Monday 17 December 2012

Christmas TV ads 2012 – the Idealogy favourites

With just over a week to go until we’re all replete with festive trimmings and snoozing on the sofa in front of the telly, we thought we’d bring you our very favourite Christmas promos and adverts.

Thursday 13 December 2012

Christmas is a time for giving

For many a year now, companies have decided to for-go the tradition of sending Christmas cards or corporate gifts (or in some cases, both) and donate the money they would have spent to a charity of their choice.

Although we have sent out Christmas cards which a lot of you have enjoyed receiving (and thanks for great the feedback!) we have taken the decision to donate the money we would have spent on corporate gifts to two chosen charities.

Thursday 6 December 2012

Paul Wright - My Top 3 Websites


The web space we're invading!
Just some sites that Idealogy people are visiting that tick their boxes.

Paul Wright - Operations Director

http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather
The older I get the more obsessed I become with the weather for some reason, BBC site on the whole is very good, some great content.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies
BBC again but this a great site for Harry, can keep him amused for at least 5 minutes which is good going, again some really good content.

http://www.play.com
Even though I'll be very upset when/if HMV go bust I still insist on ordering music and films from Play to save me getting off my a**.


Posted by Idealogy









Monday 3 December 2012

No quarter given…. (or, where did those 3 months go?)

My name is Dan Ferrett (“go on, I dare you! It’s not like I haven’t heard them all before…) and in August I joined Idealogy as their new Office Manager.

Well, that was what the job description said but can I just say that my first 3 (and a bit) months have literally flown by. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that I would be involved with and in so much, so quickly. Having said that, I wouldn’t change it for the world!

Thursday 29 November 2012

Simon Dover - My Top 3 Websites


The web space we're invading!
Just some sites that Idealogy people are visiting that tick their boxes.

Simon Dover - Group Executive Director

http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/
iTunes Movie Trailers. A huge volume of content refreshed every hour.

http://www.gyro.com
A business we should aspire to be!

http://www.amazon.co.uk
Painless, seamless e-commerce.

Posted by Idealogy









Monday 26 November 2012

'Operation Christmas Card'

It's that magical time of year again! The promise of Christmas is just around the corner, the scent of Bratwurst and Gluhwein is prevalent in the air (well, in Southampton anyway!) and we're all being thrust, full throttle into the Christmas spirit whether we are ready or not. But, there is another Christmas tradition that, whilst overlooked in the UK, causes most of the USA to lose all sense of moderation, and, in some cases, decency; the family portrait Christmas card!

Thursday 22 November 2012

Anna Ecuyer - My Top 3 Websites


The web space we're invading!
Just some sites that Idealogy people are visiting that tick their boxes.

Anna Ecuyer - Creative Services Manager

http://pinterest.com/
My new obsession - a great digital scrap book to collect ideas, inspiration and images.

http://maps.google.co.uk/
Be honest where would we be without it.

http://www.boredpanda.com/
interesting design and art.

Posted by Idealogy









Thursday 15 November 2012

Principles of effective web design

How to turn users’ habits into design inspiration…

Sometimes, one of the biggest pitfalls of web design can be that the designers’ creativity simply doesn’t translate. Do users care how pretty your website is? Just how much did they hate your snazzy pop-up ad? Smashing Magazine has recently compiled a small list of user habits, which we’ve turned into some handy web design hints.

Thursday 18 October 2012

The Slings and Arrows…

The Bard has a lot to answer for!

In Shakespeare’s "To be or Not to be" soliloquy, Hamlet contemplates the nature of taking action. Today, ‘the slings and arrows...’ comment has evolved to mean ‘adversity, troubles, bad luck. ("Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Allusions"). 

Tuesday 16 October 2012

Football V Olympics? Are you havin' a laugh?

As the dust settles in East London, it’s a safe assumption that the Olympics have been the roaring success we all hoped for, and universally well received. A few weeks on and it seems that, without even pausing for breath, the curtain on the Barclays Premiership has gone up and the new season is now in full swing. With the two events almost overlapping, there have been obvious comparisons between professional football versus Olympics, comparing footballers with Olympians. With this, and with the stark contrast of the fortunes of our ‘ill-fated’ Team GB football side, a rather clichéd debate has emerged. 

Monday 15 October 2012

Turning a problem into a solution

With the vast increase in people accessing web content on tablet-devices and smartphones over the past year or so, some rich, dynamic content that may previously have been programmed in Flash has to had be re-imagined as Apple iOS devices (iPads etc) and other platforms do not support the display of this type of content anymore.

