Monday 29 July 2013

It's all in the name...

When I was growing up, if I ever wanted to buy branded clothes to try and fit in with the other kids at school (and let’s face it, a flamboyant, lanky, goofy kid with big wavy hair isn’t the easiest thing to try and make blend in) my mum would tell me that I was only paying for the name. It seems like Coca-Cola have taken the words of my mother - and many other mums out there – and decided to make money out of it in their latest advertising campaign.




Thursday 25 July 2013

15 years isn’t such a long time…is it?

I began my career with Idealogy (then Selling Ideas) in 1993 as a ‘fresh-faced’ graphic design graduate.  After much ear bending for Simon D, I was given the invaluable opportunity to start my career in the design industry and to be involved in all aspects of a leading creative services organisation. After 5 very happy years I had a change of direction (if you can call it that!) and became a mum, accompanied by more ear bending for Mr D. However, by this time, I had my foot firmly on the creative career ladder and went on to expand my experience and knowledge in the creative sector.

Recently, I’ve returned to Idealogy - 15 years on, and maybe 15 years wiser. So, after all that time, what’s changed?


Tuesday 23 July 2013

Boy oh boy!

My in box was full of ‘Royal Baby’ related emails this morning. Great offers of Mum and Baby skincare products, champagne to celebrate the Royal birth and mail after mail discussing how the birth of the newest Royal will boost our economy.



Monday 22 July 2013

Six weeks to six months.

I arrived at Idealogy in the midst of winter for a six week contract, and I left six months later at the height of what the British laughingly call summer. I came with little knowledge of how a website was built and left knowing that within a CMS simply because B followed A on a Monday morning there was no reason to believe that it would do so on a Tuesday afternoon.




























Thursday 18 July 2013

Save the trees! And my scrolling finger…

So, I’d been wanting to adjust the company email signatures for a while, it just never made it high enough up my ‘to do’ list - then it did and in 10 steps we saved paper, time and made a better experience for anyone reading our emails… (I guess that also depends on the content and which one of us sent it though!).

Monday 15 July 2013

Never fear, there’s a First-Aider near!...

When it was decreed that in order for us to keep on top of our Health and Safety responsibilities, our first-aiders needed an informational "top-up" no one jumped for joy! Nonetheless, in March, Anna, Dan and Simon J were sent back to college to become students for a day.



Friday 12 July 2013

Productivity App of the Month - July: CardMunch

Business cards are in a state of flux. Outdated though a pocket full of cards may be, no current tech has overtaken the business card in terms of simplicity and accessibility. This is where LinkedIn’s CardMunch App has started to show signs of progress.



Thursday 11 July 2013

Simon Warren's week in pictures

Ever wondered what do the Idealogy team get up to on a daily basis? Well here's 'the evidence' and a sneaky peek at the weekend too. Nothing too incriminating (yet!)

























































Monday
Post weekend ropey tummy called for a Coke mid-morning – became a little freaked when I discovered I had unknowingly selected this bottle off the shelf

Tuesday
Skull Candy’s on, markers out and a full day of scamps and doodles for De’Longhi Group

Wednesday
Down to KENWOOD HQ to pick up a a juicy new brief

Thursday
Running through Dave’s Draecon packaging concepts with client

Friday
Starting to pack up the family home after 44 years takes me down memory lane including re-discovering my massive stash of surf mags from the 80s (Tiki ad from Surf Scene 1982 – fluros the first time round!)

Saturday
Tool belt on and ready to help my brother-in-law and master craftsman build a bespoke Wendy house for his Granddaughter

Sunday
Last walk around the farm before it goes next week and happy to see my favorite digger still in the yard

All images found on Google. No offense or copyright infringement intended. Images can be removed if requested by originator.

Monday 8 July 2013

Doing it doggy style

As part of our BrandPrint process we often ask clients to align themselves with other brands. It’s a great way to establish their brand personality and where their ‘territory’ lies. 

It’s not always an easy task and it certainly prompts much discussion and healthy debate!

So to further our understanding; on some level anyway, what it is we are asking them to do, we turned the tables on ourselves.

If you were a dog, what breed would you be?

We looked at all of the Idealogy team in turn and made our carefully considered selection. Then we ducked and ran!!

Can you guess who’s who?

Thursday 4 July 2013

NFC – Friend or foe of the High Street

Since the launch in 2005 NFC technology has increasingly become a mainstream technology, which can be used for a variety of things.

One of the more interesting capabilities that this technology could deliver is the option of eliminating the need for our wallet. 





Monday 1 July 2013

Using a VMM to compliment the QR boom

Throughout 2012 the use of QR codes soared. A year on, we ask if the boom had any lasting legacies…

Let’s start with the obvious – QR codes aren’t sexy. They’re the dodgy tattoos of the creative industries, offering little more than hype and “newness” to products and posters. They aren’t easy on the eye and they’re a nightmare to work with. So why did they become so popular so quickly? And how can QR codes be used well?