glow marketing's blog

Print vs Pixels

paul@theglowstudio.com (Paul Bright) — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 14:30:00 +0000

I found this really nice quote summing up the feelings of most designers on this subject from the Japanese designer Kenya Hara. This humble quote beautifully describes the tactile quality that web based design can never compare to.

‘Thanks to the rise of electronic media, paper can finally behave as it can and should; as an intrinsically charming material. If electronic media is reckoned a practical tool for information conveyance, books are information sculpture. From now on books will probably be judged according to how well they awaken this materiality, because the decision to create a book at all will be based on a definite choice of paper as the medium.’”

A great article on the struggle between print and the web and how this has started to effect designers can be read by clicking here. I hope you find it interesting

Harmony

paul@theglowstudio.com (Paul Bright) — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 12:54:00 +0000

For all you frustrated creative types and potential artists out there I have found this great bit of online fun. Harmony is an addictive online drawing tool offering a few different brush styles. I particularly like the fur option. Go to Harmony to have a go yourself. You can even save your little works of art and impress your friends later.

Reality Football

paul@theglowstudio.com (Paul Bright) — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 11:50:00 +0000

Being a massive football fan I love this simple collection of football portraits by Alan Powdrill for a project he has called Reality Football. Pictures were taken of Sunday League teams, Pub teams and in local parks across the country during 3 seasons with the aim of showing the real, grass roots side of the beautiful game.

The all-encompassing nature of the sport becomes very apparent as you flick through these pictures. What a varied bunch us footballers are!

To have a proper look visit http://www.realityfootball.org/

OK Go keep things creative

paul@theglowstudio.com (Paul Bright) — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 10:50:00 +0000

OK Go are building something of a reputation for going the extra mile with their music videos. Who could forget their extremely creative and originally choreographed treadmill dance routine for the song Here it goes again which has been copied and referenced many times including a recent obvious parody by Berocca to advertise their vitamin supplement. Yet somehow they have managed to surpass themselves. This is a very recent video of theirs for This too shall pass which obviously took a lot of time to get right. It is taken as one long, panning shot and is a lot of fun. It also brings to mind the classic Honda advert The Cog in which various parts of the car all interact in a long chain reaction.

AR is the future

paul@theglowstudio.com (Paul Bright) — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 15:17:00 +0000

The term Augmented Reality has been hovering just outside of my

consciousness for a few months now but it's reputation among the

online community is growing. No doubt it is a term some of you

will have heard of however if you haven't, Augmented reality

involves using a barcode style symbol alongside your web-cam or

iPhone to create media that interacts with the world around you.

As with most technological advances the practical uses were not

apparent at first, most early applications were aimed at the

entertainment market in the form of hardcore gamers however

some companies like Benetton (to create viral promo videos) and

especially IKEA (see the my.IKEA video below) are begining to use

AR to good effect. From the look of these two videos the future is

going to be really cool!

Beautiful object from GF Smith

paul@theglowstudio.com (Paul Bright) — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 12:08:00 +0000

We recently received this great piece of print from GF Smith to

show off their Colourplan range which glow currently use for

some of our stationery. Stunning in its simplicity and finish,

we have come to expect nothing less from the paper merchants

as they have worked with many design agencies on their

promotional material over the years.

If you like what you see there is a exhibition celebrating 111

years of Graphic Design from GF Smith currently touring Art

schools around the country. The exhibition features

Promotional work from the 60's up to the present day and

features work by Saul Bass, Milton Glaser, Paul Rand, Bill

McKay and SEA Design.

recent logo trends

paul@theglowstudio.com (Paul Bright) — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 14:21:00 +0000

There seems to be a growing trend for logo design which

implements varied textures and gradients creating a deeper

richer logotype. This almost breaks into a realm of CGI with the

current SKY logo looking as though it is made of glass reflecting

and changing colour at will. Whether things continue to move in

this direction or revert to more minimalist tendencies you simply

have to admire the craftsmanship involved.

