Some call it a designers eye, others call it being a grumpy old man, either way it’s time to get something off my chest! I see these signs all over Herts, Beds and Bucks and they’re slowly but surely driving me insane! My wife has even threatened to leave me if I don’t stop moaning every time we pass one (every cloud and all that ; ). I have several issues with these signs. Firstly I’m presuming that it’s supposed to say ‘Think Bike’, but am I the only person who reads it as ‘Thank Bake’? Secondly, why do we need a picture of a motorbike? Are we more likely to take notice, or does it confuse the matter and hinder legibility? It’s over design at it’s worst, and if my suspicions are correct an example of the designers nemesis, design by committee. Britain’s road system incorporates excellent symbolism with clear, concise messages that are relayed to the driver with the minimum of intrusion or fuss. Fundamentally, simplicity is the key. It’s a valuable lesson that relates to every discipline of design, if an element fails to add anything to the functionality of a design, why is it there? If it makes it look nice, happy days, if it makes it more user friendly, brilliant. But never try to be so clever that you actually forget the purpose of the exercise. To sign off on a lighter note it reminds me of this excellent Armstrong & Miller sketch

In the past month our AposTherapy work has seen the inclusion of legendary ITV This Morning’s GP Dr Chris Steele.

Whilst AposTherapy has been busy promoting the benefits of their product, Dr Chris has seen how the product can really help those suffering with knee-pain. Impressed by what he has seen, he has become ambassador of the product and is now included on the campaigns we are creating. With 30,000 people successfully treated globally already, the statistics and results are impressive. As part of our ongoing work we’ve been hearing from patients in person about their journey, the choice to become a patient and how the treatment has improved their life. With such a positive story, AposTherapy is a fantastic brand to be partnering with.

We are delighted to announce we are finalists for two national RAR awards.

The Recommended Agency Register! is a unique concept which allows marketing professionals to seek trusted agencies on a national basis. Agencies are assessed through a confidential process managed by RAR.

With over 5,000 agency ratings being collected by RAR in the past 12 months the competition for one of the awards, which are assessed on everything from creativity to client service, is stiff. We will find out next month if we are award winners for Best for On Budget and Best Client Service (with less than thirty staff).

We are delighted to announce we have been accepted onto the Recommended Agency Register, a position you can only hold if you are recommended by your clients. Within a few hours of sending a mail to our clients asking if they could recommend us, we had a place on the register, which is fantastic news! The register really resonates with us an agency and team, as it’s all about our clients and the appreciation of a good collaboration. For us it’s great to know all those sleepless nights with new ideas swimming about in our heads were worth it.

As an agency we cannot influence the results in anyway, as RAR send a direct link to our clients to fill in. We now have 45 recommendations and our fingers crossed to see if we are in the running for a RAR award. A slick case study of work recognised by your fellow creatives is one thing, to be recognised for your design, creativity, service and value by your clients is even better! We couldn’t possibly have got this without the backing of our clients – so a massive thank you to our clients.

For more information about RAR visit their website

We were delighted to be judging a logo competition for the Young Enterprise teams in Milton Keynes at the end of last year. With a record year for entries, we were expecting stiff competition and we weren’t disappointed. The entries we received were exciting concepts for a whole range of business ideas. Any of the top three would have been worthy winners, Scrap That were chosen to be the prize winner.

Scrap That delivered a confident and articulate pitch, which had been well thought through and fitted the brief brilliantly. The supporting material of their business sits perfectly with the logo and they have demonstrated that a logo is only one part of developing a successful and succinct brand. You’ll find our guest bloggers talking more about their business idea and the logo they designed below. Make sure you visit the Scrap That website

We wish all of the MK teams well in getting to the recognition they deserve. A team from MK made it to the regional finals last year – fingers crossed one or more make it even further this year!

“We are a group of 16/17 year olds taking part in Young Enterprise South East creating and running a business . When we started brain storming brands and product ideas one of the first concepts we wanted to do was up-cycle/re-cycle.

We then looked into what we could sell that linked with this concept and we came up with stationery and in particular quirky notepads. We settled on making notepads covered in quirky paper that would usually have been thrown away.

