Design Boom boutique design ideas for SMEs

Celebrity endorsment

admin — Sun, 01 Jul 2012 21:54:36 +0000

I was thinking about the best way to engage you dear reader, on the exciting subject of celebrity endorsement when I received some exciting news.
I’d been working with a particular client for almost 20 years. In that time his personal profile has grown from a reasonably well known figure to that of probably the most highly recognisable names in his field in the UK. Anyway he’d got a call. Word of his is expertise had spread to one of the most influential dynasties in the world. In turn, they introduced him to a line of celebrities, professionals and sportsmen all hopping he would grace them with some of his genius. The media buzz had now morphed into a bankable business advantage. With substantial rewards on the horizon, he had become the latest A-list must-have accessory. Wasn’t that always the plan? Today we received news that his expertise had been sought by one of the world’s largest media and management companies keen to fix a contract.
When we discussed his rise to success we were reminded that there were tough times. Low points usually brought on by encounters with unthinking individuals who could not see any self-serving benefit in behaving with common courtesy. Or worse, those for reasons best known to themselves, would go out of their way to make life difficult. At times, it seemed that no-one was listening, when self-belief was in danger of crashing to an all time low, unworthy of a natural talent of such magnitude, we acted as a wake up call. With more that mere words of encouragement, we offered a vision of the future that was tangible. He could see it and we helped him to feel it. He says that this together with the love and understanding of those close to him helped sustain him through these times. Now as he living it for real, he finds himself mentally prepared. He fits the role perfectly, he should, we have rehearsed it in his mind many times over the last decade.
From the first time our father pats us on the back, we learn to respond to praise. Professional endorsement and recognition at this, the highest level, imbues confidence, empowerment and a unique sense of arrival. Just as well, this heightened emotional state will be a necessary component for achieving the next level of greatness. Attitudes of those around him will change too. I would wager that being left out in the rain will become as distant a memory as harsh words or curly sandwiches.

Hunting and gathering

admin — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 13:56:32 +0000

Our favourite chef confided in us that even he found it difficult to prepare food that lived up to the expectation promised by our interior design. Of course he was being self-effacing, his food is amazing but his comment highlights an extremely valid point.
Interior design MUST be entirely aligned with the product and the target market. This look and feel extends to all marketing collateral, menus, signage exterior landscaping, staff uniforms, music policy and and and.

We are always humbled but very grateful that our clients are prepared to offer us carte blanche, leaving matters of taste, the essential ingredients, if you like the recipe for success, entirely in our hands. Food for thought.

We can do magic

admin — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 13:50:04 +0000

The Edinburgh International Magic Festival is a unique event, designed to bring back to the stage amazing, live, magic shows, rarely seen by the general public. Listed in the Sunday Times as one of the top family days out in the UK with performers from France, Germany, Portugal, Australia, Italy, New Zealand, Ukraine and around the UK with stunning skills and talents that totally take your breath away. How to devise an elegant festival theme guaranteed to set your heart fluttering? We’re told our solution was inspirational and managed to capture in print the beautiful 3D imagery, stunning special effects and engrossing stories that would ensue live on stage.

Once upon a time…

admin — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 13:47:09 +0000

We consider ourselves storytellers. What begins as a good idea for marketing a product can ofttimes be rolled out to a takeover event, press launch, an interior design or a fully fledged venture in it’s own right. So not just the creative vision we also provide the technical experience and the drive to follow it through.
When it came designing (building) and promoting a full-size fantasy toytown village nestling on a hillside, I have to confess, I really don’t know who else our clients could have turned to.

Appealing to the producers

admin — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 13:46:02 +0000

We work with brands, studios and marketing companies providing viable routes to brand-immersive touring exhibition experiences.
We have an established conduit for any brand wishing to extend the reach of their property and character mythology to a proven touring exhibition format. Way beyond traditional sponsorship, advertising or retail dressing, the international touring exhibition allows for total control of the brand image, the key messages communicated to visitors (and other customers) and the environment and tone in which it’s delivered.
Identifying, attracting and sustaining new audiences.
By communicating your brand world in an engaging way the core message becomes an event destination.
Intimately developing customer loyalty and subtle predisposition to the brand.
We work with all interested parties to establish how a property could best be represented as an exhibition. We conceive, design and produce the exhibition and work together with our international agents and partners to control tour management, venue placements and logistics.

