After three years of flat trading, Fontsmith, a type design studio, knew they needed to do something significant to kick-start their next phase of growth. So they contacted Thompson Brand Partners to help them create a buzz to raise their profile and get into a designer’s ‘special things box’. Thompson Brand Partners developed a celebration of Fontsmith’s first ’10 years in type’, telling stories about the fonts which would engage with the design industry. As members of the target audience, Thompson Brand Partners initially carried out extensive research among the design community to find out where and how designers look for type. Armed with some key insights, they created a beautifully designed, high quality printed mailing that was extremely well received. Delivering against all objectives, Fontsmith saw a 53% increase in sales year-on-year with website visits increasing by 50%. There was also a 255% increase of sales of corporate licences, achieving another of their objectives. Launched in August 2011, it has already delivered a 415% return on investment in the first year alone.