How much does it cost?

It depends on the project, but to give you a rough idea: most one-off projects start from around £1,500, and ongoing retainers start from £750 a month. We are skilful at making even small budgets go a long way, and we will always tell you honestly if a smaller budget can still do the job.

How quickly will you reply?

Within one working day. Every enquiry reaches a real person, not a form-filling void, and we will always offer you a free 20-minute chat to talk things through before you commit to anything.

Do you work with businesses outside the Scottish Highlands?

Absolutely. We are based in Tornagrain, near Inverness, but we work with purpose-led brands across the UK and further afield, from luxury travel to sustainability and ethical fashion. We have delivered campaigns across 44 countries, so distance has never been the point. Good work travels.

Can you act as our interim or outsourced marketing lead?

Yes, and plenty of clients use us in exactly that way. Think of us as an uncomplicated extension of your team: we can act as your marketing lead on ongoing projects or fill a temporary staffing gap, with one point of contact and a global network of creatives behind them. No agency mark-up, no babble.

What industries do you specialise in?

We work best with purpose-led brands: sustainability and climate, travel and tourism, ethical fashion and textiles, food and agriculture, social enterprise, charities, and publishing. If your business has something worth saying and a conscience behind it, we will feel right at home.

What is the difference between the Word Farm, the Print Shed, and Consultancy Cottage?

Three divisions, one point of contact. The Word Farm handles words: copywriting, content marketing, editing, and SEO. The Print Shed handles print: contract publishing, magazines, and brochures. Consultancy Cottage handles strategy: communications planning and sustainability consulting. Most clients use more than one, and you only ever deal with one friendly human.

Who we are | Madhatter Creative Co.

Tornagrain village street in the Scottish Highlands, with white harled houses under a big summer sky

Where we are

Rooted in Tornagrain, working worldwide

We are based in the community-focused village of Tornagrain in the Scottish Highlands, and we work alongside a global team, from Brazil to India, who bring cultural understanding and multilingual support to your brand.

From our humble beginnings in 2007, we changed our name to Madhatter Creative Co. in 2018. Why? Because our world of work is brimming with curiosity, imagination, and exceptional creative talent.

The collective

Specialist experts in their field

Jen Marsden

Chief Madhatter

Jen has 20 years of experience as a sustainable marketing and communications consultant. A published author, editor, and writer, she is a highly informed commentator on sustainable lifestyle issues.

when not in wonderland

You will find Jen swimming, down on her allotment enjoying the great outdoors, or curled up in a chair reading, playing cards, and baking (and eating) jam tarts.

James Palmer

Design

James is our design guru. He cut his teeth in London agencies, honing his skills in design and all things aesthetic. If you want your company to look good on or offline, James is ready to help.

when not in wonderland

You will find James walking his four legged buddy Wilf, watching his son score tries for his local rugby club, or getting to grips with his power tools.

Kat Wolfe

Illustration

Kat is our resident illustrator. She has been drawing since she won her first library colouring competition aged two. These days her style is whimsical with a digital, contemporary edge.

when not in wonderland

You will find Kat keeping her young family alive. When she has precious free time, she loves to read, go walking or cycling, or watch the world go by.

Matthias Kremer

Photography

Matti is our resident photographer. With over ten years of experience, he captures weddings, family, theatre, and commercial photography, and works closely with the local community.

when not in wonderland

You will find Matti climbing a mountain, running, or out on his bicycle with his partner. Venture to the local theatre and you will find him on stage too.

Nina Purton

Content

Nina is our go-to copywriter. With a knack for creativity and a keen eye for detail, Nina covers the A to Z of sustainability, from indigenous culture to mycelium and algaelicious solutions.

when not in wonderland

You will find Nina supporting vegetable gardens and cultural projects, or playing the tambourine and practising capoeira (a Brazilian martial art).

How we work

One point of contact, always

It is much easier to have one person to rely on than a whole team to navigate. Your contact acts as your project manager and bridges every other creative your work needs.

One point of contact

Get an array of creative solutions from one single point of contact, who acts as your personal project manager.

Schedules that hold

Benefit from transparent schedules that deliver to the clock, with milestones agreed in advance.

Senior expertise, fair prices

Discover exceptional service and expertise at competitive prices, with no hidden fees or extras.

Ideas worth having

Be inspired by professionally executed, innovative ideas. We call it the Madhatter magic.

Frequently asked questions

We want working with us to be easy

Browse the questions we get asked most, and let's seal the deal together.

General

Who is the Madhatter?: Inspired by the wonderland dreamed up by Lewis Carroll in the 19th century, Madhatter Creative Co. is not just one person, we are a group of creative individuals. We have done the legwork in finding tried, tested, and trusted specialists in their field, so you do not have to.
Where are you based?: We are based in the community-focused village of Tornagrain in the Scottish Highlands. We work alongside a global team, from Brazil to India, who bring cultural understanding and multilingual support to your brand.
Do you work with clients from outside the UK?: Absolutely. We have years of experience working remotely with clients all over the world, and across various time zones.
How does the single point of contact work?: It is much easier to have one person to rely on than a whole team to navigate. It is always one individual you speak to at Madhatter Creative Co., who acts as your personal project manager and bridges the communications with every other creative your project needs.
Are you a 9 to 5 business?: Sorry Dolly Parton, we are not. Not all of our clients are in an office from 9 to 5, so our work hours are built around our clients. We are dedicated to meeting deadlines while still providing fair and flexible working hours for all our creatives.

