Rhubarb Design House putting their creative stamp on Wakefield one design at a time!

It may have been a few years since Rhubarb Design House hit the Wakefield business scene back in 2018, however, they are still going full steam ahead making their mark in Wakefield.

Rhubarb Design House is an independent Wakefield-based design agency specialising in graphic design and branding for experience-led organisations.

The local design agency was founded in 2018 by Alex McIntosh and James Lodge, who are Wakefield born and bred.

Both Alex and James had a passion for graphic design and decided to pursue this by studying Graphic Design at University after they left college. Having never crossed paths before they ended up studying the same course at the University of Cumbria in Carlisle.

A friendship was formed through their passion for graphic design, and after several years of working in the industry and gaining a great deal of experience, the two decided it was the right time to take the plunge and set up their own company called Rhubarb Design House.

The duo decided to stay local and base themselves in Wakefield, the place they called home. They chose a studio space in the Art House, which itself is an innovative hub for creatives where the magic happens, and ideas are brought to life!

The first day of their business venture going full-time was in March 2019. However, following the coronavirus outbreak and the announcement of the national lockdown their first day in the office was cancelled and working from home commenced.

It was a difficult time for many businesses and the pandemic hit the cultural sector hard! Most of Rhubarb Design House’s work was unfortunately within the cultural sector which resulted in the majority of their work being cancelled in the first week of national lockdown restrictions, however, the team channelled all their energy into doing what they did best and remained positive.

Things soon picked up after the initial shock and it was back to business for the design agency who were soon in demand working on a variety of projects.

The Wakefield-based company collaborates with a large portfolio of cultural and independent organisations who truly understand the important role that design plays in enhancing customer experiences and Rhubarb ensure that they achieve this through delivering captivating and purposeful design which in turn goes hand in hand with building established relationships and creating unforgettable experiences.

Alex and James have a reputation for helping organisations successfully increase audience engagement in a variety of sectors ranging from Arts & Culture to Civic & Public and retail. They pride themselves on digging deep and ensuring they fully know the culture of each brand which is something that makes them stand out as the perfect choice.

An exciting project that Rhubarb Design House recently worked on was at the beginning of 2021, when the duo were commissioned to design a medal for the NHS, which would be presented to Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust staff in recognition of their hard work through the pandemic, a time that was extremely difficult.

The team were honoured to be involved in designing these unique service medals. The design features the side profiles of three NHS workers wearing protective face coverings. They stand together; they show determination, and they look hopefully towards a future beyond the tribulations of the pandemic

The main illustration of this piece is held within a shape representing coronavirus particle, which features 19 spores. In addition to this detail the outer edge of the medal features three words that represent the acts of the NHS staff during this difficult time ‘dedication’, ‘resilience’ and ‘teamwork’.

Each medal was presented in a bespoke card box where Rhubarb Design House were able to reduce its environmental impact supporting the green agenda, each box including a personal message from the Chief Executive of the Trust thanking the staff for their hard work.

The NHS Covid-19 Medal designed by Rhubarb Design House

The team have also recently been involved in some prominent campaigns for Wakefield which have been a great success. Wakefield is home to many cultural and creative events and activities that Alex and James have worked on, such as; Light Up Festival, WordFest and Wakefield’s 2025 City of Culture bid and more with lots of exciting plans lined up for the future!

Rhubarb Design House are extremely proud of their Wakefield roots and Wakefield being home to their business…

“Wakefield is fantastic! It may be a lot smaller to neighbouring cities, but Wakefield truly has a lot to offer for businesses”.

“For us as a start-up back in 2018 we found that Wakefield was really accessible with regards to getting into the business environment to connect with businesses and organisations in so many different sectors.”

“Once you discover Wakefield it opens so many doors!”

One thing’s for certain with Rhubarb; the future of the business is in Wakefield and the duo are keen to explore the idea of growing their team through bringing in a couple of early-stage designers on board to help grow their business further down the line.

Watch this space!

For more information on Rhubarb Design House visit their website here: Graphic design studio, Rhubarb Design House | Based in Wakefield