Uefa EURO 2012 Branding

paul@theglowstudio.com (Paul Bright) — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 12:44:00 +0000

I have to say I am quite perplexed by the new branding for the EURO 2012

tournament in Poland and Ukraine. Brandia Central have created a colourful

and fun brand inspired by 19th century wycinanki, an art of paper cutting

popular in both Poland and Ukraine. Areas of this work really well, I love

the stadiums illustrated as flowers as an idea. The only question I will raise

is, beautiful and bright as the brand is, does it suit the world of football?

The end of a great realtionship

paul@theglowstudio.com (Paul Bright) — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 12:35:00 +0000

On hearing that Fallon have lost the Sony account I thought we

should take some time to appreciate those iconic adverts they

made for the BRAVIA range of televisions. This was "balls" the

first from the series as I'm sure most of you will remember.

What a beautiful use of colour. Enjoy.

Bonus mailer pictures

paul@theglowstudio.com (Paul Bright) — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 12:36:00 +0000

This post has been long overdue. I had an overflow of nice

imagery taken for a recent Glow mailer and thought it would be a

shame for them to go unseen. The mailer was to encourage

businesses to communicate and I was thinking about how I could

have some fun visually and ended up getting creative with my

scalpel and some card. Take a look and see what you think.

Blog is back up and running

noreply@blogger.com (matt) — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 23:50:00 +0000

Hurrah, the glow blog is now back up on it's feet!

Virgin still red hot for me

noreply@blogger.com (Debbie Barker) — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 20:19:00 +0000

Have you seen the new Virgin Atlantic advert? It is full of everything I have come to expect from Virgin, one of my ‘I love’ brands for many years. The advert, a £6m campaign celebrating Virgin’s 25th anniversary, takes us back to the company’s inaugural flight to New York in 1984, a time of yuppies, the Rubik’s Cube, brick-sized mobile phones and the miners’ strike. A sexy Virgin cabin crew enter to the sound of the Frankie Goes to Hollywood classic ‘Relax’ with the message ‘still red hot’. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZghtOR-Drc

Richard Branson describes the Virgin brand as one of the premier ‘way of life’ brands in the world. He says: “Whether you’re in the United States, Australia and New Zealand, Japan, South Africa, India, Europe, Russia, South America or China, the Virgin brand means something. The Virgin brand is about enjoying life to the full. By offering customers excellent value for money in so many areas of their lives, we aim to make them happier.” http://entrepreneur.virgin.com/

It’s an ethos we share at glow.

Lisa Lavis, Managing Director, glow

glow designers feature in Computer Arts magazine

noreply@blogger.com (Debbie Barker) — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 18:21:00 +0000

If you read specialist design magazine, Computer Arts, as avidly as we do here at glow, then you will know that two of our design team were featured in issue 154.

glow’s graphic designer, Pete Davies (lynx) and recently graduated textile designer, Zoe Barker (snow leopard), were approached by Nick Spence of Computer Arts Magazine to contribute to an article about pattern design using designs from Zoe’s newly launched textile business, www.boetique.co.uk .

Zoe and Pete said, “We were more than happy to give some insight into pattern design when approached by feature writer Nick Spence.Textile Design articles are few and far between, however, Computer Arts has always been a firm favourite with us. We hope that our input in this article will help raise the profile of textile design and print.”

Computer Arts is a firm favourite with glow too and we look forward to seeing ‘Boetique’ develop and thrive.

We would love to find out how much people do know about digital textile design and print and welcome your comments and questions here.

You are what you write.

noreply@blogger.com (Golden Cat) — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 14:08:00 +0000

Writing can say a lot about who you are as an individual or indeed as a business. The choice of words you use, the amount you say and the tone you say it in all contribute to the image you portray.

What are you talking about?

With speech, you have a number of paralinguistic features at your disposal to help convey your message, like intonation, stress and body language. However, when it comes to writing, how you represent your personality differs immensely,

You are no longer face-to-face with your listener and the dimensions of your expressive self have been reduced to a flat screen or paper. But that doesn’t mean the personal or professional touch has to be lost.

Say it write

Touch is not just physical and so words can make the (metaphorical) contact required to build successful relationships. Words can introduce, remind, promote, excite, inspire and still have more to give. With the careful selection and presentation of language, writing can be as effective at transmitting key facts as a news bulletin and as emotive as a novel, simultaneously. The permanence of the written word also means that the message being conveyed can be reviewed infinitely- the significance of which cannot be underestimated. If you want to say something, say it right.

