Garden Shortlisted for Two CreativePool Annual Awards 2026
We are delighted to share that Garden has been shortlisted for two CreativePool Annual Awards 2026 in the Branding category, for our work on Mollie's and Studio IV.
Being shortlisted once would have been something to celebrate. Twice feels like a genuine reflection of a period of work we are really proud of, and of a team that has put a great deal of thought, care and craft into both projects.
Mollie's: building a brand for modern Britain
When Garden first worked with Mollie's, the brief was to define an entirely new category in British hospitality. Not a budget motel. Not just a diner. Something that brought together exceptional food, high-quality rooms and a genuinely design-led experience, all at an accessible price point, for everyone from families and business travellers to bikers, dog lovers and EV drivers.
We won the project in a five-way competitive pitch against some of the UK's largest branding and advertising agencies, and what followed was a brand that went on to achieve a level of cultural resonance rarely seen in the hospitality sector. With just two sites, Mollie's built an Instagram following of 74,500, outperforming established competitors operating at many times the scale.
As Mollie's grew and acquired Granada Studios in Manchester, we returned to evolve the brand alongside it, extending the identity across a new photography library, brand film, website, uniforms, packaging and tone of voice, ensuring it could stretch confidently from roadside hospitality to city-centre destination without losing what made it distinctive in the first place.
Studio IV: a brand rooted in place
Studio IV is the music bar at the base of Mollie's Manchester, housed within the iconic Granada Studios and designed as a stage for emerging bands, DJs and contemporary live entertainment.
The brief was to create a sub-brand with its own distinct cultural presence, one that honoured the building's extraordinary broadcasting heritage while speaking to a contemporary city-centre audience drawn to live music, nightlife and experience.
We looked to the visual grammar of 1970s television and film, developing a brand identity rooted in the language of the broadcast era, with scan-line photography treatments referencing analogue technology and a tone of voice built around music culture. The logo placement hints deliberately at the Mollie's M, creating an intentional visual ambiguity that connects the two brands quietly rather than loudly.
Studio IV launched as an integral part of the Mollie's Manchester opening, contributing to the 17,900 Instagram followers the new location gained in its first two months alone.
A People's Choice vote is open now
Alongside the judges' decision, there is a public People's Choice vote running and we would genuinely love your support. It takes less than a minute. Simply visit the link below, find Garden in the Branding category, and vote for whichever project you love most.
Thank you to everyone who has followed and supported our work. It means a great deal to the whole team.
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