Wednesday, November 27, 2013

How high is your IQ?

Around 1995 I came up with the name "Centiq" and offered it to Taurus Infomatics in 2003 as a better sounding company name (I had already purchased the domain name because I felt it had some 'legs'). 10 years on and Centiq is still going strong and from strength to strength.  A key IBM partner Centiq have won several IBM awards for service, as well as becoming one of the Times Technology Top 100 companies.

All because of the name...!!!

Seriously though, Glyn, Gareth and the Team have worked hard to build the company and Parkhouse Evans have been with them all along the way. It is great fun working with this dynamic team and we enjoy the projects and challenges they bring.

Recently we helped them to develop the 'IQ' range of services - Analytiq, Monitiq, Optiq, Techniq and Systemiq. These services have all been branded to give a strong foundation to the Centiq service offering. As you can see the datasheets work well as a family and each compliment the other.

Alongside these datasheets there will be a company wallet and web branding to follow.

Unlike some competitors Centiq value the benefits printed collateral can bring - so these are printed onto a high quality FSC coated silk stock - so they not only look good but they also feel beautiful to the touch.

If your company could benefit from a refresh, or if you want to talk about the benefits of print, then why not contact us on 01332 29114 and we can discuss your needs.

It's that time of year again...

Here is a piccy of some friends who I often ski with - Kit and Hannah  - both ladies love to ski and we all never stop having fun on the pistes.

This season, like last year, Jonny will be away for quite some time doing his ski thing...but rest assured he will be overseeing your projects via an amazing thing called the "internet" its quite clever really - we can be virtually anywhere in the world and still be active in work / design decisions etc.

We know that people love to have meetings and conference calls - sometimes, these even have an outcome and when they do it is always a bonus.  So nowadays we are working with companies who have staff all over the world.This got us thinking and we thought we'd compile a list of countries/cities where our clients past and present are based.  To date it reads as such (please let us know if we have missed any of you off).

South Africa
Nairobi
Kenya
Beijing
Hong Kong
New Zealand
USA
France
Germany
Italy
Scotland
Wales
Canada
Israel
Luxemburg
The Netherlands
Spain
England (of course)
Ireland
The Caribbean
The Bahamas
Austria







Stuffed Stockings...Oooer Missus!

So last week we spent three days stuffing stocking with fun items...Can'
t tell you what with yet but watch out for a blog post in late December...!

Suffice to say that Helen and Pammy had a fun day out in Derby with the only downside being having to listen to Jonny's constant grizzling...

You know where to come if you need your stocking filling!

All the small things...

Before
As relatively new customer Caroline was reluctant to ask us to help with this - but Jonny being Jonny he kept pushing...and eventually she relented!

It was a relatively simple job to do. To add some 'Christmas effects' to a photograph of her son's football team. Well, it took around an hour to do and as you can see the results are quite engaging...we added elf hats and shoes to the team coaches and Santa hats to the team members.

After
Caroline was so surprised by the results she sent a lovely message "its brilliant, I just can't stop smiling when I look at it. Small things..." It's always a pleasure to receive thanks and its always a pleasure to put a smile onto someones face - made our day!

If you want any help creating a unique image or simply retouching an image- then please drop us a mail or call us on 01332 291141 and we will hopefully put a smile on your face too!



Friday, November 22, 2013

No dice...

When Critical Impact wanted to create a big impression to their Gaming and Gambling clientele, we came up with this quirky direct mail campaign.  The mailer has memorable pop out dice each with key business messages. The mailer also invites participants to take part in an on-line game where they can win an iPad Mini.

Combine this with a dedicated call out to the targeted database and this makes for a great campaign idea with a strong ROI potential.

To add zest to your campaign, give us a call on 01332 291141 and we can show you how to make your direct mail really fly...

A Labour of Love...

We had a lovely idea for CPB's Christmas gifts this year...but we never realised just how much manual labour would be involved!

We created a CPB branded Christmas Stocking, into which we placed all the traditional Christmas stocking fillers...Terry's Chocolate ORANGE bars, Wrights COAL Tar soap, Mint HUMBUGS, branded SOCKS, branded PENCILS, plus mixed NUTS. Each inserted item has its own header card too -with funky captions...

What we did not account for was the time it took to prepare all the inserts. It actually took two people three days to put everything into bags, and to attach bags to header cards...a total of 28 man hours...!!!

The end result is really good - and we hope that CPB's customers will enjoy the surprise! if you want something special to send your clients then give us a call on 01332 291141 we are full of bright ideas!

When the right choice of font is paramount...

We had to laugh when we saw this on Facebook. It clearly shows how selecting the wrong font can severely affect your design..

Its funny becuase no-one is immune. In around 1999 we created a lovely name for a company called Aurus. Sounds pretty cool doesn't it. Except it looked like ANUS when viewed from a short distance!

Sometimes one needs to step back from the detail and see the big picture.

Let us help you with your creative - we will ensure that no-one makes an aunt out of you!

Call us on 01332 291141 to find out how we can help.

Friday, November 01, 2013

Charity Appeals to Corporates

When INTASAVE-CARIBSAVE wanted a communication piece to appeal to corporate decision makers they asked us to help design this six page brochure.

The brochure is the first printed communication piece to use the brand new corporate guidelines which Parkhouse Evans have developed for them.

Utilising a complimentary colourway along with iconic images, the brochure is the first of many communication pieces which will help Intsave-Caribsave establish themselves as a primary climate change charity in the UK and overseas.

The brochure also compliments the brand new Intasave-Caribsave website (also designed and built by us!) which can be viewed here

If your company is in need of some corporate husbandry or you simply wish to benefit from some fresh creative design, don't hesitate, give us a call today on o1332 291141.