blog, blog, blog...

New site launch! Happy Birthday innov8 graphic design

2012-02-01T08:42:00.000-08:00

innov8 graphic design new website is now live.

I am very pleased to have it live today because it is the 6th Birthday of innov8 graphic design. What better way to mark the occasion than a new identity. One of the reasons I wanted to refresh the logo was to make it more obvious how the name is spoken – ie "innovate graphic design". Some people did struggle with the old one because it was stacked and in fairness I did design it about 15 years ago! It was part of a university project which planted the seed for 'one day' wanting to bring it to life. Although the old logo was born in fond memories it is with much excitement that I now have the fresh new logo.

It actually pleases me a lot because I do love colour and what better way to enjoy colour than have 4 of them for different flavours of channel. The lime green is the main colour. I've introduced a fucia for social media and comms as you see on this blog. I've introduced a teal for the financial paperwork side of the business and have a purple in reserve for no better reason than it's a good vibrant colour and I like it.

As for the new website – I've built it onto the I-ntarsia platform I use for my client content managed websites. I've been working with i-next (the brains behind I-ntarsia) for 2 years now and haven't had the chance to get my own site onto the system. I've been chipping away at it over the last year. It could have been easy to get carried away with all the things I can do with the system but i'm easing into it gently as I do prefer simplicity to clutter and don't want to over whelm the viewer.

I now benefit from the 'rss feed module' that you will see sitting under the navigation, it allows me to have all those news posts that I go fishing for delivered right onto my own website for all to see.

I am also using the 'forms module' that allows me to set up any number of forms with unique response messages and they are all validated so people can't send me blank forms anymore! lol

My portfolio pages are now displayed in a very simple but effective way using the 'anibanner' module which I very much like. It also makes life so much easier when I want to add new designs to it.

I also now have a canny little display in a rolling banner to the right under my new logo, it also is created with the 'anibanner' module. This I can update regularly to keep it fresh and show you all my new work as it comes along.

Please do go take a peek at www.innov8gd.com and while you are there you could always tell me what you think via my NEW feedback form!

I am looking forward to being able to try out all the modules that are available on the I-ntarsia system so I can let my customers know what they can do on their websites too.

Creative Augmented Reality

2011-10-10T02:54:00.000-07:00

I worked a day's design holiday cover on Friday at TC Communications in Ascot. They are a design agency that I have a long standing relationship with and love working in their studio.

As well as seeing old friends and making new ones I was lucky enough to be introduced to 'Augmented Reality' "Augmented reality (AR) is a term for a live direct or indirect view of a physical, real-world environment whose elements are augmented by computer-generated sensory input such as sound, video, graphics or GPS data."

String have created some demonstrations of #Augmented-Reality for their company launch. You download the app 'string' and print out their 'trigger images' from their site and then look at the images through your phone/camera lense.

It's a really great effect and great fun too. "I took this picture with the String™ Augmented Reality Showcase app for iOS. See more at www.poweredbystring.com."

Have a go because there is nothing like seeing it for yourself.

Buy your favourite colour for Charity!

2011-10-05T08:04:00.000-07:00

What a simply brilliant graphical idea! I do love my Creative Review e-newsletter landing in my inbox, they always have something fun and informative on the Creative Review Blog - A simple but wonderful idea to raise money for Charity. Everyone loves colour and whether you want to choose it technically, randomly or emotionally the means are all there.

Take a look at: http://www.ownacolour.com/#008da8 This is one of my new Brand colours that I will be launching next year in February. That's how I chose my colours. I also chose my pink too at: http://www.ownacolour.com/#b10069 You can choose how much you donate but donations go to Unicef

Have a go yourself and let me know what colour you picked.

Creative Review Article on 'Rubbish Poster'

2011-09-30T03:15:00.000-07:00

Take a look at this video. it's a documentation of 18,000 peices of beach trash made into a poster, to prevent beach trash, sponsored by Barefoot Wine - love it it's great.Take a look at the full article here.

How do I blog?