Friday 12 October 2012

Where’s Your Work? Part 7

Well, it’s that time of year again. Students are returning to campus like the proverbial bulls in china shops, overflowing with creative ideas. So for their benefit – and that of all creatives out there – here’s our pick of the best portfolio sites…

Our Verdict

If you’re just after a quick and easy portfolio shelf… Choose Behance. It seems to be the most popular, and with good reason. Double it up with a nifty LinkedIn profile, and you’ll be flying…

Thursday 11 October 2012

Where’s Your Work? Part 6

Well, it’s that time of year again. Students are returning to campus like the proverbial bulls in china shops, overflowing with creative ideas. So for their benefit – and that of all creatives out there – here’s our pick of the best portfolio sites…

Shown’d (www.shownd.com)

It’ll cost you… Nothing… Up to a point. As with other sites, you are limited in your uploads. However Shown’d has a higher threshold, allowing you 75 images, 15 audio files, 25 flash files and 25 videos before they’ll want your wonga.

Wednesday 10 October 2012

Where’s Your Work? Part 5

Well, it’s that time of year again. Students are returning to campus like the proverbial bulls in china shops, overflowing with creative ideas. So for their benefit – and that of all creatives out there – here’s our pick of the best portfolio sites…

Carbonmade (www.carbonmade.com)

It’ll cost you… Nothing if you can make yourself shine in 35 images, across 5 projects. Any more than that, and you’ll have to pay $12 a month, for up to 500 images across 50 projects.

Tuesday 9 October 2012

Where’s Your Work? Part 4

Well, it’s that time of year again. Students are returning to campus like the proverbial bulls in china shops, overflowing with creative ideas. So for their benefit – and that of all creatives out there – here’s our pick of the best portfolio sites…

DeviantART (www.deviantart.com)

It’ll cost you… Have a guess (A:Nothing)

Monday 8 October 2012

Where’s Your Work? Part 3

Well, it’s that time of year again. Students are returning to campus like the proverbial bulls in china shops, overflowing with creative ideas. So for their benefit – and that of all creatives out there – here’s our pick of the best portfolio sites…

TUMBLR (www.tumblr.com)

It’ll Cost You…Less than a penny (so that’s nothing, then…)

Friday 5 October 2012

Where’s Your Work? Part 2

Well, it’s that time of year again. Students are returning to campus like the proverbial bulls in china shops, overflowing with creative ideas. So for their benefit – and that of all creatives out there – here’s our pick of the best portfolio sites…

ISSUU (www.issuu.com)

It’ll Cost You… Nothing (unless you want to pay to promote your page)

Thursday 4 October 2012

Where’s Your Work? Part 1

Well, it’s that time of year again. Students are returning to campus like the proverbial bulls in china shops, overflowing with creative ideas. So for their benefit – and that of all creatives out there – here’s our pick of the best portfolio sites…

BEHANCE (www.behance.net)

It’ll Cost You… Nothing.

Monday 1 October 2012

Creation…every ten metres?

If it works for journalists and architects, why not for creatives?

Ten metres - a distance you could probably spit (and have definitely tried to). For some reason, within this diminutive distance lie several keys – the key to journalism (you can find a story every 10m), the key to architecture (if you don’t have something interesting every 10m, pedestrians get bored) and, possibly, the key to creation (not in a biblical way, of course…)

Monday 24 September 2012

Pulling Up Weeds

What a difference six months makes. Back in January the Australian government was in a state of catatonic shock over the perceived lack of respect shown by the British and American Tobacco Company. It was at this time that the 112 year old company put forward that it would distribute ‘Australian favourite’ brand cigarettes, throughout Europe, using the image of a Kangaroo. The Senate said that it was ‘outrageous’ to have a national symbol on the face of such a deadly product.

Monday 27 August 2012

Social Influence: Don’t Forget The Direction

Despite the recalibration of Klout’s score system, their results are still a little askew… 

Influence is currency in the world of the social brand. It’s not about how many followers you have - it’s about how you can influence them.

Monday 20 August 2012


The web space we're invading!
Just some sites that Idealogy people are visiting that tick their boxes...

