WorkCase study
Common ground for a growing group.
A brand platform, identity system and brand book for a diversified holding company that wants to be known as the strategic adviser to the businesses it owns.
Read the caseThe brief
- Owners considering a sale01
- Lenders and funding partners02
- Portfolio leadership teams03
- Strategic partners and introducers04
A holding company that wanted to be known for what it does, not only for what it owns.
EARTH HOLDINGS is a diversified holding company in Mayfair. It owns an established portfolio of businesses and is extending it through selective acquisitions. It came to PLAYBOOK with a name, a logo supplied as PDF artwork and a clear ambition: to be understood as a strategic adviser for growth to the companies it owns, rather than a passive investor or a capital allocator.
The brand had to speak to four audiences at once. Owners considering a sale, lenders and funding partners, the leadership teams inside portfolio companies, and the introducers who bring opportunities forward each want something different from a parent company, but all of them need the same things first: credibility, discretion and clear decisions.
Our brief was to build the platform and the identity together, so that the way the group looks follows from what it believes, and to set it all down in a brand book the team can work from without us in the room.
The idea
Common ground.
Eight segments, each complete. Together, one whole.
The EARTH HOLDINGS symbol is formed of eight distinct segments arranged around a single centre. The group operates on the same principle. Portfolio companies keep their own management, identity and markets, while drawing on a common foundation of capital, governance, specialist expertise and shared resources.
Common ground is the organising idea behind the brand. It guides how the group presents itself; it is not a public-facing line.
- EarthA grounded, long-term approach to real businesses and real assets.
- WealthValue that compounds over time and is shared across the group.
- ValueRealised within each business through focus, capital and support.
Brand platform
Highlights from the bookTo create sustainable long-term value by strengthening the businesses we own and the people who lead them.
Strategic adviser for business growth
A diversified holding company that owns an established portfolio of businesses and acts as their strategic adviser for growth, guiding each one to stronger performance and extending the portfolio through selective acquisitions.
- 01
Portfolio management
Overseeing existing subsidiaries, improving performance and establishing governance.
- 02
Strategic acquisitions
Identifying and acquiring businesses that complement the portfolio or open new sectors.
- 03
Business development
Commercial strategy, operational improvement and shared expertise for each subsidiary.
- 04
Group expansion
Organic growth, acquisitions and long-term strategic partnerships.
Integrate→Advise→Improve→Grow
The narrative casts the business owner as the hero and EARTH HOLDINGS as the guide, with a four-step plan and a clear outcome: stronger businesses operating within a growing, diversified group.
- IntegrityDecisions are documented and supported by evidence.
- ValueObjectives are agreed before capital is committed.
- CollaborationKnowledge is shared across the portfolio.
- AgilityInitiatives are piloted, measured and then scaled.
- StewardshipEvery business is left stronger than when it joined.
- Assured, not arrogant
- Discreet, not opaque
- Enterprising, not speculative
- Professional, not distant
Building a sustainable future.
Connects naturally with the name and carries long-term vision, responsibility and growth. Sustainable here means durable, well-governed growth; any environmental claim made alongside it has to be specific and evidenced.
Identity system
Logo, colour, type, devicesRedrawn, not redesigned
The logo was redrawn from the supplied artwork into clean vectors with no change to shape or proportion. The symbol carries a fixed bronze gradient, and it is the main place bronze appears. Around it: twelve colours drawn from materials, one typeface in five weights, and three graphic devices.
Logo
Primary use is the positive logo on white or Limestone, with plenty of space around it. The reversed logo on Forest is kept for occasional use, such as a closing slide.
Colour
Twelve colours, each paired with the material it comes from: sand, stone, foliage, hills and rock. Pages stay mostly Limestone and white with soft greys. Evergreen carries the headlines, Forest appears on a few solid pieces, and bronze stays in the symbol.
- Evergreen#00594F
- Jade#1A6A61
- Sage#669B95
- Forest#23312D
- Moss#394642
- Lichen#656F6C
- Pewter#868787
- Ash#9E9F9F
- Mist#CFCFCF
- Limestone#F2F0EB
- White#FFFFFF
- Bronze#9F8563
Bronze and Sage together stay under 4%: bronze for the symbol, Sage for small icons.
Typography
One typeface, Cairo, a free Google Font with the same squared, open curves as the wordmark. Headlines are set in Regular, large, in Evergreen, with sentence case. A second phrase can drop to Ash for contrast. Capitals are reserved for the logo.
- Light 300 · large figures
- Regular 400 · headlines, body
- Medium 500 · navigation
- SemiBold 600 · labels, emphasis
- Bold 700 · rarely, small sizes
Building a sustainable future.
Strategic adviser for business growth
How we add value to a portfolio company
Investment criteria
Each business keeps its own team, brand and customers. We add capital, financial oversight and introductions across the group, and agree clear measures of success before any work begins.
“A considered partner with a long-term view.” Sample text
Graphic devices
Restrained and architectural. Large calm areas, fine grey lines, and at most one device on a page. Corners are square and lines are hairlines in Mist or 12% Forest.
Brand in use
Design renders, not photographyearthholdings.uk
11-12 Old Bond Street
Mayfair, London W1S 4PN
Business card · 85 × 55mm · front and back
Mayfair, London W1S 4PN
hello@earthholdings.uk
Letterhead · A4
Building a sustainable future.
A diversified holding company that owns an established portfolio of businesses and acts as their strategic adviser for growth, guiding each one to stronger performance and extending the portfolio through selective acquisitions.
Website home · concept
Tone of voice
Clear, precise, measured, respectfulWe write as an experienced investor and operator would speak to a board.
- Instead of
We are a world-class investment powerhouse delivering unparalleled returns!
We writeWe invest in established businesses and work with their management teams to grow long-term value.
- Instead of
Leveraging synergies across our diversified ecosystem.
We writePortfolio companies share finance, accounting and sector expertise, reducing cost and improving performance.
- Instead of
Get in touch today to unlock your business’s full potential!
We writeWe welcome conversations with owners considering a sale, investment or strategic partnership.
What we delivered
Five pieces of work- 01
Brand platform
Brand idea, purpose, mission and vision, positioning, narrative, architecture, values, character, tagline, tone of voice and key messages.
- 02
Identity system
Logo redrawn as clean vectors with five variants and usage rules, the twelve-colour palette with proportions and readable pairings, typography, graphic devices and a photography direction.
- 03
Brand book
Platform and design system in one document, written so the team can apply the brand without us.
- 04
Stationery
Letterhead, business cards, envelope, compliments slip, folder and notebook designs, balanced so the light pieces outnumber the dark.
- 05
Website design
Home page concept carrying the tagline and the window device, with a LinkedIn banner and social post template alongside.
The brand book was issued to EARTH HOLDINGS as a draft for review in October 2026. Final templates and the website build are planned as later steps of the programme.
Let's make it matter.
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