Candour stationery

The recent MAA advertisement highlighted to Candour that they needed some new stationery - letterheads, compliment slips, business card etc. They are moving offices in the new year (to a much plusher settlement I must add), therefore they needed all the details updated.

After doing the initial re-design of the stationery, we are putting the job on hold until after Christmas. The reason being they are currently unsure of who will have which telephone numbers in the new offices. I have however created the signage for the office ahead of time.

Candour MAA advertisment

The MAA - Marketing Agencies Association (previously MCCA) publish a yearly book. Well it's more of a bible of who's who in the UK marketing world. Hundreds of marketing companies jockey for work inside it's pages. As you can imagine with such competition in one place, it's important to have a clear and stylish looking bio. Actually, I must admit, the MAA send very strict guidelines for how ads are to look. Each company's ad is layed out exactly the same, it's just the content that differs.

Andrex - "It's the little things" postcard

This was a fairly straight forward job, which was a welcome break - most of the other work this month has been highly technical, demanding and in-depth. This was however as simple as it sounds. A simple promotional two sided postcard, the kind you might find stuffed into your Sunday newspaper. The postcards purpose was to raise brand awareness and highlight Andrex's new campaign.

Kleenex - Sore to Soothed

This has been an extremely involved job - spanning over two weeks of non stop graft. It's jobs like this that makes me realize how lucky I am to be doing something I enjoy!

Sore to Soothed is the new Kleenex campaign for their latest product, Kleenex Balsam. You might have read on my blog, back in May, that I was involved with the concept boards. There's a larger chance that you didn't read my blog back in May of course. None the less, Kleenex loved the concept boards, and this month it has been full steam ahead.

I was the artworker for the entire campaign, things got very tecnical for a while. Alot of two-ing and fro-ing from the printers while we strived to get the job right.

Why was it such a demanding job? The final prints involved a 4x4m floor media, a 2m high dumpbin for the product to sit in, a couple of different concourse stands (one of which was 3x2m). Each of these had to be cut a specific shape, and I had to do the maths along with the artwork. I'd forgotten how to use that part of my brain! The team involved was fairly large also, what with the tv commercial, illustrations, specialist printers, acount handlers, production teams and ofcourse.... client.

A huge job, it all ended great and now, thank god... I can blink!

Omega / 2012 Olympics pitch

With the 2012 Olympics just around the corner, there are of course various opportunities to get new business. I remember a couple of years ago a Spanish friend of mine told this exact same thing. He said that business opportunities in Barcelona during the lead up to the Olympics were plentiful, for those that were looking for them. Anyway, I digress. Omega, the time piece specialist, are the official time-keepers for the 2012 Olympics - aren't they always?

The pitch was created on A2 boards & and an accompanying Keynote show (Apples' version of Powerpoint). We have yet to hear back if the pitch was successful, time shall tell!

Andrex PuppyWorld concept

I don't to say too much about this one in case I give myself the kiss of death! Needless to say, I have spent a couple of days working in a small team (as the artworker) to come up with a new campaign for Andrex Tissues. The concept is PuppyWorld, and if they like it then I will of course be blogging about it in the near future! Wish us luck.

Goal exhibition stand

I was approached to design an exhibition stand by the Danish company ISU. The stand was 2 x 3m. The brief was to come up with an illustration that was simple, stylish and that conveyed the message "goal orientated". The exhibition was placed in the business district and aimed at residential homes for the elderly. There are some translation difficulties with me trying to explain this here, but in a nutshell the goals were:

Goal oriented treatment of the citizen

Goal oriented exploitation of resources

Goal oriented management of economy

To put it even simpler, staff at residential homes should use goals to increase the welfare and happiness of the elderly.

After toying with several ideas we agreed to go with the cheering crowd illustration you see here. The arrows point towards an actual goal that was placed in front of the stand for impact. Using brand colours, everyone was happy with the end result.

Candour staffing emailer

This promotional emailer is Candour Marketing's first of many newsletters, which is to be sent out regularly to all on their mailing list. Being the first of many, this particular job took a fair amount of setting up. This was also my first promotional emailer. The design had to be created within the constraints of the medium in mind. This layout was then passed over to the HTML specialist who created the template. So in future, the various other mailers will be incredibly quick and easy to create. It will be simply a matter of changing the content to suit the news.

Rewkachu Green development

A rather good by-product of the inspiration I brought home from the Telluride Photography Festival is that I have decided to take an active conservation role with my spare time.

In the last couple of weeks I have decided to offer my experience and skill-set to conservation organisations for next to nothing or free. I just want to cover my costs. The venture is called Rewkachu Green. I have been busy designing the website and blog, I have also started contacting non-profit organisations telling them of my existence.

