elevator

Good Morning Elevator

elevatordesign — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 11:28:28 +0000

Katie and Dave are working together to spruce up our kitchen. Dave, with his steady hand, is applying one of Katie’s bespoke illustrations to the wall to make brewing a cup of tea more interesting. Here’s a sneaky peek!

Nostalgia trip

elevatordesign — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 10:43:18 +0000

I walked past a charity shop in Canton and the window display was full of old 12” albums. Most of the
sleeves reminded me of teenage years when buying an album was a special occasion and you’d read the
sleeve inside and out on the bus back from town. It was a physical, visual and intellectual engagement with
the product before you even put it on the turntable! CD cases kept some of the experience alive, but they’re
all but obsolete now.

I wonder if we’ve lost something valuable for the convenience and immediacy of mp3?

The rise and fall of the Dolly the sheep

elevatordesign — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 10:38:35 +0000

When Puffin Produce sponsored the making of a 10 foot high cauliflower sheep, the highlight of Bridgend Feastival, I don’t think anyone could have guessed what would happen next. After weeks of planning and two days putting it together poor Dolly spectacularly collapsed, to the shock of the artist and the show’s visitors! Watch the making (and breaking) of Dolly above.

Giving Veg the Edge

elevatordesign — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 14:22:39 +0000

Fenmarc, one of the UK’s biggest growers of fresh produce, commissioned us to create a campaign to launch “The Very Very Veg Co” in exhibitions and trade press. As they’re all about vegetables, we designed a series of images featuring a word made out of the veg and the paraphernalia of cooking – as if they were the result of a happy accident in the kitchen. The process resulted in two days of photography and a lot of left over vegetables. Check out our day of filming!

Printing has moved on

elevatordesign — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 14:06:44 +0000

Ever heard of 3D printing? Shapeways.com is a site that allows you to design your own unique object, submit your design and then they’ll send you your design, transformed into three dimensional object. The printing process involves gradually building up layers of material to create 3D shapes.

Now I’d heard of 3D printing, but I thought it was still in the realms of Tomorrow’s World experimentation for Japanese technology companies. I didn’t realise it was now so accessible for your average person to have a go at.

This could be an interesting movement away from mass production and towards more unique, imaginative items from a medium that seems only limited by its users imagination.

Have a look at some of the weird and wonderful objects in their gallery – http://www.shapeways.com/gallery

A source of inspiration

elevatordesign — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 16:47:51 +0000

The Art of looking sideways is truly inspirational read that’s doing the rounds in the studio at the moment. It’s a concoction of anecdotes, quotes, images and bizarre facts that make for a great visual design resource. It is an inspiring collection that can be opened at any page for new ideas or direction. In the words of Alan Fletcher, “It’s a cross between a collage and a box of goodies.”

The Cricketers: New Brand

elevatordesign — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 14:03:31 +0000

“Personally, I have always looked upon cricket as organized loafing” (William Temple).

The Cricketers in Cathedral Road is an ideal location for a spot of loafing – great food and fine local beer, within cheering distance of Sophia Gardens. Evan Evans Brewery took over an under performing pub in the heart of Cardiff’s professional quarter, and gave it a complete make over. With only days to go before they launched, they needed to bring in an agency with a strong track record to design an identity that complemented the restrained stylishness and elegance of their new pub…

Communicating in uncertain times

elevatordesign — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 11:27:45 +0000

As we teeter on the edge of a double-dip recession, businesses are thinking about cutting costs and battening down the hatches once again.

However, this time around no-one knows for sure what’s going to happen – we might even get low level growth for the next 12 months. That’s why investment in your brand right now is likely to give you more cut-through than usual as customers flock to the brands that are making themselves heard.

The trick is to squeeze every last bit of value out of the money you spend on communications. It’s time to examine your messages to make sure they resonate with the current mood, and look at your channels to ensure you are using the most cost-effective and meaningful touchpoints.

Digital technologies offer great precision: an email campaign could give you better results than a scattergun mail campaign, or maybe social networks are the way to reach customers with values and aspirations that match your brand. The brochure you were planning might be more effective as web microsite, or even just a download from the corporate web site. But digital is not the only answer. Sometimes the tactile and visual properties of a piece of print are valued by the customer, or maybe it’s all about the their experience at the point of purchase.

Whatever channel you choose, the effectiveness of the communication will be determined by the creative quality and design excellence of the piece. This is the part of the process that builds value and can make your messages hit the target and remain in the memory.

At elevator we firmly believe in the power of branding to bolster revenue. Creativity and design are the vital ingredients that make this happen.