re:vu essential guide to design services that improve your business opportunities
IDENTITY
CRISIS
ADDRESS YOUR COMPANY’S UNIQUE CORPORATE ID...
X:PAND YOUR BUSINESS WITH EXCEPTIONAL
DESIGN
WORLD
WIDE
WHAT?
THE DO’S AND DON’TS OF WEB DESIGN...
£:invaluable - re:vu issue 177 - commissioned by the purple hooted dog corporation
CONTENTS
page 3 - pro:file an insight into a professional design company, this issue: PHd design
page 4 - today I saw a sign... and it lit up my life!
page 5 – have you got the complete package? how to box your product for maximum appeal and sales success
page 6 - identity crisis? is your corporate identity getting tired? find out how to wake it up
page 7 – send us your brochure outstanding corporate literature written and designed for instant impact
page 8 – world wide what am I supposed to do now? the wonderful world of the web
page 9 - r txts rekking r langwij? why we need great copywriting
pages 10/11 - directory everything you need to X:pand your business through design
pro:file PHd design are a full service design agency who provide solutions that are more than makeovers.
It’s a balmy Sunday afternoon as I drive down a long drive to the barn, the offices of PHd Design in Staffordshire. The sun is shining, there’s a James Bond film on the telly so what am I doing here? I am an independent writer and have been asked to write about PHd design, to write about who they are, what they do and how they do it. Over the next few pages I want to take you on a whistle stop tour to give you an insight into one of Staffordshire’s most creative and successful design teams; ‘so why Sunday?’… one word, deadline. This gives you a hint of what PHd design are like, the sort of ‘can do’ attitude that has helped them retain their original client from 15 years ago and worked with hundreds of others along the way. Sitting down with founder Peter Howard to get a grip of what they do is tricky. “It’s really difficult to say what we do other than the usual: design logos, identity schemes, brochures, packs, that sort of thing“ says Peter, “because we do a whole lot more, we use good old fashioned common sense, we tell the client honestly if we disagree and we solve their business challenges using design as a tool”. “We have to remember that ostensibly we are commercial artists not just artists; we solve challenges. The difference is that artists make up their own challenges to be solved, we on the other hand are given challenges by our clients to solve… and that makes it all the more interesting!!”
...and it lit up my life! Neil Sargeant, creative designer at PHd design on the transforming effect of a great sign … “We all notice signs around in our daily lives; we notice the great ones and the bad ones, and this all happens without us even knowing. The facts are simple: a good sign on your premises speaks volumes about your organisation. Unfortunately, so does a bad one. Customers need to find you – but they’ll also be judging you too”. “We’ve created many different signage types and styles for all kinds and sizes of businesses and industries. The design and creation of effective signs is not merely ‘slapping’ some text on a board; it is about knowing what people will need to get from the sign, ensuring it is easy to read, understand and above all see!” “Maguire Jackson is a great example, this sign started life as a panel to be attached to the back wall of their new offices, after talking it through, we suggested a different solution”.
“We decided to paint the whole of the back wall of the office in their corporate red, and then apply metal lettering to stand out from the wall’s surface. The result is now recognised as an integral part of the branding of the head office and future offices”. If you are worried about your signs then give PHd design a call, they’ll be able to help you get the very best from the space you have available.
HAVE YOU GOT THE COMPLETE PACKAGE? People buy with their eyes first. If your pack gives the consumer the right messages about your product, it sells. If it doesn’t, then it doesn’t. It’s that simple. And PHd design can make that difference. As a nationally accredited design company with a proven track record in packaging design, they can help make your product’s packaging really sell. What’s more, they can tap into funding streams that others don’t even know about.
Lyalvale Express make more shotgun cartridges than anyone else in the UK – eighty million a year. Known to their customers in the shooting community as simply ‘Express’, they have a great reputation. But with twenty four different packs, they needed a common look and feel for the whole range. PHd design helped them create it– with synergy right across the brand.
Aston Manor, one of PHd design’s oldest clients, required a premium label design for the launch of the new Knights Premium cider, aimed at the higher end of the market. The label needed to have all the old traditional values of cider to emphasise it’s uniquness along with enough shelf presence to be noticed. The result is a perfect combination of classic design, well crafted typography and modern printing techniques producing a winning final pack.
Ark Distribution came up with a great idea called Creter– a weatherproof bag for mixing sand, cement and water to produce concrete just by picking up the four handles of the bag and shaking. Now widely available in the UK and used even as far away as Vietnam, Creter stands out on the shelf thanks to the striking designs created both for individual products, multi-packs and point of sale displays.
