Preston Vision Identity

Preston Vision is a relatively new company formed to drive forward the regeneration and commercial development of Preston as a major growing City. The company needed a new identity and we were selected after pitching against a number of other leading North West agencies. The resulting identity has flexibility for use in a variety of media and the logo has already been applied to a website and other marketing collateral. We also designed the company’s corporate brochure and and a full identity manual for the brand.

New identity for AL Consulting

We have recently designed a new company logo and stationery for AL Consulting, the company, based in Aughton, Lancaster, provides strategic business consultancy for clients, ranging from corporate level defence clients, right through to SME's which is a growing area of business revenue for the company. The logo is based upon an 'Inukshuk'(pronounced 'in-ook-shook'). From the Canadian arctic, in the Inuit language Inuktitut, inukshuk means "likeness of a person" hence the shape of the rocks. The rocks are used as a directional guide across frozen arctic wastes, so they are a very appropriate metaphor for a business consultancy.

This week in the studio...

This week we have had a revamp of the front of the studio with a new window, which we will be adding our signage to very shortly. The whole building is being painted too so it is going to look very new and fresh, which can only be good for business. We welcome Ria Gatanou-Northwood as account manager, Ria has an excellent background in sales and marketing and we very much look forward to working with her. We have lots of new business coming through so will be regularly updating the site with examples.

Email signatures, the hidden giant in your marketing toolbox.

Anybody taking a pet to the vets will know the power of the cross-sell, as we leave with worming tablets, flea treatment or god knows what else we have been suggested. So that quietly murmured ask,just as you thought you'd got out scott free really works in driving up revenue and profit. This is where your email signature strip comes in, as an ideal tool to remind existing and new clients of other products in your portfolio, or at the very least, a link to your website - every time you send an email. happy cross-selling!

Guess where in Preston?

Just for the heck of it, so no prizes!

Our new recruit.

Harley has been making his presence felt in our studio, and when he needs time to think up a great new idea, he just takes it easy.

Summer Colours.

When thinking of new brochures, mailings and emailers, it's a good idea to consider the colours and maybe use the excuse of a new marketing initiative to explore lesser used colours within your brand's palette, or maybe adding new colours.

Colour is great for creating new associations and tapping into the prevailing public uplift in mood that comes with the changing seasons, so with a summer colour scheme, it may be yellows, fresh greens and blues, then just adjust your messaging to suit the style of the design theme, add a nice recycled stock for tactile appeal. It can equate to impact and response, so there are serious results to be gained, just by thinking about how the use of colour can be leveraged in your campaigns.

Old cricket pitch on Moor Park.

New website.

Our new website is now online at apple-design.com, we will be regularly updating with new work, and adding to our list of services. You can also now put a face to our names and find out more about us when we are not here, bashing out great design! If you have a requirement not mentioned on the site, just pick up the phone, we can probably help.

New corporate identity for Preston Vision.

Apple have recently designed a new corporate identity for Preston Vision, a company formed to promote living, working and development opportunities in Preston.

The company will have a major role in putting Preston firmly on the national landscape and the corporate identity will be an important part of conveying that message. See the holding page at www.prestonvision.co.uk

Effective Email Marketing

Email is still one of the most measurable and effective marketing tools, when good data is combined with a relevant message and persuasive creative, it is very easy to get a sound return on investment, and it's easy to build on your success to achieve regular sales and enquiries for relatively little effort.

If you are interested in email as part of your marketing mix and want a low cost introductory package to get you started, give Phil a call today 01772 561234 for prices and samples.

My Wage

I bargained with Life for a penny,
And Life would pay no more,
However I begged at evening
When I counted my scanty store;

For Life is a just employer,
He gives you what you ask,
But once you have set the wages,
Why, you must bear the task.

I worked for a menial's hire,
Only to learn, dismayed,
That any wage I had asked of Life,
Life would have gladly paid.

~ Jessie B Rittenhouse

What makes an effective brochure?

The change to how Royal Mail charged for us to post out mail has had a large effect on the chosen formats for brochures as many clients choose to get within the small letter dimensions, effectively A5 and under 100 grams. This and the growth of email as a chosen marketing channel, and recessionary pressure, has meant that consumers and b2b clients are not seeing the creative level of formats and materials they would have a few years ago.

This is actually the opportunity, as bucking the trend and using the larger formats and more creative materials can lead to a much greater ROI as customers appreciate and respond to the impact from more creative pieces that really sell the products and services with size and material creating a real statement.

This then leads to segmentation of your audience, as you may not want to send a more expensive format to all your database, you may also want to consider this as a lower quantity give away at shows and exhibitions.

Yes it does cost more to send out, but if enquiries and response from your play it safe brochures and leaflets are getting lost in the small letter fog, then it may be worth taking a risk?

The Shell Directional Policy Matrix and you.

This tool can be quite useful for deciding on where to put your resources, it is a corporate model, but it still has relevance even if you are a sole trader. Essentially there are times in any business when you need to decide which areas are worth pursuing and which areas you need to drop. Google it for a more thorough explanation.

