Projector

We’ve been working closely with our sister company Union Room on an exciting interactive project. Report Book is a newly developed online reports system for schools. We were tasked with developing an identity system for the brand which would then be applied to the overall look and feel of Union Room’s website for Report Book. We thought we’d show you how it’s progressing so far and our final selection options…

Option 1. A visual pun on report book, cropping closely in on an angled book, to reveal a marking tick. Accompanied by an approachable rounded sans serif.

Option 2. We focused in on the easy to use nature of the service, providing quick, paperless access to student reports at the “touch of a button”.

Option 3. The focus of option 3 is to promote the quick, technological aspect of the service asserting the cleverness of the system. Momentum is garnered in the marque by the use of overlapping flying arrows, all pointing in one unanimous direction…Report Book.

Option 4. This is an abstract representation of the paper reports that /parents/students are used to. Momentum is hinted at in the marque and the type giving a feeling that all reports are easily accessed.

Option 5. The negative space of the leg of the k allowed for us to position a mouse pointer denoting the online nature of the report book service and also highlighting it as the first place to go for online school reporting.

We have our favourite, but what do you think?

Projector are currently: Back in the swing of things! Yeah!

What with the recent deluge of delightful Royal Wedding memorabilia including todays release of the Royal Mail stamps (the couple photographed by Mario Testino), commemorating the lawful union of Wills and Kate, we thought we’d construct a blog post. Below are our favourite items commemorating a range of past events and people. We’ve found some absolute corkers, some ironic and some entirely serious.

1. Item No.1 Nick and David Cameron almost dancing cheek to cheek on this Coalition commemorative mug.

2. From KK outlet, you can get your hands on some very modern alternative Royal Wedding plates.

3. If seeing the happy couple tying the knot fills you with a rising feeling of nausea, then look no further than Lydia Leith’s Royal Wedding Sick Bags. Great idea.

4. Love cress? Love clay busts? Love hope, freedom, America and  Barack Obama? If you’ve answered yes to the previous questions, cast your eyes downwards to the answer to all of your prayers. The Barack Obama commemorative 44th President “Chia Pet”.

5. Look back to the previous Pope’s reign and tap him gently on the head with this commemorative Pope John Paul II bobblehead.

6. Moving into the realms of popular science-fiction, perhaps you’d like to put serve your food from a celestial portrait of a smiling Jean Luc Picard to commemorate a fine series of episodes.

7. Following multiple title wins, Roger Federer’s female fans have decided to commemorate him, encapsulating all of his glory inside a very tacky keyring.

8. You have the ears of Prince Charles, the questionably outspoken nature of Prince Philip and the cringeworthy balladry of Elton John. Who’s better? Hmmm? Well…there’s only one way to find out! Royal Wedding Top trumps.

9. This commemorative coin has really captured the likeness and beauty of Kate Middleton.

10. If you feel like your regular pound/dollar notes aren’t working out for you and looking at Stephenson, Elgar and the Queen or George Washington and Benjamin Franklin has become unbearably boring then shove your wallet full of Michael Jackson £1000000 notes.

Projector are currently: On the verge of bank holiday season!

Just a quick update on the Howard Smith Paper Profiles blog post we featured last month. We’re featured in Paper Profiles no.51 showcasing Howard Smith’s Regency stock (and also our design skills). We’re proud to show you the spread featuring our well-received work for the Beacon Purchasing Supplier Awards Call for Entries.

Projector are currently: A little bit sunkissed (burnt) from a radiant weekend!

We recently completed work on a new brand for Coffee Plus, a coffee shop which opened it’s doors to the public last week. The venue is not just your typical run of the mill coffee shop however; run by St. Mark’s Church in Shiremoor, it’s aim is to engage with it’s users directly and encourage growth and community spirit within the local area. Conveying this key message as well as creating a brand that would appeal to the wider public proved to be a unique challenge. It was important that the Christian message was balanced alongside the product offering so it was not too strong to dissuade people from using the shop.