2011-09-28T02:17:00.000-07:00

I was delighted to find land in my inbox one of the few email newsletters that I do keep and read. This one was from Business Link, a website I have visited many times and would urge you to consult as a first port of call with any business query. With great timing around my last couple of blog posts it gave me a link to a very informative guide on how to write a blog that people want to read!

Need I say more. Apart from that in order to actually write a blog you need to set one up. Using Google's Free Blog service, as I have done, you can easily be blogging before breakfast. You do need a Google Account but this just enables you to use all the other wonderful free tools from Google, including Google Analytics, which I would reccomend should be, if not all ready, in your websites to track your traffic.

Of course at any point you get stuck with all this stuff just drop me an email and see how I can help.

How do I use twitter?

2011-09-21T10:00:00.000-07:00

Ok so what about Twitter? Following up from my previous blog post 'How do I use Linkedin?' I did the same for Twitter. I typed into Google 'How do I use Twitter?'. So this time I was delighted to find this upbeat YouTube video link that takes you through all the elements of setting up and using Twitter with visual references too.

Yes it does whiz by a little quickly but you can play it again and again as many times as you like. So again a good place to start.

I think it's probably worth mentioning that you may get the most out of Twitter for business by using it as a news alert mechanism that always includes a link to something of more interest or usefulness to you followers. Whether that be a link to your own business website, an article you have written on say a blog, or even to one of your many 'information portals' also known as 'microsites' or 'splash pages'.

Ultimately it's a great way to point people in the right direction when you have something to say that will help them in some way.

How do I use Linkedin?

2011-09-14T02:43:00.000-07:00

At the fabulous SHE Plc afternoon tea at Danesfield yesterday we were talking about social media. What we uncovered is the fact that a lot of people who have not used social media before, understandably, don't know how to physically set up these sites such as Linkedin in order to achieve all of these benefits they are told they will get from using them.

Business Buzz editor, Merrell Hardy of the SHE Plc team [Mary Flavelle Owner and creator and Astrologist Christine Chalklin] pointed out that you can just 'ask Google' ie type in the question you have and you will find guides and videos to show you how.

So I did just this. "How do I use Linkedin" and came up with the New User Starter Guide supplied by Linkedin. The Site Features take you through the set up process bit by bit starting with your Profile.

It is certainly a good place to start and will help you understand why it can be a benefit too. Like all the social media pets you do need to allocate time to them and there is no reason why that shouldn't include the time to learn about them too.

2011-08-26T11:50:00.001-07:00

Is this really the only place you can now get Fairy Extra Care Soap in this country?! http://ping.fm/oO0Sx It's like the end of an era!

2011-08-10T07:38:00.001-07:00

I just completed the training in Flash i've been wanting to do for about 2 years. http://ping.fm/X0jk1 Absolutely brilliant.

2011-06-08T14:29:00.001-07:00

Oh dear, it's actually bang on 10am. Good job Sally does the traveling, i'd miss too many flights! The book is called 'Same same but different' and available on Amazon: http://ping.fm/De0BY

2011-06-08T14:23:00.001-07:00

Hmm, silly Billie, I meant 10:15am! Sally Wootton's interview about her new book and travels on BBC Radio Devon with Judy Spiers. http://ping.fm/QxKiq

2011-06-08T14:19:00.001-07:00

Thurs 11.00am, listen to my sister's radio interview about her book with Judy Spiers on BBC Radio Devon: http://ping.fm/KVmFa

2011-03-25T02:37:00.001-07:00

Does anyone that has published a book have experience of Pneuma Springs Publishing please?

Same same, but different

2011-03-20T11:50:00.000-07:00

I'm so proud of my sister, Sally, who has published her first book! It's a great read [I got to read the manuscript] - She has a brilliantly amusing style of writing that is honest and inspiring. OK you may think I'm bias but it was the ever increasing list of emails she was given from people asking her to include them in her emails sent home from her travels that motivated the book, so it's not just me.

So am I being bias? Well there is only one way for you to find out.

You can get it from Waterstone's, WhSmiths and Amazon.

Title: Same same, but different.

Author: Sally Wootton.

