Articles, advice and musings in the world of graphic design, branding, corporate reporting and so much more.
What does a design and rebranding agency do and what process do they take?
Almost all agencies say they can do anything. The truth is we can’t. We’ve done some wicked interiors, mostly because our client liked what we did with everything else. It was magic fun, but we are not interior experts.
What we are (Navig8 that is) is an agency that does a few things, not only well, but world-class.
The decision to rebrand can be a difficult one for organisation that has high recognition. No matter the organisation if the brand is tired, no longer works on modern digital channels, or has simply become cringe-worthy, it may be time to grasp the nettle and seek out a design and rebranding agency.
An interactive online Annual Report can mean different things to different people. There are a number of solutions available to clients, each with increasing complexity and cost. But they don’t have to cost a fortune.
So, what goes on at a London graphic design agency?
What does a graphic designer do?
How do designers balance their design and development work with endless communication with clients?
Do account managers liaise between the clients and designers, but where does the quality control come into play?
If you have read the article Adding Impact to Your Annual Report: Print and Binding, you will know I have saved the ££££ cost options for adding something special to the print production of your annual report.
Annual report for a global Plc is only part of the communications package for an organisation's stakeholders. As part of our service we were tasked with producing the full range of stakeholder coms.
Animated brand content can breathe life into a brand, make it more relatable and give it a pulse.
Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have all been forced to work from home. And with no clear indication on when we will be allowed back to the office in the UK, we have to get used to it.
Gordon Bennet, I could write another book on this subject. I’m quite a positive chap and I really love my job, even after all these years, I still whistle my way to work – but, and let’s face it, we knew that ‘but’ was coming – it’s going to be hard to stay positive. I’ll do my best.
The terms ‘proofreading’ and ‘editing’ mean different things to different people, depending on the type of document and the client’s background. In the publishing industry, there is a distinct line between copy-editing, which is getting a document ready for print, applying a style guide, re-writing or re-phrasing parts, and proofreading, which should just be a final quality-control check on a ‘proof’ copy before pushing the start button on the printing press.
There are a whole host of techniques that you can use to make you print publications look and feel different. All come at a cost of course, but it is money well spent when you see the final result. These finishing (the processes that occur after the printing has been done) techniques can be applied to most things, from the humble business card, brochures and annual reports and are especially useful and relevant when implying luxury, quality or simply to stand out from the crowd. A word of caution, use with moderation.
With a publishing deal under my belt and a book launched in Europe, and let’s face it the UK being the primary market, Know Your Onions: Graphic Design (as of March 2019) has been re-printed 14 times to the tune of 56,000 copies. It has been translated into Chinese, simplified Chinese for Thailand and Japanese. I am, of course, delighted by this, but find it odd that France, Germany, Italy and cultural countries that are more aligned with the UK have not been so successful.
I am very lucky to have a close relationship with my readership, through Twitter and email. This manifests itself in a number of ways. Sure I get tweets, but I also get direct questions and requests from my readership who want some specific advice. I do my best to accommodate them and help where I can. In one instance I advised a reader to sort his portfolio out. He did. Eighteen months later he arrived at my door and presented his portfolio. I gave him a job. That all worked out very well – for both of us.
In this article i set out what a mission, vision statement does, how an organisation can use a descriptor and what a lift speech is. We help organisations establish these as the bedrock of their brand values. This article is an edited piece from my forthcoming book, know your onions: corporate identity.
I’ve employed a fair few graphic designers in my time. Most of which are straight out of uni or as a result of work experience. Setting aside the advise I give in What to Put in Your Portfolio and Get a Job: Graphic Design – these are the top ten things you need to think about, and do, when you get your first job.
This post aims to help clients get the best value, speed and accurate proofs when they commission a designer.
Following this guide will save you money and deliver your project sooner.
How do you help launch a new company, with a very limited budget, in a fiercely competitive market and begin to push them up the rankings? We did it for Plumbster, a new central London-based plumbing, electrician, jetting an maintenance team - targeting the big boys.
This then is the second and last in our series of ‘Design miscellany’ series, from M–Z. Nothing more than random comments, explanations and observations to inform and hopefully entertain.