Our solution was to create a brand with warmth, vibrancy and fresh appeal and combine this with hints towards the Christian mission of the business. We created a coffee bean logo mark which features a cross reversed out of the bean shape and added the descriptor line ‘an uplifting experience’; to communicate the double meaning of uplifting produce and a destination with a meaningful purpose.

Illustrations of coffee related subjects, incorporating the coffee bean logo mark were introduced to build the brand into a more unique, stand-apart and memorable experience.

To further build appeal we came up with a number of creative messages which hint at the greater purpose of the venue as well as highlighting what products are available. Lines such as ‘cappuccino, latte, americano – or something a little more uplifting?’ and ‘coffee, cake & community spirit coming soon’ where used on a range of marketing materials to build awareness of the shop opening.

The shop is ideally placed to stand out in a crowded market, offering high quality, locally sourced and homemade produce, all combined with a driving ambition to make a real and positive difference to the local community.

Projector are currently: Basking in some rare rays of Newcastle sun.

We’re pleased to announce a recent project of ours is to be featured in the latest issue of Howard Smith Profiles publication which will be distributed with Design Week magazine.

The publication showcases a selection of outstanding design and print work from across the UK, printed on Howard Smith Papers.

We submitted the Beacon Supplier Awards call for entries pack which was created as a follow up to a brand refresh project we undertook for the client. The pack, printed on Regency Satin stock, featured an unusual sized booklet, bespoke printed envelope, perforated self seal reply form and spot gold ink to create a prestigious feel to the items.

Thanks to our friends at Statex for doing us proud with some fantastic print work and of course to Howard Smith for producing a great product (and choosing our project to be featured in the latest issue).

Projector are currently: Getting to grips with some new comms work.

The spatula’s and whisks have been out at Projector and Union Room over the last week in an effort to raise money for Comic relief. We were kindly offered space in the local Clock Tower café to sell our homemade cakes and bakes for £1 a piece with all profit going to the charity. The event was a massive success and we raised £112 which Projector have doubled, so we’re donating £224 this week! Thanks to everyone involved for a great effort.

Projector are currently: Glad to be on the same team as Glen “The Destroyer” Stovold at 5s tonight

Times are tough; tough for consumers, tough for businesses, tough for the private sector and the public sector – it’s tough for everyone. Shops have shut, people have been laid off, profits are down and this year is likely to get tougher. As a brand consultancy we thrive on helping to keep businesses booming. So, to help businesses in these tough times we’re going to write a series of articles examining creative ways businesses have built their brands and thought out of the box to stay ahead of the game.

We’re working our way through 2011 and with nearly two months under our belt I thought I’d share with you that I made a new years resolution. I’ve decided to try and be a bit more socially responsible. Just a tad.

To set the scene, imagine a large double spread Guardian infographic. It shows a spectrum, one end displays someone buying a Pret A Manger King Prawn Avocado sandwich (the sandwiches are given to charity if unsold at the end of the day) and the other end selflessly giving up all your possessions to charity and quivering under a tree at night with nothing but the warm feeling of selflessness to heat yourself up. I’d be positioned just to the right of the Pret sandwich marker. So I’m not exactly the poster boy for giving, but I’m trying my best to change my ways.

Social Responsibility is the deliberate inclusion of public interest into your (or a company’s) actions ensuring active compliance with law, ethical standards and moral behaviour/attitudes. In addition it promotes public interest by encouraging the growth and development of society at large. This would involve avoiding activities that are socially harmful (pollution and human rights violations etc) and performing activities that have positive social goals (sharing profits and sustainability). I’m going to concentrate on the latter.

