If I had a penny for every time I’ve sent email attachments from my Mac to PC users, only to be told that the image arrived embedded rather than attached, I’d be able to give up the day job.

It doesn’t matter whether I check the ‘Send windows friendly attachments’ checkbox or not. And it doesn’t appear to be consistently a problem for all PC recipients.

I’ve often resorted to sending the files via an email download service such as yousendit.com

Today I thought I’d found the workaround: once you have attached the image to your email missive, right-click on the image and choose ‘view as icon’. The colourful image that Mail displays inline is replaced by a little downloadable image icon. And this, theoretically, is treated properly as an attachment by the PC user’s mail client. Not that intuitive and not very Apple-ish. Oh, and it doesn’t work. Or at least it didn’t work with a recent test sent to a friend using a PC.

I see there’s also a small plug-in application for Apple Mail that automates this and a number of other work-arounds available for the princely sum of $14.99 USD from Lokiware.

If anyone knows of a built in solution to the problem without resorting to third party applications do leave a comment below.

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David Hughes heads up the creative collective David and Associates. Connect with David on Google+

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I know it’s February already, twelfth night has long gone and all the decorations are packed away for another year. But some things just hang around. And with good reason. Two of my favourite Xmas boxes from 2011 both came from ex Fine White Line staffers: Kevin Shaw and Janet Ameer. From Kevin and his team I received one of Stranger and Stranger’s highly collectable Christmas bottles – No.13 in a series and definitely lucky for some, myself included. According to the label, there were only 300 bottles produced in this initial run. It’s such a beautiful thing I haven’t wanted opened it and probably never will. (note to self: must find someone else who received a bottle and is less precious about the whole thing and prepared to let me taste the contents.)

The bottle came complete with it’s own sidewalk-ready brown paper bag covered in the small-space ads I remember from American comics of a certain era. All the ads had been carefully adapted for yuletide: space explorer guns to Vaporize unwanted Carol singers, shrunken heads as an alternative to boring traditional Xmas tree decorations, a cure for seasonal pimples and ugly blackheads, a mistletoe helmet and a miniature dog at almost no cost – just for Christmas of course, not for life – and a rubber duck-faced mask that apparently “fills the bill for Xmas party-time fun!”.

This mid-century quackery is reflected in nostrums from an even early age on the bottle label itself. Spirit No.13 is recommended for the ‘relief of superficial aches and pains due to exposure or exertion, toothaches and nervous stress’. GOOD FOR MAN OR BEAST. It can be taken internally or used as a liniment, rubbed directly onto the skin. It acts as an emergency firelighter and steriliser of wounds. On a more lyrical note the label also suggests that if you drink it, ‘…you will hear the voices of men and maidens singing the Harvest Home mingled with the laughter of children’.

Moonshine and snake oil mixed with vanilla and whipped cream.

The quality of all the work coming out of Stranger and Stranger is nothing short of inspiring. It was a joy having Kevin as part of the team at the Fine White Line and it’s equally wonderful to have him as a client now.

Janet’s offering was a much simpler affair but had me smiling from the moment I opened it – a salt cellar filled with sparkly red glitter – Seasonal Seasoning. And I’m still smiling now as I continue to find little sparkly bits nestling in amongst the keys of my lap-top almost two months later. That will teach me to open my post while I’m working.

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David Hughes heads up the creative collective David and Associates. Connect with David on Google+

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A strange thing to see aspects of your back catalogue re-surfacing out of context. Metronomy’s take on The English Riviera lifts not only the collective name given to the three resorts of Torquay, Paignton and Brixham – something we helped re-introduce through an overhaul of their marketing and advertising through Travis Dale many, many years ago. But it also lifts, wholesale, the palm tree branding device used in all the award-winning advertising we produced for the resort. A sample from the series produced over many years appears below.