Richard Sprinks - Developer

Wolfram Alpha
http://www.wolframalpha.com/
e.g. http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=Halley%27s+comet
Nice site that calculates complex search queries using every language

Lulu
http://www.lulu.com/
Great site for publishing content in print or digitally

Museum of Me
http://www.intel.com/museumofme/
This only works well if you have a lot of Facebook content, but it's a great idea

Posted by Idealogy









Thursday 16 August 2012

Skeu-what?!

We've heard some rumblings lately that Apple's skeumoprphic design interfaces for iOS are starting to grate on some people and that Microsoft Windows 8 and Metro interfaces (used on Windows phones) are being regarded as better implementations of quality design.

Monday 13 August 2012

Has The Pinterest Bubble Burst?

Now the hype has died down, are brands still making the most of Pinterest?

A few months back, the blogosphere was so tightly packed with tales of Pinterest, there wasn’t enough room to swing the proverbial cat. Since then, we’ve all had a little time to cool down and reflect, and we’re not so sure this pinning thing is going to pose a long-term threat to the big boys.

Granted, social networks are hardly elitist by nature. But the fact that Pinterest requires you to be invited 'unto its domain' is sure to partly undermine the inclusivity that we link to the ‘social brand’. Then again, does this approach make PInterest more exclusive and - dare we say - exotic, than its all-inclusive rivals? If so, how could this affect the way brands and readers interact?

Unlike on Facebook or Twitter, where bashing out a dose of semi-corporate goodness is quickly becoming an art form, we’re not sure there’s a good way to ‘Pin’ something well. A nice picture could just as easily go viral via the usual suspects than on Pinterest, so why the extra channel? And if it’s not nice enough, why bother pinning it?

Perhaps the best way for brands to use Pinterest is to simply get creative. Unbound by character limits, users are free to enjoy the glorious serendipity provided by Pinterest. Who knows which Pinboards you’ll stumble across? Peugeot have certainly raised the bar with their interactive jigsaw puzzle. So is there a case for “build it, and they will come”?

There are clearly pros and cons when it comes to Pinterest. They may not bring forth the revolutions like its predecessors have, and longevity could prove to be an issue. But for now, it seems to be where the highly engaged consumers are, so it may also need to be where the brands are.

Posted by Idealogy















Thursday 9 August 2012

Turning fat into fillet!

James Surridge travels around the world in search of a powerful and mystical Analysis technology...  

OK – let’s deal with the social bit first! Even though it’s the opposite side of the world, this client assignment to New Zealand got everyone’s attention in the Idealogy office. 

Thursday 19 July 2012

This is not just gum removal. This is reputation enhancement

It’s said that the chewing gum scourge is arguably the last public problem on the streets, and that you can only occupy two positions in the debate - you’ve either got the problem or you’re trying to get rid of it.

GumPak is making gum removal more accessible by creating the power to keep environments, and brand reputations, clear of this blight. And by putting that power in the hands of those who care for the quality of the spaces they inhabit.

Monday 16 July 2012

Our favourite Apps...

Just a little insight into all of us here at Idealogy - a list of our favourite Apps and which platforms we use them on...

Monday 9 July 2012

Why you should have a mobile site

Why you should have a mobile site alongside your 'normal' site

I was recently asked why someone needed a mobile site - a few quick points came to mind, no great presentation, just some bullet facts.

Wednesday 4 July 2012

Semiotics to Semantics – it’s time to concentrate!

Semiotics – yeah, it’s a new one on me as well! But if we’re all new to this form of research science (and despite many protestations, we really are!) it’s not a new methodology. Online reference begins around the mid-19th century, so it’s got a sizeable back catalogue, if I can put it that way!

Thursday 28 June 2012

Richard Sprinks - My Top 3 Websites


The web space we're invading!
Just some sites that Idealogy people are visiting that tick their boxes...

Richard Sprinks - Developer

http://www.wolframalpha.com/
Nice site that calculates the complex search queries using a every language.

http://www.lulu.com/
Great site for publishing content in print or digitally.

http://www.intel.com/museumofme/
This only works well if you have a lot of Facebook content, but it's a great idea.

Posted by Idealogy









Monday 21 May 2012

Idealogy on the move...

We've done it! Well we couldn't go around much longer, preaching to our clients about having smartphone-optimised websites if we hadn't actually got around to having our own now could we!?