A recent consumer study showed that over half of the participants were unsure of the meaning of Corporate Social Responsibility. Which is understandable, as you can’t imagine a member of the public remarking in pure brand speak, that they prefer a certain brand because of “a tactical and well handled approach to social responsiblity by building interactive brand relationships”. Nevertheless, awareness of the issue really needs to be improved, as ultimately, without people giving up their own time and money, help would not reach people in need. This has in the recent past, been highlighted by programs such as Channel 4′s “The Secret Millionaire”. It is compulsive viewing, as everyone loves an inspiring, feel good story. It’s also great PR for the business owner concerned. The same idea can be applied to brands. In the current climate of government cut backs, brands have a real chance to propel themselves ahead of the competition. Generosity – where affordable – will gain an appreciative audience. They can gain the reputation of being the honest and up front businesses, making a positive impact amidst the doom and gloom.

Take for example Waitrose. They operate a monthly “Community Matters” scheme in which each store gives £1,000 to local charities/community groups. The customers nominate these themselves each month. Then store go-ers are given a token with each purchase, they then drop the token into any of three perspex tubes, each one being a charitable organisation. At the end of the month the tokens are weighed and the money distributed amongst the organisations proportionally. It’s a simple premise, but through generosity and showing that they care, Waitrose are forging a strong link between the local community and their brand. This is a cohesive strategy, showing Waitrose are in it for the long run, rather than just making a one-off gesture.

Innocent adopted a different approach with “The Big Knit” which began in 2007. Innocent bottles were topped with tiny knitted woolen hats (brilliantly fits in with their brand image), and with each purchased, 25p is provided to Age Concern. Age Concern run a winter campaign each year to help make winter warmer for thousands of older people across the UK. Earlier dark nights, bad weather and perilous pavements lead to increased social isolation for the elderly. With around 3.7 million elderly people living alone and 17% having less than weekly contact with family, friends and neighbours, it’s a big problem. It’s very morally just of Innocent helping out to support Age Concern. A great PR win for the brand. Not only this, but there is cleverness in the intergration of the social responsibility, alongside a fun interactive campaign. Instructions on the packaging then prompts the buyer into taking funny photos of the hat, and uploading it to the Innocent Big Knit Facebook page. The winner is announced at the end of December and is given a crate of their delicious smoothies. Not only are they being aware of social concerns, but they are also rewarding their customers for caring too!

So, what about us? At Projector we’re always trying to better ourselves and are happy to help charitable causes where we can. We’ve completed various pieces of work for charity – and had a near death experience up Snowdon too –  over the years, right now we’re working on a project for CHUF, the Childrens Heart Unit Fund, and alongside our sister company Union Room we’re providing a full communications overhaul for Give Hope. Give Hope help communities in Africa and are in themselves part of a CSR policy for a Banana plantation, so you can see how the idea starts to snowball.

What does your brand have to say? Are there any causes which are particularly close to you, that you feel like you could help with and maximise the appeal of your brand? Using resources at your disposal can enrich the lives of many, as well as netting you positive brand recognition.

References

http://www.landor.com

http://www.waitrose.com

http://www.innocentdrinks.co.uk/thebigknit

http://www.adweek.com/aw/content_display/news/strategy/e3id9db7bed8e9402cbcc7cd65342f1cca4

Projector are currently: Hoping Union Room don’t have more semi-pro ringers in 5s next week.

Tonight the whole of our studio (and probably everyone I told at the University on the Graphic Design course last week) are heading to the North East leg of GF Smith’s Anniversary Tour. For those of you in the know, GF Smith need very little introduction, for those of you who don’t get involved in Graphic Design’s dark art ‘specifying paper’ GF Smith are recognised as one of the most unique and respected paper companies worldwide – developing & manufacturing some of the most unusual papers for the graphics and printing industries for over 125 years.

Our corporate stationery uses one of their most popular ranges ‘Colorplan’, it’s manufactured in the UK by James Croppers in Kendal and we love it. While they’re not exactly of the moment anymore to us, (our business cards are duplexed ice white and mandarin) they’re so thick that just about every person we pass them to still comments on them – so because they stand out we stick with them. The fact they’re so thick does mean we have problems getting them printed, so it was with some help from our GF Smith friends we stumbled across Glasgow Press a little over 12 months ago – who suggested they Letterpress them for us.  We were more than happy to agree – the look and feel of Letterpress finished pieces makes for really great results, especially when combined with the right paper – like our Colorplan – the inked surface becomes slightly debossed adding another dimension that people just love to pore over.

