Design on the mind

We are proud to have worked with the Environment Agency on this project; not only is it an environmental issue that is close to our hearts, but it is a Bristol issue that we have helped to tackle. The whole process was a pleasure; devising the concepts for the billboard advertising, the photography, the graphic design and the overall communication challenge.

The Client

The Environment Agency is the leading public body for protecting and improving the environment in England and Wales. It’s their job to make sure that air, land and water are looked after by everyone in today’s society, so that tomorrow’s generations inherit a cleaner, healthier world.
They strive to achieve this goal in many different ways; Influencing and working with Government, industry and local authorities to make the environment a priority. Taking action against those who don’t take their environmental responsibilities seriously is another.

The Challenge

One of the issues faced by the Environment Agency is the illegal dumping of toxic and other waste, also known as fly tipping. Aside from individuals who will quite happily dump a shopping trolley in a river, there are ‘organised’ fly tippers, that is, people or illegal carriers who dump large quantities of waste in order to avoid the charges associated with disposing of it responsibly.

The Environment Agency needed an advertising campaign that would not only raise awareness of the environmental and social issues associated with fly tipping. But also make businesses and communities aware of the fines that are incurred for the illegal dumping of waste.

The advertising campaign needed to be designed to appear on billboards and bus backs in the south Bristol area for a period of 6 months during 2007.

The Solution

The designers at Deckchair quickly came up with a few concepts for the campaign. One of the ideas was to show the reality of the fly tipping situation in South Bristol. A lot of the illegal carriers dump dangerous rubbish, chemicals and white goods in the back lanes of residential areas where young children play and could easily be harmed.
Using a young model (Florence, my daughter) and a renowned fly tipping location Deckchair’s creative team produced a hard hitting image with incredible impact to fulfill the brief.

The billboard:

The bus back:

The Result

The campaign has recently been honored at the National Environment Agency Communications Awards 2007 through Clare Rogers (project manager) with an award for ‘best visual interpretation of our brand’, and was short listed from over 100 entries. We are absolutely thrilled with this great result for our client. This of course is aside from the huge success of the billboard campaign itself.

Press Coverage

We achieved good local press coverage for the campaign with articles in The Bristol Evening Post and The Western Daily Press. Also, national press coverage with articles in the Chamber Link Magazine and Design Week.

Bristol Evening Post, Clare Rogers of the Environment Agency and Florence pose in front of one of the billboards in South Bristol.

Western Daily Press use the poster for their article.

Testimonial

Clare Rogers, Campaign Manager, Environment Agency said:
“Faced with the challenge of communicating a message to a hard-to-reach audience, we needed considerable creative input and some fresh ideas, stepping right away from our traditional corporate style. Deckchair gave us a range of great concepts to test on our audience, then delivered the complete package, based on our market research.
It’s rare to find a company so responsive to what you are trying to achieve. The results are stunning and our design has won a communications award for ‘best visual interpretation of our brand’.”

Leaflets

To back up the billboard campaign, the Environment Agency asked Deckchair to produce a duty of care leaflet to be distributed throughout Bristol, Bath, North East Somerset and South Gloucestershire Council boroughs. The leaflet is designed to make people check the waste carrier’s licence of any waste removal services that they employ. Using a model we recreated the typical scene of a ‘man with a van’ collecting unwanted items from a household. The message comes across loud and clear in this neat and informative leaflet:

Promotional

Deckchair also produced a fun and eye catching fridge magnet as a promotional item to be handed out at events to help to drive the message home:

Final Report

Clare Rogers at the Environment Agency asked Deckchair to produce a 40 page final report for internal use to compile the strategies and information for the BREW (Business Resource and Efficiency Waste programme) ‘Cleaning up Bristol’ Campaign. The report has been beautifully put together in a perfect bound book printed on recycled paper.

Do you need creative design for a campaign? Give us a call 0117 9299150 or pop by and meet the team.