Power of Women event success for Blackpool Council

Apple were recently asked to design and produce event collateral for the Power Of Women event for Blackpool Council's Young Peoples Services. This involved the design of leaflets and posters, as well as supply of promotional items. The event was held on the 8th of March as part of International Womens day.

International Women's Day (8 March) is a global day celebrating the economic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future.

The Power of Women Event was a great success, attracting a full attendance, particularly from women in the community surrounding Blackpool.

Integrating social media into your marketing mix.

Social media is a great way of boosting your online presence, reaching niche audiences who can add a new dimension to the type of new enquiries you receive and the wide range of networks you can access. B2B companies have been fairly slow to take up social media as a viable marketing tool, but there are some very tangible benefits to investing in this area as a complement to your traditional marketing mix. An example of this is that within your friends, fans or followers, you will build up a network, within this network there can be powerful decision makers who you would not be able to get through to either by direct mail or the phone. Your social media channel gets straight through to these audiences in a different way, reaching them when they are relaxing and in a more relaxed state, late at night for example. Although enquiries often don't come immediately, as with any networking activity, what you put in is what you get out. You will often find this becomes an out-of -hours activity where you strike up conversations with new people, who undoubtedly know other people in their wider network, people who could be very useful to you. If you are looking for ways to start or maximise your social media activities, contact us to discuss the many ways we could help.

Public Sector - Maximising return on tight budgets.

As well as many leading private sector firms, Apple now works for a wide range of Public Sector organisations, including four separate NHS Trusts, Local Councils and within the Educational Sector. As budgets in the public sector are being scrutinised it is inevitable that marketing will be a focus for cuts in spending and much greater accountability, yet this against a background of increased national and regional competition and the need for organisations to differentiate themselves to keep and increase customer loyalty.

We have worked hard to develop a very wide portfolio of services, that accommodate many of the regularly needed public sector marketing communication requirements, we also keep to a low cost pricing structure, to enable more client purchasing power and the ability to respond quickly to marketing opportunities, in whatever media, as they arise.

If you are interested in learning more about our public sector work, give Phil a call at the office or email us any time.

Why pop-up when you can really stand apart?

Click on the image above for details of our current all-inclusive display offer. Call Phil for more info on +44 1772 561234

Ps. could Apple be designing and sending email campaigns like this one for your business?

Apple Creative, appointed for Ring and Reg Website Design.

We have recently been appointed by Ring&Reg to design their new website, set to become an important payment and information gateway for the launch of Ring&Reg as a membership based parking initiative. The backend functionality is being provided by the company's in-house team, integrated with the creative and front-end elements provided by Apple.

Apple awarded East Lancs PCT, GP's Vocational Training Scheme Website

Apple have been chosen to design and develop a database website for East Lancs PCT, the website will be a hub for GP's undertaking continuous professional development and will contain training materials, categorised downloads and event information.

Time for a Marketing Makeover?

If you are thinking your marketing could be a lot better, but don't have a fortune to spend, why not take a small amount of time out and arrange to have a chat with us at Apple. We are a quality design and marketing agency, highly qualified and the agency of choice to many, well known, quality companies and organisations. Yet we are equally adept at working with smaller companies, charities and even for one-off private requirements.

There are no obligations in talking with us, in fact, for the majority of enquiries, we do advise clients to shop around and compare before making their final choice. We understand that choosing an agency is a big step and it is important to get it right. If you are a larger corporate client, or public sector body, you are equally in good company, as we have proven results and can provide strong testimonials from many sector areas. Call me, Phil Ashforth, Managing Director, on +44 1772 561234 or email me direct to my blackberry from our website - info at apple-design.com

Check us out on Facebook, better still, become a fan.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Apple-Creative-Design-Limited/266432807075

University of Central Lancashire UCLAN, Westleigh Conference Centre DVD

Apple Creative have recently been appointed to produce a virtual video tour of UCLAN's new Westleigh Conference Centre, once the site of a cold war nuclear bunker. When completed in the summer, Westleigh will be the premier location in Lancashire for conferences, events and private functions. you can read more about this exciting development in the article below, published in the Lancashire Evening Post.

http://www.lep.co.uk/news/The-underground-house-party.6028005.jp

Apple on Recommended Agency Register (RAR)

We have recently been recommended by enough clients, enabling us to be a member of the Recommended Agency Register. We will be adding the logo to our site soon and putting up a more complete profile. Visit RAR here http://agencyregister.co.uk/

Studio

The new year seems like a distant memory already. We have recently been awarded a project with Chubb Security, producing and fulfilling many of their training manuals that go out to their alarm engineers. We have also Won a tender for the University of Central Lancashire to produce a DVD flythrough, for a new conference centre on a site that includes an old wartime bunker. Our email marketing side continues to be very busy with clients reporting a good response to Xmas campaigns. Several websites underway including a large corporate site for Evolve Energy, continue to think about the next move for our own site, but it is ranking extremely well and getting very good enquiries, so no rush. On the literature side, our studio are very busy with print and continuing to work on a sales folder for Lancashire Daf, as well as brochures and direct mail for Blackpool Accountants, Nixon Williams. Anyway, that's enough name dropping for now, better crack on...

HNY2010!

Happy New Year and best wishes for a succesful and prosperous 2010!