Although letterpress printing has been mostly forgotten by the modern industry in favour of other methods better suited to mass production, we’re hoping to see some great examples when we go back in time tonight to review GF Smiths’ early marketing work.

So, in readiness for later, and to ease your way into Tuesday here are some great examples of Letterpress Business Cards – starting with our very own!

Projector Brand Communications – Orange and Black on duplex business cards. @yourprojector

Glasgow Press – Black and Blue on duplex business cards. @glasgowpress

Otter Recruitment – Brown on Cream with heavy impression business cards

Hubub Cafe Bar – cream foil on colorplan duplex business card

Maven Capital Partners - black ink on ebony embossed business card

FuzzyStuff – printed turquoise on dutch grey board

Penelope Jones - Black ink on debossed patterned business card

Suosdey Penn - Black on White cotton business card

Historic Tattoo – Red and Black on cream business card

Culinary Culture – Red and Brown on Cream card with edge painting business cards

Darden Studio – Black and Red on White cotton board business card @dardenstudio

Brenna Quan – High black coverage on white cotton business card

Space 150 - Red and dark Grey die cut business card @space150

Jon Tan - Black and Grey letterpress on cotton business card  @jontangerine

Shyama Golden – Single colour letterpress on Cranes Crest with pink painted edges – @shyamagolden

San Gretti - Red and green letterpress business cards

Jennifer Daniel - 2 colour letterpress business card set – @jenniferdaniel

The Thoburn Group – Silver ink on custom duplex business card

Kate Murphy – Yellow hand lettered letterpress business cards @katiehmurphy

The Royal Chains - Red and Grey multiple choice business card for band

I thought I’d write a short post as I was lucky enough to be asked by D&AD to attend Northumbria University yesterday – and take part in the Portfolio Surgery they were running. I’d never done anything like that before and as I was in the company Rodrigo Sobral, Creative Director from The Mill I think I felt as much under scrutiny as the students.

On the whole, the session was very well ran and it went by without incident – for the students and myself! What interested me most in participating – as well as doing my duty –  was the chance to talk to some current students and see what they thought of their course. We’ve blogged in the past (here) about the gap between graduating and being ready for the real world, and since we wrote that 2 years ago the world we live in has moved on apace - we’re thinking hard about adapting clients’ brands that need to work across social media and mobile apps, looking at the changing role of designer in the modern world, so, what I wanted to know is; were they thinking about it too?

I met 6 designers, including students from Australia, Costa Rica and of course good old Blighty, and aside from the very different levels of talent (it’s a brutal industry so let’s not beat around the bush) there were huge differences in the outlook of the bunch too. I happily looked through their portfolios, and the confidence they exuded in explaining the thinking and ideas behind their work was refreshing. I know first hand that this course really hones the thinking process, there’s never been an issue with that – it’s more the realisation of those ideas that becomes the stumbling block.

So, to the matter in hand – finding out what they think the future holds. I asked each designer “what do you think the future holds for designers”. I realise this might have been unexpected, but no one really had any answers for me. And before anyone says ‘you weren’t thinking about the future at that age either’ I’d stress these guys are looking to move into the industry in 8 weeks time. I thought they’d be even more excited about fusing disciplines and media than me, but the fact that one guy – obviously talented – was questioning if he wanted a career in graphic design at all, as he enjoyed imagery and laterly had began thinking about moving image. I suggested that he could easily use the skills to add to his work. Only this week we were talking to a client about making cost-effective short videos for creating a YouTube channel and the fact we’d need to outsource and manage, rather than create. I explained this to him and he said he’d like to combine those skills, but didn’t think it was possible? I can only assume that this is due to the same thinking that means the guys I met were learning bookbinding rather than how new technologies will transform their thinking. This was accentuated by the presentation – out of 6 people, only 1 person (the Australian student) showed me their work on screen. This wasn’t due to a lack of hardware either, the whole floor looked like an Apple store, no, when I asked one student who’s work clearly didnt suit being showed in a portfolio why they persevered with it they replied ‘the tutor said we have too’. That’s disappointing.