Toni 

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I was reading this book ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’ by Eric Carle to my youngest daughter the other night and I was struck by the thought that really this book has become somewhat of an institution. I remember my mother reading it to me as a child and I loved it too.

The illustrations are such a unique style, in fact the whole design of the book is what makes it so memorable and successful. As I’m sure you all remember it has the little holes in the pages that children love to stick their fingers in:

And of course the favourite page that all children want to rush on to because it makes the parent talk very fast! Genius:

I then started to think about other book illustrators whose work has been absolutely instrumental in the success of the publication. For me, when I first read ‘Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas’ by Hunter S Thompson with illustrations by Ralph Steadman, I was just blown away. How perfectly the illustrations worked with the story, in fact, they made the story for me.

Apply this to Web and Graphic Design

In any graphic or web design project it is vitally important to get the balance and relationship right with the text and the illustrations or pictures so that they are complementing each other. Even if you are designing a simple flyer or leaflet you must apply the same rules;

1. It must be designed firstly to catch your eye and your attention using a sympathetic balance of text, graphics and imagery.
2. Then you must feel compelled to give it a closer look and read it.
3. Then if it has been designed well, the imagery and the message should leave enough of an impact for it to become memorable. Hey presto job done!

Have you got a favourite illustrator? Have you been influenced by the work of someone in particular? How effective do you think a design can be with no illustration or imagery at all?

Toni

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The short answer to this question is NO, they certainly shouldn’t! For a web or graphic designer there are always going to be deadlines. They are a part of any brief; a client always has a timescale in mind. The question is whether the client’s idea of a realistic timescale matches the designers and their workload. No good designer will take on a job where the quality of the design would be compromised just to meet an unrealistic deadline. It is just not worth his/her reputation.

Project Management

A good designer will, however, be able to meet a tight deadline with effective management of the project.  To manage a design project a designer needs to be aware of the following:

1. How long it will take to do each particular part of the design and how that will fit in with the internal scheduling of all the design projects that are current.

2. How long will any outsourced parts of the design take? For example a print job will be heavily reliant on the printer’s schedule so this will need to be checked and factored in.

3. How much of the project will rely on the client? – for example if the client is required to supply copy for the website design, they will need to be made aware of when it is needed and the consequence of that deadline being missed.

4. If the design project is for a larger company that will require multiple sign offs for approval it is probably worth allowing a little more time for this in the schedule.

5. For very large projects where there are many parts or stages to the design it is always worth allowing extra time for the inevitable changes or additions. These will often happen as the project moves forward however meticulously it has been planned out.

Timeline

A very effective way to ensure that the project is managed properly is for the designer to agree a timeline with the client before work begins; this can be done as part of the contract. The timeline should include:

1. Production deadlines

2. Approval deadlines

3. Deadlines for the supply of content including copy and images from the client.

4. Testing deadlines

5. Launch/delivery dates.

Be sure that the client is aware of the importance of the timeline and how each milestone deadline that is not met will affect the overall project.

Communication

If the project management and the timeline are executed properly there will be little reason for a project to run over time. It is very important, however, that the communication between the designer and the client is good. It means that any hiccups or delays can be resolved straight away; everyone is in the loop.

Respect the deadline

If the timescale is very tight and the designer has any doubts that the deadline would not be met then he should not attempt to take the job on. Sometimes in this situation the client has an unrealistic idea of how long a project will take and if they have not left themselves enough time to complete it then the designer would be wise to steer well clear and keep his reputation intact.

It is always possible to ask if a deadline can be moved before a project starts. But the designer will loose the respect of the client if he suddenly asks for an extension halfway through the project. Deadlines must be respected at all costs and should never jeopardise the quality of the design work or the reputation of the client.

Toni

Related articles:

Are we there yet? Meet your design deadline

The Tao of deadlines

Deadlines kill inspiration

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Every now and then I come across the work of a talented artist, designer or photographer, and it’s always a great inspiration. James Starr was exhibiting at Room 212 in Bristol a few weeks ago and I have to say he is one of the more impressive artists I have seen there.