Monday 14 May 2012

Sq. Ldr Spitfire Sprinks – Winging Bandwidth Battles All Over The Digital Skies

As I write this story about Richard Sprinks, I’m reminded of a recorded conversation I read recently, between an air-traffic controller and a light aircraft -

Unknown Aircraft: "Hello?.."
Easterwood Tower: "Please say again."
UA: "What?"
ET: "Who is this?"
UA: "This is Joe"
ET: "This is Easterwood Tower, where are you?"
UA: "I'm in the plane!"
ET: "Joe, where is the pilot?"
UA: "He got out when the engine quit.."
ET: "Joe, what does your airspeed indicator read?"
UA: (Long pause) "Zero?"
ET: "Joe, whatever you have in front of you - a stick or a steering wheel - push it forward - you need to get airspeed over your wings!"
UA: "Are you sure?"
ET: "Yes Joe you need to push it forward... (pause)... What does your airspeed indicator read now?"
UA: "It's still zero."
ET: "Joe, where is your plane?"
UA: "We are parked down at the end of the runway, the pilot got out when the engine quit and walked back to the hanger.."
ET: "Joe, get off the radio."  

Monday 7 May 2012

British Design 1948-2012: Innovation in the Modern Age or just a trip down memory lane?

The latest design exhibition at the V&A showcases the very best of British design and creativity from the last 60 years. Much innovation has occurred in the years between London’s 1948 ‘Austerity Olympics’ and the games to be held in London this summer, and that was keenly reflected in more than 350 items on display.

Monday 30 April 2012

Simon Johnson - My Top 3 Websites


The web space we're invading!
Just some sites that Idealogy people are visiting that tick their boxes...

Simon Johnson - Digital Media Director

www.apple.com
Because I've been sucked into the Apple PR machine.

http://blog.kissmetrics.com/
I love stats, pictographs and all kinds of visual data displays.

http://theoatmeal.com/
It's funny, very funny at times.

Posted by Idealogy









Thursday 26 April 2012

Discover your own App-sonality

Here’s an experiment we ran at Idealogy just recently, and it’s really fun and straightforward.

Take a screen grab of your iPhone home  screen, show it to a friend, a colleague or a third party and let them give you a summary of your personality, based on the way you display and organise your apps. Like all things ‘psycho’, sometimes it’s bang-on and sometimes it’s way off. But it’s strangely compelling, and a good way to start an argument.

Monday 23 April 2012

Mobile rewards – Fitness First

Mobile rewards – Fitness First

Idealogy just recently completed its second mobile site for Fitness First – the First Club mobile site.

Thursday 19 April 2012

Full to the brim with bubbly ideas!

Lately, the core client team have been working on global strategy concepts for one of our main clients. To spice up the ‘ideas pool’ they called on various people from all over the company to brainstorm with them.

Thursday 29 March 2012

‘Cat on a hot tin roof?’

Dateline: Southampton March 2012

As the country embraces the run-up to the Olympics, Idealogy seems to have been selected as the training ground for a new Olympic sport – Tin Tossing. Over the last few weekends we have been noticing an increasing amount of ‘detritus’ on the flat roof at the back of our Portland Street office.

Thursday 22 March 2012

HERRICK 14 – Delivering the offer

During the summer of 2011 Idealogy were fortunate enough to be commissioned by Brigadier Ed Davies, MBE RM to produce a commemorative book for 3 Commando Brigade that painted a picture of, and recorded their operations on, Herrick 14, the mission title for their Afghanistan Tour in 2010/11.

Paul Skinner - My Top 3 Websites


The web space we're invading!
Just some sites that Idealogy people are visiting that tick their boxes...

Paul Skinner - Developer

www.thefwa.com
I look here everyday - showcase for often great, boundary pushing gems.

http://motionographer.com/
Again, a showcase for some great visuals.

http://activeden.net/
A brilliant repository of Flash and Flex components.

Posted by Idealogy









Monday 12 March 2012

Outstanding Behaviours make Extraordinary Employees

Forget good to great. Ignore 1 for bad, 10 for special. Here are 8 things that turn great employees into extraordinary ones – and it’s all about inspirational behaviour!


So which are you? Great employees are reliable, dependable, proactive (isn’t that just the most superficial word?), diligent, great leaders and great followers...they possess a wide range of easy to define - but often hard to find - qualities. Yet only a few go to the next level. These people are truly remarkable, possessing qualities that don’t appear on performance appraisals but nonetheless have a major impact on performance, morale and profitability.



So what are the outstanding qualities that make extraordinary employees?