Services

For your print marketing services, can you manage the entire print production and distribution for us?: Yes. We have strong relationships with some of the top sustainable printing companies in the UK who also help us execute distribution, whether that is to individual households or to bulk addresses. We can also offer more personalised, targeted options through print on demand.
We want to improve our customer relations. Can you help us with that?: Definitely. The first step in good communications is understanding your customers. Our experience means we can help you improve repeat and referral sales through better relationship management and smart customer segmentation.
Is sustainable communications just greenwash?: When done properly, absolutely not. We will help you identify the right sustainability practices, policies, and engagement for your business, including the social, environmental, and economic factors. We make it fun, and we will not once bore you with talk of recycling. It is time to cut out the eco clichés.
Should our communications be digital or print? Is print really expensive and bad for the planet?: We know the pros and cons of both intimately. Once we have had a chat about your goals and audience, we will advise you accordingly. In a world of digital, print can be a cost-effective and powerful way to get your message across, and we will recommend environmental printing and distribution methods.
Do you manage social media?: Yes. We currently manage several client social accounts, including company pages and personal profiles on LinkedIn, and that is where our strength lies.
Do you offer a ghostwriting service?: Yes. We already do this for a few C-level executives, alongside press releases and thought leadership.
Do you provide public relations support?: Strictly speaking we do not provide a full PR service, but we will support you with writing press releases and point you in the right direction if you want to liaise with the media yourself. We also work in partnership with specialist PR agencies tailored to industries such as travel or finance.
Do you provide film and video production services?: Yes, we can support you with on-site filming and post-production through our network. We would also like to shout out our very good friends at Eyebolls, an Edinburgh-based award-winning production studio.
Do you offer web design and development services?: We have a great offshore team who we work with for any of your web design and development needs, and we will manage the project for you from start to finish.

Pricing

How do you price your services?: We have a sliding scale based on the type of services you need, and charge an hourly or day rate based on the project. Our proposal always includes an estimated cost in advance, without hidden fees or extras, and we use a time tracker so invoices are accurate. Ask for our standard rate card any time.
How does payment work?: For ongoing projects across several months, we invoice monthly or at key milestones, as agreed in advance. We always spell out our services in an agreement, so it is clear to everyone what is and is not included.
We have next to no budget. What should we do?: Talk to us. Even an hour or two of our time can make all the difference. One of the things we do well is provide templates and tools that your in-house team can use and adapt. We also believe in the sharing economy and are open to bartering exchanges.
We are a small charitable organisation without funding yet, but we need a proposal. Can you help?: Absolutely. We understand the chicken and egg situation. Even before your funding is secured, we can offer a proposal and rough plan to help your funding efforts. We particularly love working with charitable organisations, social enterprises, and community associations.

Assurances

How do you guarantee availability and deadlines?: Because we are a network of creatives, we can usually meet requirements. We are always upfront about our availability and propose timeframes based on capacity. Once a project is confirmed, you get an estimated delivery date and an agreed milestone roadmap.
How do you measure impact?: For online campaigns we use analytical tools to track and share success, when requested in advance. We can also run qualitative and quantitative surveys for offline work. At every milestone we ask you one simple question: are you happy?
Can you help us with a very hush hush project?: Of course. We are discreet and always happy to sign non-disclosure agreements in advance of initial discussions.
Do you have liability insurance?: Yes. We have public liability insurance cover up to £1 million, and professional indemnity cover up to £2 million.

Content

Can you work directly with the software we already have?: Yes. We can manage your content whether your content management system runs on WordPress, an off-the-peg solution such as Wix, or your own platform. We are used to Google Workspace, Teams, Zoom, and Slack, and we know our CRM systems, from HubSpot, Freshbooks, and Zoho to Pipeline Deals and Pipedrive.
How do you make sure content is optimised for search engines?: SEO is an artform and something we do well. We stay on top of search engine changes and best practice, but we write for humans, not for algorithms, and we believe that is a more resilient approach. Sometimes we will recommend improvements to your content management system so we can do the best job for you.
We need content in several languages. Do you offer translation?: We do. Our network of bilingual writers can support you with creative copy in many languages. As of today we offer content and copywriting in English, German, Spanish, and Hindi.
Who owns the copyright to content created by Madhatter?: All intellectual property rights, including content and concepts, transfer to you once shared. Where possible, we ask to be credited.

Working with us

Erin Johnson, Marketing Director, Travelopia Tailormade

Eileen Smith

Global Brand Equity Manager, Weleda AG

“Working with Madhatter Creative Co. is always a great pleasure! They are highly skilled and brilliant at what they do! They support us across various projects with advertising, web and product copywriting, and editing. Jen Marsden is very knowledgeable, professional, can tackle any challenge and always finds great solutions! Plus, she is simply lovely to work with.”