James is a painter, printer and illustrator. His images are created using a mixture of original screen printed material, photography, freehand illustration and collage. He has traveled as an expedition artist for BSES Expeditions to the USA, South Africa, Iceland and Arctic Norway.

I spent quite a bit of time chatting to James and he took the trouble to pop by our house to drop some work off to me and my partner. (James, it is at the framers; can’t wait to get it back! :)). It was a great pleasure to meet a talented local artist and genuinely nice person.

Stop by James’s website sometime and have a look: James Starr

Toni

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Well, let’s try to define what makes a design good; I suppose a design can be ‘good’ if someone says that it is – so a validation of approval means that it works for that individual. But does approval from the right person makes it good? Think about controversial works of art like a Damien Hurst piece for example, you probably couldn’t get a more divided opinion on that!

Perhaps a design should be considered good if it succeeds at its purpose. A chair design for example has to fulfill a practical function i.e. not falling over when it is sat on. But the aesthetics of the design of the chair are a different matter and all people have different tastes.

It is the same for graphic design, a logo design succeeds when it projects the image and ethos of the company, it is distinctive, memorable, appeals to the target market and it stands out from its competitors. But I can guarantee that each person’s perception of what looks good and ticks those boxes will be different.

With any type of visual design the perception of whether it is good or not is totally subjective. People’s expectations will be different according to what their previous experience has been or what they have aspired to in the past. Take the London Olympic logo, someone somewhere along the line must have thought it looked good, but most of us think it is an absolute monstrosity. Perhaps it was a classic case of ‘too many cooks spoiling the broth’. So the question is; is it a good or a bad design? (Personally I have to say very bad!)

So picture the situation – a company approaches the graphic design company wanting a new image, their old logo looks like it came from the seventies and their brand needs a serious make over. After initial talks and discussions with decision makers the design company comes up with a stunning choice of logos for the client to have a look at.

Most of the panel like design number one, but the director doesn’t (it was his son who designed the old one from his bedroom during his gap year). He sets the designer on a new direction with the design (a visually painful one). But the Director ultimately has the final say on the company’s new logo and even if all around him can see that his choice is going to be detrimental to the company image, he forges ahead. Is his decision right or wrong?

I’m sure there are hundreds of graphic designers out there who have come across the scenario; the client is hell bent on pursuing his choice of design (for whatever reason) and then has the designer develop it further into even more of an eye sore. As a designer you can only do your best to fulfill the brief and try to guide the client in the right direction, but if they really won’t take your advice you can only wonder why they hired the services of a professional designer in the first place. Surely it was because you know the industry and have infinite knowledge and experience in your field.

So is a good design that the client doesn’t like, still a good design? Or is the poor design that the client does like, a good design? What do you think?

Toni

Related Article: Logo Design Trends

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When studying graphic design, should part of a university’s role be to prepare you, the student, for the “real world” industry, or should university just be an outlet for your creative experimentation, whilst you still have the chance to reside in its liberal environs?

Working within the industry, and looking at students and their degree shows, it appears to me that a lot of these students have no sense of reality within their work.

Looking at design in its most basic form, it’s purpose, in my opinion, is to communicate a message. Yet when visiting some of these degree or award shows, although the work may be visually attractive, the message is often not visible – what are these designs trying to say? The foremost important aspect of design in the working world is to convey your client’s message successfully – be it if they are selling trainers, showcasing their services or campaigning against climate change. If your design does not portray this message to the target audience, is your design working?

I don’t mean to say that design can’t simply be done for the sake of designing – design can be created just for attraction’s sake – but if graduates are leaving university without examples of work or skills that show that they can portray a message successfully through design – why would potential employers trust that these graduates can produce effective work for their clients?