Thursday 8 March 2012

Peeling back the mask

From Batman to The Beano, Bunty to Biggles, we have all at some point or another in our lives experienced comic books; even if it was just a cursory glance in a dentists surgery or peering over your kid brothers shoulder. There is also no denying that comic books have played a key part in my formative years, sparking my imagination and ultimately leading me to becoming a graphic designer. So when one of the world's largest and best loved comic book publishing brands reveals a new identity, I want to know about it. And they don’t come much bigger than DC Comics, home of well loved characters like Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman.

Founded in 1934 the initials ‘DC’ came from the company’s popular series of Detective Comics, which famously featured Batman’s debut and subsequently became part of the company’s name. It was in the mid 1970s that Milton Glaser (best known for his ‘I ❤ New York’ logo) was approached to create a new identity for DC Comics. His design, a shield of four stars inlaid with the company’s initials (known as the DC Bullet) became embedded in the popular culture of my generation as we joined Batman et al on their adventures.

Tuesday 6 March 2012

Dave Birch - My Top 3 Websites


The web space we're invading!
Just some sites that Idealogy people are visiting that tick their boxes.

David Birch - Senior Designer

http://bootiemashup.com/sf/
 
Global clubs specialising in mash-up DJs. DJs use new digital techniques to mix several tracks together to create either unique remixes or songs that sound completely new.

http://www.pogomix.net/

Australian based chap who uses similar techniques to those of mash-up DJs but uses video to create incredible (and catchy) sounding tunes.

http://www.impawards.com/

A great database of movie posters. Old and new. From big budget blockbusters to small arthouse films. The site also runs annual awards on the best posters voted for by it's users. Check out the Dark Knight campaign to see some of the fantastic results.

Posted by Idealogy









Thursday 23 February 2012

Steve Barnes - My Top 3 Websites


The web space we're invading!
 Just some sites that Idealogy people are visiting that tick their boxes.

Steve Barnes - Digital Production & Project Manager

http://www.aintitcool.com/
Written by film nerds, for film nerds. The original film rumour and review site.

http://www.geekologie.com/
The home of all things Geek.. I'm starting to see a nerd/geek pattern emerging...

http://www.denofgeek.com/
I've just realised, i may need to get out more....

Posted by Idealogy









Monday 20 February 2012

New software gives us the Edge!

Idealogy recently completed some work for one of its key accounts, Simple Skincare, using cutting-edge software that isn't even available to the general public yet! During the project we worked alongside our partner Rocktime to link the pages into the CMS for the new site.

Thursday 9 February 2012

My goodness! Simple’s US launch consumes bandwidth

Simple, the UK’s No.1 Facial Skincare brand*, and now one of Unilever’s personal care brands, launched its US website on 1st February 2012. Following an intense development program and a strong pre-launch awareness campaign around the United States, http://www.simpleskincare.com/ went live and very quickly broke all kinds of traffic and visitor numbers.

Monday 6 February 2012

This may be of Pinterest

The Pinterest Mission
“Our goal is to connect everyone in the world through the 'things' they find interesting. We think that a favorite book, toy, or recipe can reveal a common link between two people. With millions of new pins added every week, Pinterest is connecting people all over the world based on shared tastes and interests.”

Thursday 19 January 2012

What’s hot up top - the second floor’s account of what’s grrrrrrrrrreat

In what is to become your monthly dose of positive thinking from the Idealogy team, managed and written by the annoyingly positive fool that I am, here follows some stuff we like, within our walls, and without (does that work? I mean outside right… but you knew that).

Thursday 12 January 2012

Customer Experience Engineering

It’s a fairly simple proposition, customer experience engineering; rather than developing something you think (or know) is incredible, and then putting effort (and money) into trying to explain why your customers need and want it, you start with what your customers need and want and reverse engineer your products, services, communications and even your behaviour, to suit.

Sounds like a pain in the proverbial? Well, I won’t use the old ‘easy as 1, 2, 3’ cop-out slogan, and if anything it’s closer to ‘STOP, LOOK and LISTEN’ but… read on.

Monday 2 January 2012

It's official...

Idealogy always likes to be ahead-of-the-game when it comes to solutions for our clients, so that's why we now have official Apple, Android and Blackberry Developer certification. That means in 2012 we're ready to develop and distribute Smartphone and Tablet apps on behalf of our customers through the iTunes App store, Google Android Marketplace and BlackBerry AppWorld.