When the website is up and running (another few weeks) I will step up another gear and promote the service to those that need to know. As soon as it is online I will be redesigning my my main website also, uploading newer work that's of a higher standard, and decluttering it for ease of use.

Here's the Rewkachu Green logo, I love it.

Rewkachu takes a step forward

Still filled with fire in belly from the recent Telluride Photography Festival (see my last post). I've decided to create a more defined online presence for my company. I've created a Rewkachu photography & design facebook page, feel free to go ahead and "like" it. I've created a Rewkachu twitter page. I've also created a pro flickr account. Each of these are interlinked too, in true "web" fashion - so I update one, and they all update. My tech friend Mark has been on at me for ages about such advances, I'll listen to him next time perhaps!

I'm currently mulling over an idea for a sister company too, I'll probably mention this again soon in much more detail.

Telluride Photography Festival 2010

I just got back from Colorado, again. I flew back out there for the Telluride Photography Festival. I worked as a volunteer for the week. I was scheduled to work two days, but I ended up loving the festival and other volunteers so much that I worked more than I was scheduled for. I had the best time and look back with the thought - "flying out especially for the festival was one of the best decisions of my life". I will do again next year for sure. I'll get to why it was such a good decision for me in a moment, but I have to advise you (if you enjoy photography) this is an event you need to put on your calendar.

There were numerous galleries of high class work dotted around the small beautiful town. Seminars, workshops, photography nature walks, competitions and hundreds of interesting people to talk to and network with. I usually feel uncomfortable networking, but everyone there was so interesting.

The highlight for me were the portfolio reviews. Some of the worlds leading photographers were there doing said reviews. I was lucky enough to sit down and hear thoughts about my work from three of the five photographers I set out to speak to. Robert Glenn Ketchum and Carlton Ward Jnr. the two I missed - I'm sure I'll grab them next year.

I spoke to Tom Mangelsen, heavyweight mega-fauna photographer from the iLCP and he was very honest and gave me some amazing tips. I spoke to Emily Loose, the director of communications for the WILD foundation and she was extremely cool to speak to (pretty witty also). From her I got tips on how to get involved with conservation and contacts. Most impressive of all, I managed to secure the very first portfolio review of the entire festival, a 9am slot with no other than Cristina Mittermeier. Somewhat of a personal hero of mine. I won't go into too much detail but she is the president of the International League of Conservation Photographers - who do an incredible amount of good for our planet. She was very pleased with my photography, pointed out a few ways of making it better. She also openly preferred my photographs of the Arabic asylum seekers to my wildlife shots. Which is food for thought.

Needless to say, speaking to these incredible people and listening to them in seminars really reminded me of my younger self. The guy that once actively sought conservation, only to let it drift away over the years due to the "rat race" and city life. Well, I can confirm that I'm back! I am now contacting several non-profit organisations offering my services. I have been fired up, and I'm dieing to help out.

Thank you Telluride Photo Festival, but most of all, thank you Cristina & the iLCP!

ISU welfare for the elderly poster

A nice easy job. It's a small world nowadays, I'm from England, the client (ISU Plus) is from Denmark - and I did the job whilst in Colorado. I needed a little bit of assistance from my housemate, I needed a few files sent to me from my home PC before I could begin. I had to talk him through my complicated filing system and arrange for him to upload the needed images.

The job really was a simple one, which was welcomed because I was on holiday. All I had to do was convert the front page of an 8 page brochure I had previously designed into an A2 poster. The brochure itself was A4. At the time designing it I used forethought and created it at A3 (then scaled it down), in case this scenario ever arose. I'm glad I did, converting an A3 image to A2, is easy with a bit of "jiggery-pokery" (yes that's a technical term). Converting an A4 image to A2 is slightly scary due to print resolutions and pixelation.

212 VIP Fragrance

I had to artwork an A6 flyer for a Carolina Herrera fragrance called "212 VIP". The promotion was for people who found themselves in the position of said flyers - they have to go to the website and enter a game for a chance to win. The prize was "Win a private party in New York".... yes please!!

Luxury Buggy concept boards

Last year I created some A3 concept boards, ten in total. It was a for a new company called Luxury Buggy based in Portugal. The company plans to be the most affordable, green, and luxurious taxi service in the region. I'm not sure I'm allowed to give any further information out due to the company not being launched yet.

However, this week I had to revisit the concept boards and change some of the information. Technology moves so fast, it seems as if new technology is being put in place to make the Luxury Buggy idea even "greener" than first envisaged. Exactly the kind of news I like hearing.

As with most concept board jobs, this one was on the tightest of deadlines!

America photography trip

I am currently in Colorado for my what seems yearly photography trip. Colorado is VERY photogenic I can tell you. I'm here for a month and I have taken nearly 2000 photos already, I still have about 8 days left.