Becky Allen - cheetah!

A greener approach to marketing

noreply@blogger.com (Debbie Barker) — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 12:48:00 +0000

As the development of green initiatives gathers momentum, businesses can easily fall prey to ‘green washing’. Marketing faces a particular challenge to ensure that claims of sustainability and recycling do not mislead and that all claims made are legitimate.

A recent report published by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) entitled, ‘Environmental Claims in Advertising: Is Green a Grey Area?’* recognises the importance of avoiding ‘greenwash’ and the use of truthful green marketing messages to maintain consumer trust.

glow is keen to reduce its own carbon footprint by adopting a realistic and effective approach to green marketing. In our view, green need not be a grey area. We realise that, as a company, we cannot go totally green overnight but we do believe, by taking small steps now, we will make a real long term difference.

One of our first steps to becoming a greener company has been to introduce a new division called “The Green Corner”. www.inthegreencorner.com championed by Debbie Barker, Creative Director.

With a projected launch date of September 08, The Green Corner will provide a cornerstone of tangible products and services that adhere to green principles and values. Our clients will have access to The Green Corner and will be free to opt for any or all of its wares. These will range from waterless printing techniques, using vegetable based inks and recycled papers, through
e alerts and e newsletters to paperless billing and online sales.

Part of our own green initiative is to provide freedom of choice. We will be offering green solutions where we think they will be best suited but the client will always have the right to choose.

The Green Corner’s aim is to become a preferred supplier to companies who already share a green vision and values and to exceed their expectations wherever it can.

Footnote: Here at glow we are steadily implementing greener ways of working from switching off light bulbs (energy saving ones of course) and recycling our waste paper to sourcing environmentally friendly products and materials for ourselves and our clients.

* http://www.asa.org.uk/asa/news/news/2008/ASA+Environment+Seminar+Report.htm

On the prowl.......for Work Experience

noreply@blogger.com (Golden Cat) — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 12:41:00 +0000

For graduates-to-be, it can be a hard life obtaining experience in the domain of either your degree or your desired employment area. However, it’s all about perseverance, as I found out when I landed a part-time office role at glow…

First target: Know your appetite and your skills.
I knew I wanted experience in marketing and I knew the most suitable experience I had stemmed from my two years at university studying English Language and Linguistics.

Second target: Locate your prey.
Like a traditional boy scout, I knew I had to be prepared. Armed with a local phone directory, Google as my homepage, and my Blue Peter-esque pen and paper, I was ready for some research. Here’s what I did earlier: scanned through media, advertising and marketing agencies in the local area, checked out their websites and made a note of their contact details. I needed to know who companies were and what they did- I soon realized which companies it was worth contacting.

Third Target: Approach with caution and pounce at the right time.
I found it an advantage composing personal covering letters to accompany what I hoped was my fail-safe CV to each agency, after finding out to whose attention they should be sent. All I could do now was wait. And wait. And wait. At this point, I realized that agencies may or may not get back to people seeking work experience. If they didn’t call me, I called them and my tenacious approach was noticed.

Good things come to those who wait

Although my first attempts at securing work in a marketing agency didn’t pay off, my further attempts did. After meeting with Golden Cat and Lioness at glow marketing, I obtained a part-time office role for the rest of the summer.

My First Week at glow

Although I was fully geared up for being the tea girl, I soon realized that the glow office is all about being part of a team in which directors, part-timers and work experiencers make the drinks as much as the next person. I was also assured when it became apparent that I was wanted in the office for what I could contribute with my own experience, knowledge and abilities. I have therefore had the opportunities to research; compose initial emails for a project and write blogs- valuable practices for someone without previous experience, who is enjoying the process of actively observing the running of a successful marketing agency.

Becky Allen – Cheetah!

glow cars

noreply@blogger.com (Golden Cat) — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 14:49:00 +0000

Have you spotted one of the glow cars out and about?

The marketing toolbox

noreply@blogger.com (Golden Cat) — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 14:45:00 +0000

marketing%20tool%20box.pdf

We use this visual as a guide to where various marketing activities relate to a marketing strategy/plan. We know our clients find it a useful aid, we hope you do also.

