Welcome to Direct Design
Summer school
It must be Summer! It's Wimbledon, it's raining off and on, the schools have finished their exams and the students are doing work experience before they go off on holiday.
Our eager young man, Ross Hardy has been with us for the last few days. He was keen to demonstrate his Flash skills, so he has produced this month's banner. Pretty flash it is too for a 16 year old. We can all learn a lot from having students working with us. We have to think quite clearly about how we describe what we do, how we think, how we work... but that is also how we work with our clients. Thank you Ross.
Direct Design is a design for communications consultancy. That means we create, develop and design communications ideas to improve business performance. We design to communicate both online and in print, and enjoy working with a broad range of clients across different market sectors. We have found that this breadth of experience is beneficial to all.
Making a difference in the long run
One of our marketing strategy partners, Achieving the Difference, recently asked us to look at their web site. We do a great deal of work with these guys and we know them very well. So we needed to take a big step back, rationalise their ideas and focus on delivering a site that reflected their talents ... and that they could update when they wanted to. This is because they need to communicate with their potential clients over an extended period and help them to understand the role that Achieving the Difference play in marketing strategy, creating ideas and delivering results.
"We are delighted with our new site and the flexibility it gives us to stay fresh, offer more and play an important part in building early customer interest and relationship. Of course, we’ll be monitoring traffic, navigation and enquiries so we can fine tune what visitors want. But for now, we’re happy to launch a site that truly reflects who we are and how we can help." Read more...
benefits
Good design can achieve a lot. It can build a brand, engage an audience, inform your thinking, and even change your mind...
online
The Internet is fast becoming the first port of call for information and entertainment at work and at home...
news
Ed Walker has been working with us since October of last year and, in his spare time, has been busy...
The Through The Surface project featured textile artists based in the UK and Japan. The exhibition opened at multiple galleries in the UK before travelling to Kyoto.
design — It’s what we do, it's what we really enjoy doing. We design to communicate through print, online, publishing, exhibitions, events, packaging and other media that will work effectively for the target audience.
Our design ideas use images and words, typography and code to clarify and communicate what people want to achieve for themselves and their businesses. What we produce represents our clients to the world so we’re keen that we develop it successfully together. The most important thing to do is listen. To listen to what the client is ultimately trying to achieve and agreeing what a successful outcome would be. Sometimes we can find an answer quite quickly … and sometimes we have to work harder together to develop ideas that achieve more.
"The collaborative involvement of Direct Design from the earliest stages of ‘Through the Surface’ has been of enormous importance in determining the strategic approach to realising the project. Their role in creating a consistent identity throughout the project provided necessary clarity of understanding about the aims and outcomes.”
Lesley Millar – Professor, University College for the Creative Arts
The Flipit chair is just brilliant. A unique compact seating solution for the 21st century. www.justflipit.net
benefits — Good design can achieve a lot. It can build a brand, engage an audience, inform your thinking, and even change your mind. Just think about all the wonderful, practical things we use everyday and how our understanding is enhanced through better design. And then there are all those beautiful, even curious things that have emotional rather than practical attraction. All are designed to engage us. We base our choices on the success or failure of that engagement.
We know that if our ideas a re successful, then our clients will benefit. In this way design becomes an investment, not a cost.
"Just sometimes you come across a design company that listens carefully and then works out exactly what you need in a delightful form that all your clients like and comment on. A perfect logo, letterhead, business card and sales documents were designed for us. They are all fresh and uncliched with sophistication and humour."
Adam Ritchie – Flipit, the unique folding seat
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Four miles an hour is about slowing down and looking around. No-one can operate all the time at full speed. Take a short walk at www.4mph.com
online — The Internet is fast becoming the first port of call for information and entertainment at work and at home. For most people it is now easier to go online to find out what they want to know than any other source. How the sites work, how we use them, whether we go back and whether we ultimately select or buy is becoming more and more critical for every business. And what we say and how we say it is now vital to how people actually find our sites, as search engines look for word clues rather than images.
The best thing is that the web has also revitalised our design and communications world. More people are now aware that they need to communicate to compete but also that they can now compete in a much, much larger market place, and that means developing and delivering a better web presence with a unique identity. Our expectations of the web are also rapidly changing and we now ask “why can’t we do it?” rather than just wishing that it could.
Direct Design in the 50s
birthday— In November 2007, Direct Design celebrated 50 years in business. No, that’s not a typo (but please let us know if you do spot any), the business started out in Stratford Place opposite Bond Street tube in London back in 1957. Direct Design and Packaging Limited was started by John Diebel and Dick Chapman and has over the years spawned many successful careers and happy relationships, both personal and professional.
The design world was a different place then. There were very few design companies, ‘agencies’ were for advertising and graphic designers were ‘commercial artists’. The idea that a designer might be a ‘consultant’ was not even considered. John and Dick worked with some significant brands though and achieved some notable successes, such as the first foil pack for Stork margarine, which had up to that time always used a less than appealing grease-proof paper wrapping.
The RCA's good-looking neighbour: The Royal Albert Hall
news — Ed Walker has been working with us since October of last year and, in his spare time, has been busy preparing his portfolio for application to the Royal College of Art. Well, the other day Ed found out that he has been offered a place for next year on the Communication Art & Design MA - so the whole Direct Design team dropped their tools and popped down the road for a lunchtime meal to celebrate. His course won't be starting until the Autumn though, so he'll be around for a while yet... Congratulations Ed!
We’ve recently published the Cloth and Culture Now book to accompany the exhibition that opens at The Sainsbury Centre in Norwich at the end of January. The book has been the best part of two years in the making and features 35 contemporary textile artists from 6 countries. To find out more go to www.clothandculturenow.com
Direct Design have been selected by Trend Micro to create and produce a series of internet based marketing campaigns to their reseller partners across Europe. Trend Micro is the third largest web threat security company in Europe behind Symantec and McAfee but the leading player in the Far East and Asia.
As part of QS Consortium, Direct Design is now working for the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) to expand and improve the brand communications for this newly formed organisation. The NPIA supports the police service by providing expertise in areas as diverse as information and communications technology, support to information and intelligence sharing, core police processes, managing change and recruiting, developing and deploying people.