Speaking from experience, university was an amazing opportunity to get the creative juices flowing, to experiment freely and grasp some truly exciting projects and concepts (as well as enjoying all of the social aspects!). But does it really teach you the purpose and practice of “good” design – the importance of communicating the message? Does it prepare you how to work within the industry – that deadlines are short and tight, that the client is always right (even when they are wrong), that you must be able to effectively work as part of a team, that you are inexperienced, albeit fresh-faced, and that you have a lot more to learn than you think?

Beginning to work within the design industry is an exciting and daunting prospect – prepare yourself by being responsible for your own learning, and although no one can fully prepare you for what happens, universities could perhaps lend a hand by offering more substantial theoretical and practical advice to students earlier in their studies.

What do you think?

Becky.

Related interesting articles:
Design Skills to Pay the Bills - Computer Arts Magazine
What is it like to be a recently qualified designer? Graphic Design Blog
Diplomacy in Design - Computer Arts Magazine

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A few months ago, our creative team of graphic designers at Deckchair designed and produced a high impact billboard and bus campaign for the Environment Agency. It was designed to tackle the fly tipping problem (illegal waste dumping) in the Bristol area. When the Environment Agency approached us with the project we were very pleased to be involved with something ‘green’ and also something that would have a positive effect on our local area, Bristol.

 We quickly came up with a few concept ideas for the campaign; we needed the billboard to be high impact with a clear message to really make people think about where their rubbish goes. The reality of the situation is that a lot of the illegal carriers dump dangerous rubbish, chemicals and white goods in hotspots in the south of the city. Most of these locations are in the back lanes of residential areas where young children play and could easily be harmed.

We all agreed that this was a strong directive and we could produce a hard hitting image to convey this message using our extensive experience with professional photography. We chose a location for the shoot and set the scene for the picture. Florence, our young model was an absolute star as the shoot took most of the day and hundreds of frames to get the shot we wanted.

The result is a visually stunning and hard hitting photograph that conveyed the message perfectly and fulfilled the client’s design brief.

The campaign has recently been honored at the National Environment Agency Communications Awards 2007 through Clare Rogers (project manager) with an award for ‘best visual interpretation of our brand’, and was short listed from over 100 entries. We are absolutely thrilled with this great result for our client; it is fabulous when great design is commended and appreciated.

Clare Rogers, Campaign Manager, Environment Agency said:

“Faced with the challenge of communicating a message to a hard-to-reach audience, we needed considerable creative input and some fresh ideas, stepping right away from our traditional corporate style. Deckchair gave us a range of great concepts to test on our audience, then delivered the complete package, based on our market research.
It’s rare to find a company so responsive to what you are trying to achieve. The results are stunning and our design has won a communications award for ‘best visual interpretation of our brand’.”

The photograph has also been short listed in a photographic competition run by The AOP (Association of Photographers). There will be an exhibition of these images at the AOP Gallery in London starting 22nd August 2007. You can vote for our photograph here (if you feel moved to do so!)

Toni

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Let’s face it, these days most people use the internet as their first port of call, for information, communication and of course shopping…even my Mum buys online now! So you would probably be struggling as a business if you didn’t have an online presence of some description. But let’s not forget the bigger picture; branding, logo and print are still vital. To successfully market a business you need to have an understanding of that sector and have the ability to consider all media and how they complement and connect with each other. Stay classy!

I think this is the reason that a lot of design agencies are diversifying and are now jumping on the digital band wagon in order to offer a complete marketing solution. This all makes sense in theory as there would be no point in employing one group to handle print and television and another that specializes in digital to handle the online stuff. However it would be a mistake to choose an agency that didn’t have the experience required in the fast moving world of the web, to really give the solution that was needed. There is the danger that the website would be seen as just another touch point and the scope of the project would be completely underestimated.

The best web designs are always simple for the user but incredibly sophisticated underneath. This takes planning, knowledge and experience of the medium. Firstly work out what it is you want to achieve, do your market research and then choose a design company that can offer you a website design tailored to the needs of your business. And don’t forget the bigger picture, you will gain a more pervasive and ongoing communication if you embrace all the marketing tools at your disposal.

Toni

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