So while I think the students are doing a great job – and I believe they’re thinking about what the future might have in store for them, I’m not convinced there’s enough future thinking going on ‘up high’ about the future (job) roles of graphic designers.

Projector are currently: Suffering after football.

As well as brand management for many of our clients we do still love a good old graphic design challenge – and as challenges go, they don’t come much bigger than a recent project for Beacon Purchasing. We’ve worked with Beacon for over 2 years now on projects that needed creative input that they couldn’t manage internally, but late last year we were entrusted with their biggest communication brief of the year – the annual directory. It was great recognition of the hard work we put in to building the relationship and the work done to date - and we were delighted to have the opportunity to take on their flagship piece!

Beacon wanted to reduce the costs of their A4 directory – in terms of production but also internal hours collating the content. Following our usual process we looked at the job as a whole and how innovation could allow better use of the budget. Sometimes it’s just good to apply a fresh pair of eyes. During the review we realised that the time spent physically entering content, and chasing suppliers for details meant the project had an incredible burn rate at the start, something an online data capture system would cut dramatically – and give their suppliers a better idea of their entries by offering online proofing. So by suggesting – and building – a new system for collecting the data from over 130 suppliers we immediately answered one part of the brief. For the second objective – reducing production costs we got our graphic design thinking caps on.

During development stages – we looked at a number of different formats – and the most favoured was a 210mm x 210mm version, it felt better, more compact and easier to search and of course it meant cutting the amount of paper used, which in turn helped save costs.

The cover needed a bold standout image, based on Beacon’s guidelines for imagery. Images must be cut out and placed on the Beacon blue, with an appropriate new rhyme to accompany said single image. As you can see we opted for an almost monolithic boiled egg, in a Beacon brand yellow egg cup, with the rhyme “from casks and kegs to bacon and eggs”.

The online system devised by Projector and built by our sister company Union Room, the content was collated for the supplier adverts. Each supplier submitted their information through a strict system, allowing a certain amount of fields/copy space with word count limits. This kept all ads neat and to the grid system. Images were also uploaded through the system – again meaning less input from a management point of view for Beacon.

The way the job was set up was based on a grid system that would allow for the incorporation of 4 different advert sizes. These ad sizes were Double Page, Single Page, 1/3rd page and 1/4 page. Space fillers were used incase of gaps in the pagination, advertising the range of products which suppliers offer in Beacon’s directory. Each particular Ad size was geared toward offering a layout based on the product the supplier chose, designating them a certain amount of copy/image space. Ads ranged from drinks suppliers such as Heineken and Guinness to D.I.Y providers such as B&Q and Dulux.

The order of the directory was also changed – from a tabbed format, (food/drink etc) to alphabetically listed by category. Further re-design was needed of the introduction section and additionally the indexes must reflect the overall style of the new directory.

We believe the new format and design of the brochure will prove more useful and popular with users, with easier quicker access to ads via alphabetical order as well as being tightened up aesthetically.

Here are some words from Hazel Tunnicliffe, of Beacon’s marketing team. “I was keen to move on from a tried, tested, but tired format and design. I also needed to cut down on the man hours spent collating information from over 130 suppliers, as well as a convoluted internal sign off process. Myself and the team at Projector – and sister company Union Room – worked closely to create the new look directory and it’s online production system.”

Beacon’s reaction has been very positive. “Feedback on the new look has been fantastic, and we achieved the objectives set out at the beginning of the project. I look forward to continuing to refine and develop the piece in the years to come”.

Please check out the Projector website in the future for our Beacon Purchasing case study and further pictures.

Projector are currently: Readying themselves to punish Union Room at fives tomorrow.