I've been staying in a town called Telluride. This place is an artists / photographers heaven. Everyone here is a Creative. It's very inspiring!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=460157&id=621210323&l=1ba7ba05ba

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=465179&id=621210323&l=3c79926b5f

Priors Field School - Video documentation

This is the forth year in a row I've been asked to be involved with this Priors Field School event. I've posted about it each year but I will briefly describe it again.

It's actually a highly enjoyable job which takes an incredible amount of concentration. This is a good challenge for me because I'm used to working alone at my own pace and listening to music, great for creativity but not great for concentration.

It's a two day event where the pupils of this all girls boarding school put on a bit of a show for the parents on the last day of term. The pupils leaving this year play the songs they have written, play in orchestras, show their art, and give speeches. The teachers also give a round up to the years progress and give out prizes to exceptional students.

My role changed this year slightly. I was given control of a free roaming broadcast quality camera. A huge thing on a tripod with wheels, the kind you see in studios broadcasting live. The hardest part is to get to grips with the running order of the show by being at the rehearsals on day 1, and on day 2 I have to film and edit LIVE to a 30 foot screen at the head of the hall - broadcasting to over 1000 parents. I control two broadcast quality camera's and a basic live mixing desk. The sound, probably the most important part of the production is done by a friend and sound engineer who runs the company Kinetic (based in Woking).

As I've said before, if I have children, and if I have a girl, I will be thinking about paying for her education at this incredible school. Very impressive indeed.

Sorry there is nothing to show you, but it's all mixed live.

Andrex - Fresh sampling leaflet

The graphics for the stand were created, and that part of the Andrex Fresh job this yeah is complete. I needed to create an A5 leaflet which accompanied the exponential stand. The leaflet was to be handed out by the staff, to passers by in shopping malls.

Andrex - Fresh stand

Work resumed on the Andrex Fresh exponential stand. The concept boards were approved by the client, and the artwork files were needed as soon as possible!

My role was to create said artwork files, ready to be printed and built. It's been fun seeing this job evolve from start to finish.

Vintage Marque stand visuals

Vintage Marque are a high quality alcoholic beverage brand. Ports and Madeiras being the main bulk of their stock and sales.

I had to work as part of a small team to create some 3D visuals for an exponential stand. The stand was created to resemble a bar.

Andrex - A6 Invite

This was an in house job. By that I mean, it was an invite that was to be given out to Andrex employees, for a yearly staff event. It had to be a mixture of corporate and fun. A very simple and small job.

Kleenex - Hay Fever

Kleenex Hay Fever, is one if the Summer campaigns from this giant brand. The job I was part of was very simple as the campaign is yearly and already set in place.

I simply had to create the graphics for a "dump bin" which is a large tube that is full of product samples for the general public to take. I also had to create a sticker to accompany the dump bin.

Kleenex - Sore to Soothed concept boards

Sore to Soothed, a new product from Kleenex. The product has Aloe Vera in it, and is said to sooth a sore nose. I worked with the creative director to make his vision a reality on the computer. We had to create a set of concept boards, working in a small team, with limited time as usual! The concept had to include branding, product placement and an exponential stand.

Andrex - Fresh creative

Back in March I was part of a small team working on a concept for this years Andrex Fresh Campaign. The concept boards were accepted by Andrex, which is GREAT.

So this week we have been honing the concept, researching possibilities and evolving the idea. You will see that the process has come along way. It's exciting for me to see it evolve. Working with the creative director is a humbling experience as always.

Nina L'elixir - concept boards

Nina L'elixir is a new fragrance from Nina Ricci. I was part of a small team that worked on creating a some concept boards for an exponential event stand. Consumers would be welcomed into the stand to sample the new fragrance. The stand had to obviously suit the fragrances class. Again, as concept boards are - time was short!

Nissan - Freeride

Nissan Freeride is a collection of sporting events held worldwide. Mainly centering around the likes of snowboarding and skiing related events.

The branding is very well set in place, so the job I was given was to simply amend and update various posters and leaflets in different languages. This is something I am very used to, due to all the work I get from Denmark.

The client was very pleased and their mind was set at ease, as I was not flustered in the slightest by working in different languages.

Kleenex Idol - Bits and bobs

Kleenex have so much going on all year around, this week I have been doing a lot of smaller jobs for them. Jobs that only take an hour or two, but when they are all added together, they bring a real sense of weight to the Kleenex Idol campaign in general.

The bits and bobs I've been working on have been :

1) an Idol t-shirt. To be worn by the staff at the exponential stands placed in the shopping malls.

2) graphics for an instructional page, informing employees how to construct a showcase stand.

3) a goodie bag, to be handed out at shopping malls to passers by.

4) graphics for a powerpoint slideshow.

5) retouching images for a huge roller banner to be displayed in shopping malls.

6) Judges cards for a staff dancing event.

Itty bitty work, but varied.