IDENTITY
CRISIS? Is your company’s corporate image looking a bit tired and jaded? Or maybe your business has moved on and it just doesn’t seem right any more? How do you go about giving it a new lease of life? Peter Howard, Design Director at PHd design, looks at what it takes to create an award winning identity... “Imagine a 45 year old city banker. He’s dressed in frayed jeans with spiked hair, a nose ring, sandals, and tattoos. Wrong, isn’t it? Equally, a young vibrant creative TV executive wouldn’t look right in a restrictive three-piece suit”. “In just the same way, the image of an organisation has to match what it stands for, and to some extent what’s expected. It also has to be able to subtly evolve over time. People tend to think about the logo first, since that’s often the most visible aspect. But the right image has to extend across everything that the customer sees. Like the set of clothes, it has to be right or it won’t work”.
“Underneath the clothes is the personality – or in the case of a company, its identity. And here we’re talking about everything the company stands for. What it believes in, its values, and its whole attitude. What we do is express this identity in a way that’s fit for purpose, right for the market and above all consistent. This helps the client to maintain a strong base of customers who constantly relate to them, stay with them and do business with them. So ask yourself, ‘Is your company’s identity right?’. If not then call PHd design who can advise and help bring it back to where it should be”.
SEND US YOUR BROCHURE You know your business inside out. You can talk about it for England. But ask yourself this – is your brochure as good as you are at communicating what’s special about what you do? Is it your best ambassador? Here’s another awkward question. Have you actually got literature that you’re happy to leave with customers, or send when they ask for one? If not, you’re not alone. Thousands of organisations are put off by the possible cost, the choice of what to say, or even an over-reliance on their website. PHd started with a brochure project back in 1992. Since then they’ve designed and produced countless stylised literature pieces that work and still believe today that company and product brochures have a vital role to play in informing, persuading and selling. Most design firms have a standard way of approaching a brochure, which is to ask: “what are we trying to sell?” PHd like to challenge this approach by asking: “what does the customer want to know?” – an altogether different question. The result, very often, is a simple solution that demonstrates an understanding of the potential customer’s needs. This ‘u-turn’ to the accepted ‘norm’ has proved successful time and time again. Think about this for your next literature requirement. Call PHd design in – or even send us your brochure!
World wide web or world wide wait? Gareth Robertson, creative designer at PHd design on the wonderful world of the web… “The web is a wonderful thing. No business can afford to ignore its enormous potential. But how many websites have you been to where you run into dead ends, or get lost, or just wait forever while the images load? Worse, in many ways, than not having a website at all”. “We think the answer is to have people (like us) creating websites, people who can understand your needs, speak in plain English, and come up with design and functionality that works. This comes down to simple things like getting the flow right, presenting solutions page by page, and not getting carried away with buttons. Then, and only then, should the techies get involved to make the whole thing a real site”. “The result – sites that are appealing, communicate clearly, and are easy to navigate around, while still using the very latest advances in technical production. Log onto our site and see the proof”. Getting a great site for your company should not be a hassle. Call PHd design and you’ll see how straight forward they can make it.
r txts rekking r langwij?
directory Peter Neil
John
Gareth Louise Midge
PHd design’s key people Peter Howard - Design Director founder of the company and avid collector of ‘clever’ e-mail movies
Louise Atkin - Studio Manager the engine behind the machine and totally original
Neil Sargeant - Designer talented creative designer and the most chilled out human being on the planet
Gareth Robertson - Designer talented creative designer and the least chilled out human being on the planet
John Howard - Finance Manager financial organiser who represents the more moderate side of the company
Midge - The Boss our very good friend Midge helps us with her advice, experience and overall ability to ‘really’ get involved
So you’ve read it, now you’ve seen some of the things that PHd design do. Perhaps you’ve thought of particular areas of your business where they could help you? This publication contains merely the tip of PHd design’s iceberg! To see a larger selection of work, visit their website at www.phddesign.co.uk or call on 01543 473 191 to have a chat about your business and its design needs. One thing’s for sure, if you don’t ask them, you’ll never know what could be created for your business or what difference it could make to your bottom line.
“Making money is art and working is art and good business is the best art”. attr: Andy Warhol (August 6, 1928 — February 22, 1987)
PHd design, The Barn at Common Farm, Riley Hill, Lichfield, Staffordshire, WS13 8JE. T: 01543 473 191. E: info@phddesign.co.uk