing #Entrepreneurship #KeepGoing #HardNightShifts

This is how we’ll be thinking of Santa Claus visiting all those hard-to-reach homes in remote places, in 8 days time; AC/DC playing in his headphones as he gets it done! #AdventureClaus #AllySanta

Nietzsche was onto something: 'If you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.' Dark mode is taking over, and all the coolest websites are embracing the trend. #DarkDesign #WebsiteDesign