Andrex - Fresh concept boards

Each year Andrex output various campaigns. "Fresh" is a yearly creation, and arguably one of their biggest campaigns of the year.

I've been working alongside a creative director to make his vision reality. I must say, seeing him come up with the ideas is quite awe inspiring. It's been alot of work, many many hours. But the concept is quite exciting. Watching it evolve and its various elements is really interesting.

Andrex - Christmas concept boards

Another set of concept boards, created in a mad rush of three days. It's strange isn't it, rushing in March to get concepts for a Christmas campaign output. I'm not going to argue with the big boys in the industry however. You simply do what they say, and happily!!

If Andrex like the pitch, then the actual job will begin around September I imagine.

Andrex - Get Closer

"Get Closer" is another campaign from Andrex. My role for this was to create the graphics for the logo. The logo to symbolize the campaign. Again, working alongside a creative director to simply create ideas and visuals at this stage.

Andrex - Mothers Day

Andrex, another tissue giant! I had to work alongside a creative director to create some graphics for their Mother's Day campaign.

The idea was to have an exponential experience placed in shopping malls before Mother's Day. The stand would classily advertise the brand. There would be a photo wall, with a Mother's Day relevant image, and people (mainly children) would have their photo taken in front of the wall. The photograph would then be instantly printed onto a Mother's Day card. A very simple idea, but a good one for subtle branding.

My role was to create the artwork files for the card graphics, and the large image on the photo wall.

HomeSense - concept boards

Concept boards are always stressful and exciting. You are always given no time to create a wonderful concept for a campaign, regardless of the client. It always means long hours and alot of pressure. I'm thankful that its part of a team, rather than a solo endeavor!

My role was to make the creative directors vision become a graphic reality. Working closely with an experience mind like that is always a truely sobering experience. I learn a hell of alot from him. To turn around a job so quickly is an art I'm getting more and more accustomed to.

Kleenex Idol stand

The is the first job in a string of many to come with the tissue giant Kleenex. Kleenex have many campaigns underway at the same time during the year. This campaign is labeled as "Kleenex Idol". I'm not sure how much I can say actually, so I will keep it fairly brief.

I was part of a small team creating various stand graphics. These included various elements, as you will see from the 3D visual. The idea was for the stand to be set up in various shopping malls, for passers by to sample the new line of Kleenex goodies. The job involved, or me, was retouching imagery, and creating huge, high resolution artwork print files.

Kleenex - Let It Out storyboard

Another one of Kleenex's campaigns. This particular job was a promotional video showcasing a new improved hand pack of tissues.

I worked part of a small team, my particular job was to layout an in depth storyboard, based on teh creative directors vision. This story board was to be given to the video department for them to work from. So communication was key, I also also had to liase with various departments and collate the elements needed for the film.

Candour Marketing website

I can't take credit for designing the Candour website, I'll make that very clear! It's quite a nice website actually, I think it's very well built. My role was simply to retouch the photographs, and create the buttons.

The job was for one of my very first clients, we re-connected this month, after a years absence. It's funny how a simple phone call can snowball your work load. I'm NOT complaining!! Work for this client was always extremely interesting to me.

The website has still to go live, I will add a link here when the developer has it up and running.

Analyzer brochure

Another ISU brochure, with 8 pages of text. The idea with this brochure was to be a lot less "fun" looking than the previous brochures. This one had to have an air of professionalism and corporateness that the previous brochures had avoided. I decided to achieve this I needed to not have any distracting imagery / photographs. I would include only graphical imagery and create everything from scratch.

The reason it had to be "corporate" was due to the nature of the content. It was a brochure which was to showcase the last years results of ISU's endeavors.

Everyone was pleased with the results, including myself.

2x 8 Page brochures

ISU approached me at the start of the year to ask me to come up with a new theme for what has become a fairly regular job. The creation of an 8 page brochure, promoting the work that ISU do in improving the welfare of the elderly, in care homes.

Previous themes have been oak leaves, blossom and red apples. This time around, due to the time of year, they asked me to make it in tune Spring. After various attempts and ideas, I researched flower types, and came up with Crocuses. ISU loved the idea, and we ran with it.

This time around, they wanted two versions that were almost identical looking, but with different text in each. I suggested that we make them different colours, as you can see. This worked gr

eat for them, and was also a much cheaper option for them than having me redesign a new layout.

Det Gode Partnerskab Show

Det Gode Partnerskab is a Danish project which translates to "The Good Partnership". The project includes a range of public and private companies jointly trying to bring more dynamism and flexibility in public-private cooperation so that there will be more focus on service and quality.

To promote the venture, it was decided that project needed an exhibition launch. This is where I came in. I was asked to create exhibition graphics based on the website layout - to continue the branding ofcourse.

I was asked to create four huge banners, four A2 posters, and graphics for a table.