A small team of senior people, in it for the long run

  • Designers
  • Developers
  • Marketers
  • Strategists
  • Writers

We started Darwin because marketing agencies kept saying the same things.

Clients kept telling us the same stories: agencies that sent juniors after the pitch, reports full of clicks and impressions, and strategies handed over in a deck and never seen again.

So we built something different. Darwin is a small team of senior designers, developers, marketers, strategists and writers, based in Poole and London. We work with clients of every size, from multinationals to local names, across technology, membership, education, healthcare, property, manufacturing and more.

The name is the point. It's not the strongest that survive, it's the most adaptable. We help organisations adapt: to new markets, new technology and new ways their customers find them.

Matt and Ben from Darwin talking over a laptop

How we work

  • 01

    Senior people, start to finish

    The people you meet are the people who do the work. No juniors learning on your budget, no account managers passing notes.

  • 02

    Straight answers

    We tell you what will move the needle and what won’t, even when that means doing less. Honest advice is the whole job.

  • 03

    Numbers that matter

    Leads, enrolments, sales and revenue, traced back to where they came from. Clicks and impressions are a means, not the goal.

  • 04

    We teach as we go

    We coach your team, document what we build and set things up so you need us less over time, not more.

  • 05

    In it for the long run

    Many of our clients have been with us for years. We’d rather earn the next project than lock you into the last one.

  • 06

    Human, first

    We pick up the phone, we show up when something breaks, and we care about your customers as much as you do.

Meet the team

Small by design. Every client works directly with the people below.

Portrait of Matt Hughes

Matt Hughes

Founder & Technical Director

  • Strategy
  • Technology & data
  • Coaching & mentoring
  • Paid media

Matt is the founder of Darwin and Managing Editor of Global Good. He started freelancing at 14, grew his first agency to a 20-person team and £1.4m turnover, and has spent eight years teaching marketing alongside it. Darwin is deliberately small: a business that puts people first and helps impact-led organisations grow.

Read more about MattShow less

Matt set up his first agency while still at university. Over seven years he grew it to a 20-person team and £1.4m turnover, working with brands like Cadbury’s, Shell, Intel and HPE, and picked up Scale-up Business of the Year along the way. He left because he wanted to run a business that put people first, so Darwin is deliberately small. It helps impact-led organisations grow without needing a big in-house team.

Teaching has been a constant alongside that. Matt spent eight years in the classroom, including four as a visiting lecturer at Arts University Bournemouth, and introduced and delivered a Chartered Institute of Marketing programme over four years of apprenticeship tutoring, taking the course from a 17% pass rate to 84%. These days he mentors startups through Bournemouth University, The Spark and OVHcloud, and is training as a coach.

Global Good is his passion project: a tech-for-good publication, run with Empact Ventures, that gives founders a platform to share what they’re building.

He’s also been a trustee of Round Table Children’s Wish and has volunteered with the Hackney Pirates literacy club. Away from work, he’s a keen hiker, adventurer and chef.

Connect with Matt on LinkedIn
Portrait of Ben Kansy

Ben Kansy

Co-founder & Creative Director

  • Brand
  • Content & copy
  • Design
  • Reports

Ben is a trained journalist and multimedia content creator. Throughout his career he has worked with leading brands to create high-converting content that boosts brand presence and drives site visits. His background in journalism, digital design and multimedia production means he develops and executes well-rounded creative strategies for maximum impact.

Portrait of Oderic Nisen

Oderic Nisen

Development Lead

  • Web development
  • AI & automation
  • WordPress
  • Integrations

Oderic is a full-stack developer who has built some seriously impressive AI projects, and he’s leading the charge on the Darwin AI plugin that gives WordPress superpowers. Always tinkering, he’ll happily talk you through his latest experiment while his playlist jumps from musicals to Russian rap to technical heavy metal.

Darwin in numbers

40+

Brands worked with

From startups to century-old institutions

8

Sectors

Where we know the problems and the language

2

Offices

Poole and London

£1m+

Ad spend managed

A year, for a single client

6 years

Longest partnership

And counting

What it’s like to work with us, in our clients’ words

  • Darwin have really helped us stay ahead as a market leader in the highly competitive post-16 education space. It is all now paying dividends and is a great return on investment for us. They really do get it!

    Alexis MichaelidesFounder, Big Creative Education

  • After choosing Darwin, we’ve seen significant increases to our traffic, keywords and domain rating, strengthening our position in the industry and helping us reach new prospects. We see this relationship standing the test of time.

    Mark Sorsa-LeslieFounder & CEO, Beringar

  • Working with Matt and Ben was a great experience. They’re sharp, responsive, and super friendly, making what could have been a stressful project genuinely enjoyable.

    Ed HallidayCOO, Fyma

  • Working with Darwin has completely changed the way we approach our marketing. Unlike previous agencies, Darwin gave us clarity, confidence, and real results.

    Vicki HarrisonMarketing Manager, Craftwood

  • We’re absolutely delighted with the new website. They really understood what we were looking for.

    Amy EnrightOperations Lead, Evolve

  • Matt won’t just give you a strategy — he’ll teach you how to build it, create it, and do everything yourself.

    Janet SmithCo-founder and Chief of Operations, Novidian

  • I trusted my gut engaging with the Darwin team, and it paid off. Very happy with the work, they delivered where others couldn’t.

    Liberty ForemanCEO, Sierra Medical

  • Matt taught me more in three months than I’d picked up in the whole role before. Tasks that used to take my entire week now take an afternoon.

    Sophie SmithOperations Executive, Novidian

  • The Darwin team delivered a website and brand that really brought us into the modern era and away from our archaic look and feel before.

    Geo ThomasEducation Lead, Gem-A

  • Darwin is an exceptional team to work with. They are empathetic to your needs and can work closely to align company goals with achievable results. They worked with Evalua8 on a set budget and provided great results, and we are very thankful for their help and support during our rebranding journey.

    Neethu StephenFounder, Evalua8

  • Matt did a great job at converting our brief into a solution we were delighted with. Communication was great throughout.

    Jules HivnesFounder, Everyone All In

  • Matt and the team are great. They really know their stuff. They have got to know our business and given some great advice. Highly recommend.

    Kate EverettCamberley Chiropractic Clinic

Sound like the kind of team you’d like to work with? We’d love to hear what you’re working on.

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