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David Hughes heads up the creative collective David and Associates. Connect with David on Google+

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Richard Seymour gave a truly inspiring talk at Designer Breakfasts on the 24th June in BBH’s Kingly Street offices.

The central theme was based on the thought that a designer has a special responsibility, and ability, to reveal the truth. The clue was wrapped up in the title of the talk: ‘The Pilot’s Prayer’. The shorthand for which Richard put as “Thanks for the ability to do things other people cannot do”.

Over the course of an hour Richard revealed the truth about a host of objects, from personal vibrators to floating hotels.

In getting to the truth he proved time and again that in an increasingly technologically sophisticated world we are not limited by the technology but by our own imagination. And that even in our seemingly digital-with-everything world the truth lies more often in the analogue and is embedded in our anthropological make-up. The anthropology, he argues, never changes.

Looking for the dissonance between what people say they do and what they actually do often reveals the truth about what needs to change.
He clearly has a gift for seeing things as they are, not as we imagine them to be. And then it’s a short hop to seeing things not as they are, but as they might be.

The answers all appear blindingly obvious when the blinkers are removed. The solutions look so elegant and simple. But getting to the simple truth is anything but.

Rather dispiritingly he also explained why even the face of an obviously great idea, things sometimes don’t or won’t change. It’s not a shortage of ideas necessarily. It‘s often a lack of will to see them through to fruition. The very metabolism of an organisation can pre-dispose it to repeat its failings rather than innovate its way to a better future.

By contrast, those organisations that do rise to the challenge find that “The further they walk into the future, the less competition they have”.

It’s the first Designer Breakfast I’ve been to in a long while. But on the strength of this talk I’m determined to make it a regular event.

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David Hughes heads up the creative collective David and Associates. Connect with David on Google+

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There was a piece on Radio 4′s Today at the start of the week stating ICANN have now approved the change making it possible for the use of brand names and other generic domain extensions.

Talking to Pauline Amphlett of Brand Guardians the week before, she raised these key points:

Although there can now be brand name extensions e.g. .cocacola, .ford, .virgin, .hsbc, .macdonalds, .apple, .microsoft, .loggica, it’s likely that in order to be granted these the applicant will have to provide evidence of trade mark ownership and use.
Where the problems are likely to arise is where there is more than one legitimate owner of a name who wants to register it. LOTUS is a good example – who should be granted it: the car brand, watch company, food brand, software company? There are likely to be auctions in these cases.

There’s also the option for descriptive names e.g. .hotel, .insurance, .bank, .holiday, .dinner. Put a simple prefix like ‘my’ or ‘your’ in front of these and you start to see the potential. There’s also an opportunity for industry sectors or businesses or brands belonging to the same group to cash in on these. Say an automotive business gets .car, it freezes out the competition from owning it but also it is able to use it for the group and the models.

Deep Pockets
The owners of these new extensions will have to have deep pockets. The application cost is $184,000, but this is the tip of the iceberg. In terms of creating infrastructure the owner will have to set-up and run a domain registry. They will have to put a structure in place that guarantees that it won’t go out of business as this would impact on the businesses of its customers. There will be a heavy commitment in terms of professional service fees to set it up too. Estimates for this are in the region at $1 million, possibly more.

It’s likely that the worlds top 250-500 companies will be applying for their extensions. Who will apply for the generic words is less clear. They will certainly have to be well resourced financially and with good professional services.

It’s clear that brand owners need to be concerned about securing names if other large international businesses in other sectors also own the name. What’s less clear is who will register the generic words – you don’t want a competitor to get them!

For more information about the issues surrounding this change take a look at Pauline’s blog post on the subject: Yet more domains.

For those of you already sold on the idea, form an orderly queue and have your cheque books at the ready.

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David Hughes heads up the creative collective David and Associates. Connect with David on Google+

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We have just started working with the Foundation who describe themselves as, “…process doctors who can help you transform the productivity of your marketing communication development and production processes.”

We’re hoping to transform the levels of traffic to their web site.