Live and breathe your brand

noreply@blogger.com (Golden Cat) — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 11:24:00 +0000

Brand values
The most successful brands have all embraced the fact that a brand is more than just a logo and a colour palette. A brand should be at the heart of a business, the true ethos of the company; to reach optimum brand strength (to be number one within your sector) this must be understood, communicated and displayed by all, directors and team alike.

Branding in any business is vital to a slick and cost effective sales and marketing process, and as corporate as this may seem, all team members must regard sales as a process from which they are employed and paid.

By understanding where you as a company sit in relation to brand awareness we can prepare the best possible plan of action to ensure you achieve and exceed you targets. I have listed the basics of branding below, it would be beneficial, in fact I would go so far as to say a necessity, to cascade this information to all staff, to motivate them to understand and share the vision of directors, thus becoming part of the sales process

Branding and corporate Identity.

Actual identity
This is the reality of where your company currently is, it includes the current service offering, the values and behaviour of staff and the overall performance of you as an organisation. Actual id can be influenced by management, structure and policies. By defining an accurate actual identity you provide an honest and strong foundation from which to build.

Communicated identity
This is the identity you as an organisation reveal through controllable communications and marketing activities. Typically, marketing tools such as advertising, pr, logo’s, letterheads, use of colour and design are used to present an image. In addition to controllable communications, a communicated id can also be derived from non controllable communications such as word of mouth. All communications such as brochures, media presentations, fact sheets etc. conform to a standard (corporate guidelines).

Conceived identity
This refers to the perceptions of your organisation by relevant stakeholders such as prospective clients, clients themselves, employees and the local community. Conceived identity should reflect the corporate image and reputation of your company, we recommend a sustained approach to continually improve the image of a company via strong pr, community links and the building of key relationships in particular.

Ideal Identity
Ideal identity is the optimum (best) positioning that you could achieve within your market sector.

Desired identity
This lives in the hearts and minds of directors. It is their vision for the development of the organisation. Vision should be based on analysis and research to ensure it is achievable and a goal as opposed to a dream. The vision of directors needs to be communicated at all levels, and all staff must be able to relate the vision to their role within your organisation personally. The old adage “You are only as strong as your weakest link” reinforces this practice. If all team members understand the vision of directors, they share the vision and know they are able and vital to the success of that vision.

False Economy

noreply@blogger.com (Jaguar) — Wed, 21 May 2008 15:12:00 +0000

A huge game of Chinese Whispers is gaining momentum in the UK. Businesses are talking themselves into recession and it's stifling their growth.

At a time when we should all be concentrating on what we do well and letting our prospects and clients know about it, many are cutting budgets and staff and in doing so are cutting their chances of business growth!

Slash and burn
Managing directors may be thinking of slashing marketing budgets. This will ensure that their competitors obtain the lion's share of the market. We recommend being more savvy with your spend. Carry out greater customer analysis, competitor research. Ensure you campaigns are well planned, targeted and focused. All these actions will ensure a greater return on your investment. Don't just throw pebbles in the pond.

Question your business
Look at your prospect to customer conversion rates, why don't more prospects convert? What can you do to encourage greater conversion? Question your business, your service and your marketing. Don't just stop doing what you do. We all know that during these times of recession, or in games of Chinese Whispers, it's survival of the fittest. By looking at how you spend your money, where you spend your money and who you spend your money with, you will ensure that your company is the one enjoying the lion's share!

Play up Pompey!

noreply@blogger.com (Jaguar) — Wed, 21 May 2008 15:02:00 +0000

The glow team would like to congratulate Portsmouth Football Club on bringing the FA Cup back to Portsmouth for the first time in 69 years! The atmosphere in the city over the weekend was fantastic with everyone being polite and friendly to strangers. Let's hope the win really lifts the city and encourages a positive supporting attitude in everything.

From cleaners to WAGs
We would like to congratulate not only the players but the team behind the scenes from the cleaners to the WAGs! We recognise the importance of a strong, supportive team across the board.

To be successful in sport you must have dedication, passion and a genuine love of what you do. The same applies to business. At glow, we genuinely look forward to work in the mornings. We have a happy, close-knit team and this transfers to our clients.