In 1993 two men decided to set up a marketing business in Little Germany. Today, Dulay Seymour employs seven staff members and has a turnover of half a million pounds.

Founded by Billy Dulay and Andrew Seymour, the creative marketing agency was set up after the pair met at a training course

For the first year, the firm survived on just a handful of clients. Times were tough for the duo, who took home just £50 a week each - ploughing everything else back into the business.

Dulay Seymour's big break came in the shape of a brief from Bradford Council to produce a large brochure promoting the city. The end product was used to win millions of pounds worth of regeneration money for Bradford from the EC in Brussels.

As the firm's reputation and client base grew, larger premises became necessary and in 1998 the firm moved to its current location in Manningham - an area the firm is keen to help regenerate.

Now the company, which was last year named joint Business of the Year at the Asian Business Development Network awards, counts a variety of big names on its huge client list.

The firm was surprised to pick up the prestigious accolade as not only are the awards keenly contested, but it hadn't even entered itself in the contest... a happy client had nominated it.

Billy Dulay said: "Our philosophy is that if our customers do well then we will do well. Good ideas, images and words are not enough. Customers have higher expectations than ever before and it is changing the face of marketing as we have known it.

"Understanding the needs of a client's target market is crucial to the success of a campaign, which is why we seek a partnership relationship with our clients."

Mr Dulay, who was born in India, grew up in Bradford. The 41-year-old, married father-of-two now lives in Heaton.

He began his career in the industry and soon made a name for himself with a company which is now a division of McCann-Erickson.

Tired of the 'agency knows best' approach, which he says prevailed among many design companies in the 1980s, Billy was soon looking to start his own agency.

In the early 1990s he met Andy Seymour during a training course. Born and raised in Wakefield, 37-year-old Andy now lives in Thornton.

Having studied in Manchester and Plymouth, Andy began his career as a designer at a Manchester agency.

After meeting, the pair discovered they had complementary skills and a similar philosophy about how design agencies should operate.

The pair now run the business hand in hand, with Billy as managing partner and Andy the creative partner.

The firm prides itself on generating outstanding communications through creative ideas.

Although Dulay Seymour concentrates on the visual aspect of marketing - creative design and production of corporate identities, promotional literature etc - it is also keen on bringing on board other marketing disciplines to allow for more "comprehensive communication".

The company is particularly strong in the field of new media - the design and construction of websites, promotional CD-ROMs and audio-visual communications.

Over the years, Dulay Seymour has worked on a variety of prestigious accounts for local, regional and national clients from the public and private sectors.

It lists Empire Direct, Harewood House, the National Railway Museum, the University of Bradford, and the National Museum of Photography, Film & Television among its clients. It has even attained preferred supplier status for the Department for Education & Skills.

It also came up with the current national Age Positive campaign for the Department of Work and Pensions.

The company has developed a working relationship with the regional NHS authority, generating a variety of health and social campaigns including domestic violence, mental health, fostering and adoption, children in care and teenage pregnancy awareness.

Other projects in which the firm has been involved include the re-design for the Northern School of Contemporary Dance website, while earlier this year the Bronte Country Partnership - which is made up of 18 local businesses and tourist attractions - picked a Dulay Seymour design as its new logo.

The business is also keen to promote Bradford and is currently working with Royds Community Association on a project designed to regenerate some of the most socially deprived areas of the city.

The design and marketing agency, which celebrates its tenth anniversary next summer, is currently expanding its Walmer Villas office in a £20,000 project which will give the firm enough space to increase its staff levels.

Mr Dulay added: "Bradford, despite the knocks it gets, has huge potential. I suppose we are putting our money where our mouth is with this expansion project, but we have great faith in the firm and the city.

"We hope in the future to add satellite offices in London and perhaps even overseas, but will keep our head office in Bradford.

"We're not trying to create an empire, and money is not necessarily the driving force. We simply want to be the best in our field."