Fragile Threads

How we helped bring new life to a great heritage craft.

Brand Identity, Creative Campaign, Storytelling

The Problem:

The Royal School of Needlework (RSN), a global centre of excellence in hand embroidery, wanted to increase its visibility and reach particularly with younger audiences to raise awareness of its offer including Europe’s only BA Hons degree in hand embroidery to a broad range of leisure courses, professional studio and much more.

Blue Fragile Threads card with the dandelion logo and orange seeds, clipped to a cream knitted jumper on a mannequin
Blue and orange Fragile Threads hang tags on a grey wool scarf
Hand holding an orange Fragile Threads water bottle printed with the white dandelion logo and blue seeds

The Story:

They came to us with Fragile Threads – a campaign rooted in contemporary social awareness, designed to reignite interest in this heritage craft and made possible by The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

The logo proved tricky. Our take on “contemporary” didn’t quite align – until we introduced a hand-drawn dandelion. Smiles spread instantly.

Unbeknown to us, its drifting seeds had inspired the entire initiative: nature’s metaphor for spreading the word.

Hand-drawn black ink dandelion with drifting seeds, the sketch that inspired the Fragile Threads logo
Hand-drawn black ink dandelion seeds floating on textured paper
Black ink drawing of seed heads, feathers and looped threads on paper
Three Fragile Threads Embroidery Starter Kit boxes in blue and orange on a blue marble surface
Person holding a blue Fragile Threads notebook with orange thread-like lines and a pen

From that moment, everything clicked. We developed the story, messaging, and brand – crafting guidelines and executions that blended an arts-and-crafts sensibility with a modern edge. Real scattered threads formed textured backdrops, paired with a fresh colour palette and contemporary typography.

Person holding a Fragile Threads brochure reading “Spread the word with needle and thread”
Blue Fragile Threads tote bag printed with the white dandelion logo, sitting on a grey sofa
Two framed Fragile Threads posters on a lilac wall: “Spread the word with needle and thread” and “Partnerships empowering social storytelling”

The Result:

We delivered a suite of honest, emotionally driven messaging and design – empowering the RSN to spark conversations with partners ranging from grassroots charities to global brands. By reframing embroidery through a contemporary lens, we helped reconnect this historic craft with new audiences – positioning it as a tool for creativity, empowerment, mindfulness, and wellbeing.

Blue Fragile Threads hoodie with orange dandelion seed graphics and the logo on the sleeveOpen Fragile Threads brochure with embroidery photos and the headings “Connecting people through shared stories” and “Crafting space to reflect, respond, remember”
Fragile Threads business cards and graphics using the orange and blue dandelion seed marks and the dandelion logo
Orange dandelion seed shapes on a white background, from the Fragile Threads brand pattern
Grid of Fragile Threads brand guidelines pages showing the logo, headlines, colours and photography

Other Work

22 Bishopsgate

22 Bishopsgate

How we brought consistency, creativity and reliability to the UK’s largest office building.

Canada Water

Canada Water

How we brought new energy and flexibility to the Canada Water brand.