ISBN: 978-1-907728-09-9

"This book isn’t intended as a travel guide, or novel, but is a way of sharing my amazing travel experiences in Greenland, Australia, Southeast Asia, New Zealand and Colombia with others – those who have travelled and those who have yet to. But also to inspire those who’ve ever heard themselves say, ‘I’d love to travel’, but never thought they’d be able to, to realise that it is possible, if you really want it enough."

Sally also has her own blog at www.sallywootton.co.uk so your feedback and reviews are welcome. xxx

2011-03-16T08:09:00.001-07:00

IMPORTANT All Website Owners: http://ping.fm/gJq6h The ASA have extended the rules for marketing.

The Big Fish Fight!

2011-03-04T07:17:00.000-08:00

2011-02-09T14:07:00.001-08:00

Need flowers in Kent? www.jackiebrooksflorist.co.uk NEW website just launched by www.innov8gd.com

Social Media Pets

2011-01-28T04:05:00.000-08:00

If you are going to have them you must feed them!

We are being told left, right and centre that we should be blogging or tweeting or linked-in. Some of us have Facebook profiles which are easy for personal use to dip in and out of as we wish but from a business perspective does that do more harm than good?

I do believe that these social media presences are like pets and they need feeding regularly. You'll see that this is my first blog post since before Christmas. Slap. My social media pets have almost died of starvation so my aim is to feed snippets every other week and larger feasts at least once a month.

So rather than sign up to all of them at once why not start off with one, get into the habit of feeding it little and often or at a set time each week and then when that is second nature to you and easy to manage, you can perhaps introduce another.

Linked in, I would say is a good starting point. You can set a profile (yes you should put a photo up on it), add events that you go to, put a small snippet of what you are up to and make connections. This then gives you other examples of what to update people about.

The reason I think a photo is important is that transparency is a good thing. I like to know who I am talking to and like many people I meet networking, I'm terrible at remembering which names go with which faces.

You can also style your profiles to fit your brand. This can be done with photo's logos and backgrounds and they needn't be expensive to create either.

2010-11-11T01:26:00.001-08:00

ITS NOT TOO LATE! http://ping.fm/3ujp7 Get tickets for tomorrow night or donate to Children in Need and do your little bit.

2010-10-21T06:28:00.001-07:00

3 weeks to go! 100% of funds raised go to Children In Need. Do something different! http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=106578862737852

BBC Children in Need ZUMBATHON 2010

2010-10-21T06:11:00.000-07:00

I want to give a big thank you to the printers who have generously donated the print of the promotional materials for the BBC Children in Need ZUMBATHON 2010 they are: Paul at www.printsynergy.co.uk, Ben at www.spectrum-graphics.co.uk and Simon at www.printroom.co.uk. With flyers, banners, A Boards and posters we are hoping to raise massive funds for the event. Thank you guys - much appreciated! Having had the pleasure of working with all three of them I can recommend their services whole heartedly.

BBC Children in Need ZUMBATHON 2010.... Latest News. We offer Zumba classes in Berkshire, Wokingham,

www.zumbafit.co.uk

After last years tremendous success the BBC Children in Need ZUMBATHON 2010 will be held on Friday, 12th November at the FBC Centre, Wokingham.

Zumbathon 2010

2010-10-10T09:35:00.001-07:00

My new banner

2010-09-22T08:25:00.000-07:00

I've never actually had a banner produced for my own company before, so I am very excited about my new banner! Ben Hood at Spectrum Graphics http://www.spectrum-graphics.co.uk/ produced my design for me and as always he produces top quality large format print with top quality service too.

Plus even I can put it up, even though I'm little. And all the bits are connected so you can't lose anything either. Plus they are light enough to carry on the train but sturdy enough to use time and again.

Ben does my clients pop up stands, exhibition boards, polyboards and vinal banners so if you need a reliable large format printer - give him a shout.

2010-09-22T08:24:00.001-07:00

Need a banner or any large format print? Ben at http://ping.fm/69SEK is Great. See my banner at http://ping.fm/onlO8

2010-09-21T11:05:00.001-07:00

http://ping.fm/H6ZSo Relaunch of The Berkshire Women's Business Clubs - 29 Sept - Join me for a fabulous networking lunch! At The Mercure Windsor Castle Hotel