Kickstarting the flywheel

admin — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 12:18:15 +0000

Kids amaze me. How often have we thought they must come already pre-programed. Sometimes this manifests as musical or artistic ability. More easily recognized, we call this the gift.
Study, rehearsal, practicing one’s art builds skill and experience. Simple interaction or just seeing and listening, contributes to this, as life brushes past, adding energy to our talent flywheel, learning happens seemingly by itself. Evidence this my experience as an painter. At times prolific, circumstances dictate that I have long periods of apparent artistic abstinence. Yet every time I paint I am (I think) a better artist. Self-deception? – The paint flows more easily, colour is more intuitive, subtle or intense, and the results ever more startling. Like a friendship that relies not on time spend together, it remains, it grows. When I see this same development in those around me, its magical. There is no doubt that hours of rehearsal can take one to an entirely different place. On arrival at this five star resort, all redundant baggage can be dropped and we relax into a heightened mental state evident in only the most confident and experienced of individuals. Apologies for the mixed metamorphosis.

Feeling a bit lost?

admin — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 12:16:53 +0000

All the time I meet people with enthusiasm, talent and a will to ‘make it happen’. Sometimes that’s not enough. Experience tells me that equal amounts of creative energy must go into building a success strategy. On our mother site, ideas.co.uk we advise that you must also tell decision makers how this will resolve their problems and make a real difference them. Frame negotiations around notions that appeal to their personal and professional motivators. Build a case and give them reasons to believe you. To the beautifully rendered visuals ad a lush, coordinated media campaign: self-perpetuating branding solutions that will dominate the market and response mechanisms designed to engender or accelerate response. Watch key influencers become ambassadors and begin to actively promote the project. You must also be prepared to show resolve, an ability to meet challenges head on, tackling them with enthusiasm and unfaltering gusto. This kind of corporate embrace is an altogether different encounter, one guaranteed to ensure buy-in from all interest parties.

No.1 on Google

admin — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 12:13:45 +0000

So you Google ‘brand development ideas’. Surprisingly, you are pointed to a small consultancy, our mother company: IDEAS, who are helping their clients to beat the Crunch. For example, at a time when tourism figures were tumbling, tourist attraction: the Falkirk Wheel, saw an increase in their footfall traffic of 68% thanks to a humble yet creative marketing strategy devised by them.

You’ve seen businesses showing common patterns, rising above expectations, standing head and shoulders above their competition.

You recall seeing key players exposed in business press, where did they come from? Brands emerging, seeming from nowhere, now dominating the market. You want to know how? You begin to wonder if these particularly successful business have done a deal with the devil and imagine certain company chiefs in whispered conversation with a smoldering figure standing at the foot of their bed of a full moon. Who’s soul have they guaranteed to surrender in return for such outstanding business results, personal wealth or popularity?
What you don’t know is that you have already begun to open your mind to the possibility that you will find the answer. And as is the case, in such circumstances, out of the blue someone walks right up to you and begins to talk. It’s a chance meeting with an old colleague and he’s terribly excited.
He’s just had the best month ever with new business in mi££ions. He’s traded up his boat and bought a new place in the South of France. “Have you met my new partner?” he asks. She’s lovely. You’re hooked. It all started with a simple mail shot, a newsletter for God’s sake. “The guys who did it for me are brilliant” he goes on. “Just a small group of creatives, they work for blue chips and individuals alike, they love the challenge of building new brands or turning business around.”

Promoting luxury

admin — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 22:01:10 +0000

Promoting luxury brands in retail, events, leisure and other niche markets has given us a taste for the finer things in life. Not that we have much time for such, frankly, we’re far too busy helping organisations, large and small, gain greater exposure to these markets. Providing exposure to high net worth individuals through specialist targeted publications for example, we help realise personal and corporate aspirations, we move people and product. More pragmatically, we increase sales and profitability.

Character development

admin — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 21:59:50 +0000

We work with marketers, manufacturers, retailers, licensees, licensing agents and licensors. We imagine new worlds and their inhabitants, provide back-stories, tools, wardrobes and the soundtracks to their lives.