We produced some prototypes and have settled on our design. It consists of a 100% recycled notebook, reinforced by cardboard that would usually go into a recycling bin and then covered in old maps, comics and sheet music that we have collected from friends, family and charity shops. We came up with our logo by collecting together the things that we cover the notebooks with and cut out letters to create our name; Scrap That. So far we have sold at a number of trade fairs in nearby towns such as Wolverton and Stony Stratford. We have found that the notepads were very popular and people like that no two notebooks were the same.

We are currently getting ready for the trade fair in Middleton Hall CMK on the 19th of February in which we will be competing with the other YE companies to get the publics attention. We have all learnt many skills from this experience that will help us not only with business but with all aspects of life.”

If the cold is getting to your knees and they’re ‘playing you up’, then take a look at the AposTherapy website, be warned – it’s pretty amazing stuff!

Over the last year I have photographed signs and numbers, for fun. I’m drawn to the textures, colours and the random combinations when placed together. Here is my favourite 1–24 which I’ve collected so far. I especially like my ‘six’ which was on the side of an WW2 aircraft.

You may have seen many of these strange dotty looking codes in magazines / billboards etc. So what’s behind this latest fad in advertising and how can you use the codes to your benefit?

The technology
QR codes (Quick response codes) originate from Japan where they have formed a popular part of their technological/media led culture. With a quick scan of the code on a mobile your transported from print to a digital world.

The technology behind the QR is pretty rudimentary, just a basic 2D barcode. 2D barcodes have been used in manufacturing and the medical industry for over 15 years, as they are good at holding large amounts of text content in a relatively small area. Advances in camera technology on web-enabled mobile phones are the force that has propelled the QR Code technology into the mainstream. All you need is a simple app installed on a mobile device. After scanning the code with a camera the user can be directed to either a website, email address or a phone number. Asian and European countries have embraced this technology, with North America following slowly behind.

How could you utilise QR codes?
As this medium is still relatively new, the design industry is still exploring what can be achieved. This technology is a useful asset whether you’re a big or a small company. A simple application is adding a code to a business cards. Once scanned and decoded the information from the card can be inputted directly in the contacts on the mobile phone.

What could you use a QR code on?
Add them to any print advertising, flyers, posters, invites, TV ads etc containing:
• Product information
• Contact details
• Offers
• Event details
• Entry into a competition
• A coupon

Open House London is an event I look forward to every year. Over the weekend members of the general public are allowed access to visit some of London’s finest buildings.

This year I had the pleasure of visiting Trinity Buoy Wharf (Container City), located in the Docklands opposite the 02 arena. This regeneration development shares the same site as London’s only lighthouse and has established itself as a thriving centre for the arts and creative industries. The site is cleverly constructed by using redundant shipping containers stacked in modular system. The idea behind the development was to create a cost effective commercial area which could offer affordable rents for tenants.

John from Urban Space Management (they built it) led a very enthusiastic tour of the wharf, showing each of the buildings in turn. It’s a bit like the Tardis as it feels larger on the inside than its footprint. The buildings may not be considered beautiful, elegant or detailed in a traditional sense, however it has something which many new developments lack – character and a real community buzz. This is an excellent example of good design focusing on what really matters.

Please click below to view more photo’s of the site.

A play area built on top of the Faraday School and constructed by joining three containers together.

A light ship converted into a recording studio (left). A close up of a unit (right).

We are delighted to announce our collaboration with copywriter Katie Taylor.

Katie will work with us to support and extend our existing copywriting service. Working within the creative industry for over ten years, she brings a great blend of creative, B2B and B2C writing experience.

Katie has written brochures, websites, newsletters, direct mail, radio ads, TV scripts, brand guidelines, SEO content, in-store point of sale – some of it award-winning work.

With an impressive previous client list – including BlackBerry, Boots, Costa, COI, GSK, Honda, John Lewis Partnership, Lastminute.com, Mothercare, NFL, Prudential, Samsung, Transport for London and World Vision – we’re confident that whatever your request, Katie will be ready to deliver.

If you are looking at new ways of getting your message ‘out there’, or thinking of a new creative sales campaign please give us a call on 01296 688457 or email Louise on louise@igloo-creative.co.uk