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David Hughes heads up the creative collective David and Associates. Connect with David on Google+

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I attended this evening’s private view of Make Believe – a pop up Xmas showcase of designer makers from Cockpit Arts. I’ve been a particular fan of Liz Emtage’s beautiful porcelain lamps ever since I first set eyes on them over a year ago. And this lamp, with it’s deep impressions of roses is a particularly fine example from a larger body of commissioned pieces based on floral and botanical themes.

Liz has a selection available for sale at Make Believe which runs until the 21st December at 42 Theobalds Road, Holborn. Open from 11am until 7pm (closed Sunday 12th and 19th December)

Other delights on show and available to buy include millinery from Judy Bentinck, Jewellery from Very Garcia, knitwear from Elisabeth Hamlyn, Woven accessories from Mica Hirosawa and papercut art and jewellery from Nahoko Kojima.

A great place to go for a truly distinctive christmas present for someone special.

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David Hughes heads up the creative collective David and Associates. Connect with David on Google+

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Barry Cox was the Account Director at CDP when we worked on Becks for Scottish & Newcastle. He now runs The History of Advertising Trust, and it’s in desperate need of funding.

History of Advertising Trust – BigArtsGive

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David Hughes heads up the creative collective David and Associates. Connect with David on Google+

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Planet Positive is working with key members of David and Associates to develop its brand identity and marketing material. The lead agency M-A-D-E, headed up by Mark Andrews, is being supplemented by other senior team members including David Hughes, Lindsay O’Hagan, Dominic Rutterford, Sue Singer and Mike Everett.

A key component of PP’s service delivery is a new web site: http://www.beplanetpositive.com

The service helps SME’s reduce their environmental impact through a simple, quick and cost neutral 4 step process that involves measurement, reduction, positive action and communication.

Businesses get an internationally recognised accreditation that will help them pursue new business opportunities and fulfill tenders. It’s a simple online process that avoids the need for expensive consultants and can deliver certification within as little as 4 weeks. Throughout the process the registering business is in control of a process that is both transparent, quick and cost-effective.

There are many benefits:
- Reduction in running costs
- An aid to winning business via environmentally sustainable and accredited business practices
- The knowledge that your participation is making a distinct and measurable contribution to local, national or international sustainability projects.
- And last but not least, the tools to promote employee engagement and behaviour change helping to reduce your carbon emissions still further.

Everyone’s emissions are measured by the same internationally recognised system so there is real credibility surrounding the certification process. Certification will help small and medium sized businesses demonstrate that they are committed to being environmentally sustainable. And any business can Be Planet Positive. It’s positive news for business, the bottom line, your employees, the local community and the planet.

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David Hughes heads up the creative collective David and Associates. Connect with David on Google+

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Recently I’ve been giving a series of two hour talks on various aspects of social media. In the last two sessions I was lucky enough to have Lin Sagovsky as one of the attendees. Amongst other things, Lin runs Play4Real – a consultancy that takes theatre techniques into the workplace as a way of building skills and confidence in all walks of working life.

Although at pains to let me know that my sessions were full of good content Lin offered to help me improve my presentation technique. I had the cake, what was missing was the icing.

What a revelation. I knew my presentation skills weren’t as good as they could be. I just didn’t know why, or where to start to improve the situation. Very quickly Lin was able to pinpoint the areas that needed working on and offer equally rapid solutions.

In less than two hours we looked at body language, breathing, timing, staging (sight lines, lighting, acoustics), managing the audience and much more besides. All of Lin’s advice and tuition addressed my specific needs.

I can’t recommend her highly enough.

I have a few weeks to practice before my next public speaking opportunity which if all goes well will be the whole cake, complete with icing. And in time I might even manage a cherry on top.

If you think you could do with some help in improving your own public speaking you could do a lot worse than signing up for Lin’s free tips newsletter. It’s a good first step in the right direction.

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