Hedley May

Rebranding an international search firm focused on diversity.

International executive search consultancy Hedley May recruited Truth Creative to develop a distinctive brand proposition and identity that will help to define its place in the global market.

With offices in London and New York, Hedley May specialise exclusively in the most senior corporate functional, Board and CEO roles for the world’s leading organisations.

Hedley May logo with abstract graphic design in pastel colors on a light background.
Graphic with a teal starburst shape and surrounding dark gray rectangles, next to white text that reads 'Discovering exceptional leadership talent.'
Graphic with teal shapes resembling an abstract starburst on the left and the text 'People and collaboration.' on the right.
Brand logo with starburst shape and text 'Hedley May' on a dark background, with the phrase 'A bespoke crafted mark' in the top left corner.

Truth conducted a Brand Lab with the Hedley May team which then informed its brand proposition and identity.

The Brand Lab is part of the Truth Labs series, combining the power of ‘design thinking’ with the efficiency of Design Sprint Methodology to define new ways to hack into real business growth.

Inspirational quote about leadership on a dark blue background with stars, stating: "Creating connections and finding the best inspirational leaders by looking far beyond the status quo."
A collage of various abstract geometric patterns featuring rectangles, lines, and dash shapes in pastel and dark colors.
Close-up of a smiling woman with braided hair and light makeup, partially obscured by a geometric overlay design.
Calendar months from May to October with the month of May highlighted.

The brand proposition provided the strategic base to inform the direction for the full brand identity, including:

typography and font, tone of voice, use of photography and colour palette, with practical examples of the look and feel of Hedley May’s branding documents including stationery, business cards, web graphics, brochures and annual reports.

Brochure with multicolored geometric shapes and the text 'Hedley May' at the top left, and a quote about creating representation, with the phrase 'Leadership Inspired' at the bottom.
Two promotional posters featuring smiling diverse leaders; the left poster shows an older white man with a beard, the right poster shows a young Black woman. Both posters include Hedley May logo, inspirational messages about leadership, and website URL.
Two promotional posters feature women and motivational text. The left poster shows a woman with brown hair, looking to the side, with the caption "Leadership Inspired". The right poster shows a smiling woman with straight, shoulder-length hair looking to the side, with the text "Discovering the inspirational leaders you need by looking far beyond the status quo." Both posters include the Hedley May logo, website, and design elements with colorful geometric shapes on a purple background.
Billboard advertisement on a busy city street featuring a smiling man with curly hair and facial hair. The text mentions Hedley May and emphasizes empowering diverse leaders to drive positive change. Background shows tall buildings, pedestrians, and yellow taxis.
Red double-decker bus in a city, with an advertisement featuring a smiling woman, the text "Discovering the inspirational leaders that make a difference," and the logo and website for Hedley May.
A billboard on a city street features a smiling older man with gray hair and a beard. The billboard displays the logo and name 'Hedley May' and the text 'Connecting world-class leaders with exceptional places.' The background of the billboard is white with geometric shapes in orange, blue, beige, and green. The website www.hedleymay.com is also visible. In the background, there's a street scene with brick and painted buildings, parked cars, and a traffic light.

SERVICES

Brand Strategy
Brand Identity
Copywriting

Business stationery with a brochure and two business cards featuring Hedley May logo and colorful geometric design on a mint green background.
Responsive website design for HedleyMay displayed on a tablet and smartphone. The webpage features a smiling woman with curly hair, a professional-looking man at a desk, and text about leadership and executive search services, with colorful geometric accents.


“We instructed Truth on a very important strategic re-brand for Hedley May. Not having worked with a brand agency before, I have to confess to being somewhat sceptical and even worried about where it might take us. However, Truth has been outstanding.

The process to establish the brand strategy, through to the actual brand identity, has been exceptional, engaging everyone selected to participate at our end and most importantly they have 'nailed it'. Truth has been an absolute delight to work with. We could not be happier!”

Co-founder, Nick Hedley.

View recent work