Who we are
Patina Digital is a specialist digital marketing agency for independent bespoke kitchen studios on the UK South Coast. It’s a sole-trader business operated by Archie McDonald, based in Brighton, United Kingdom.
When this policy talks about “we”, “us” or “our”, it means Patina Digital. When it says “you”, it means the person visiting this website or interacting with us as a prospective or current client.
For the purposes of the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018, Patina Digital is the data controller for the personal data you share with us via this website.
What personal data we collect
We only collect personal data that you actively give us. Specifically:
- Through the contact form on this website: your name, your studio’s name, your email address, and the free-text message you write.
- If you email or call us directly: the content of your email or the notes we take during the call, along with the contact details you’ve shared.
- If you become a client: additional business information as needed to deliver the engagement — for example, access credentials for your analytics, website, or advertising accounts, and any commercial data you share for strategy work.
We don’t use analytics cookies, tracking pixels, session recorders, or any third-party advertising tags on this site. No personal data is collected passively as you browse.
How we use your data
We use the personal data you share with us for exactly two purposes:
- To reply to your enquiry and discuss whether Patina Digital is the right fit for your studio.
- If we end up working together, to deliver the engagement — building your website, running your SEO, managing your Google Ads, and reporting on the work.
We don’t use your data for marketing to third parties, don’t add you to bulk-mailing lists without explicit opt-in, and don’t share or sell it to anyone.
The lawful basis we rely on
Under UK GDPR we need a “lawful basis” for processing your data. Ours are:
- Legitimate interest — when you submit an enquiry, we reply to it (that’s our legitimate interest in running a business and yours in getting an answer). You can object to this processing at any time.
- Contract — once you become a client, we process data as needed to deliver the services you’ve contracted us to deliver.
- Consent — if you ever opt in to anything beyond enquiry-and-delivery (e.g., a future newsletter), we rely on your explicit consent and you can withdraw it at any time.
Who we share your data with
Your personal data reaches a small number of third parties, all of whom act as data processors on our behalf under written agreements:
- Formspree (USA) — processes the contact form submission and delivers it to our inbox. Formspree is GDPR-compliant; their privacy policy is at formspree.io/legal/privacy-policy.
- Our email provider (the service hosting archie@patinadigital.co.uk) — stores and serves the email correspondence between us.
- Vercel (USA) — hosts this website. Vercel may log routine server information (IP address, user agent) for security and performance purposes. It’s not linked to you personally.
If and when you become a client and we deliver services that involve third-party platforms (Google Analytics, Google Ads, Google Search Console, CRM tooling, etc.), those platforms will process data on your behalf under your own agreements with them. We don’t share your data with those platforms independently.
How long we keep your data
- Unsuccessful enquiries (where we don’t proceed to work together): we keep the correspondence for up to 24 months in case you get in touch again, then delete it.
- Client records: we keep business records for 7 years after the engagement ends, as required by UK tax law. Operational working files (shared documents, access credentials) are deleted within 3 months of the engagement ending.
- Server logs: Vercel retains routine server logs for up to 30 days.
Your rights
You have the right under UK GDPR to:
- Access the personal data we hold about you.
- Correct any inaccuracies in that data.
- Delete your data (subject to legal retention requirements — e.g., client tax records).
- Restrict or object to processing of your data.
- Port your data to another provider.
- Withdraw consent at any time for any processing based on consent.
To exercise any of these rights, email archie@patinadigital.co.uk. We’ll acknowledge within 48 hours and respond substantively within one month, as required by UK GDPR.
Cookies
This website sets no cookies of its own. No analytics cookies, no advertising cookies, no session identifiers. Your browser may receive routine technical information from Vercel (our host) as part of ordinary web traffic, but we don’t use this data to identify or track you.
If we later add web analytics (which we’re considering) we’ll either use a privacy-friendly provider that doesn’t set cookies, or we’ll add a cookie consent banner and update this policy to explain what’s changed.
How to complain
If you’re unhappy with how we’ve handled your data, get in touch first — archie@patinadigital.co.uk — and we’ll try to resolve it. If you’re still unhappy, you have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO):
Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF. ico.org.uk. Helpline: 0303 123 1113.
Changes to this policy
We’ll update this page if the way we handle data changes — for example, if we add analytics, change hosting, or use a new supplier. The “last updated” date at the top of the page will reflect any changes. Material changes (ones that affect you directly) will be flagged to existing clients by email.
Contact
Questions about this policy or about the data we hold on you:
Archie McDonald, Patina Digital
archie@patinadigital.co.uk
+44 7749 124 768
Brighton, United Kingdom
This policy is written to be readable. If anything in it is unclear, tell us and we’ll rewrite it. We’d rather publish a policy you can actually read than bury you in legalese.