National Museum Wales - New event brochures

National Museum Wales - New event brochures, originally uploaded by julian marshall sykes findings.

After a very busy few weeks we have finally got a few new pieces out for the National Museum Wales. During this years Eistedfodd the National Museum will be launching six event brochures for the National Museum Cardiff, National Coal Museum, National Wool Museum, National Slate Museum, National Roman Museum and St Fagans: National History Museum. Along with the recently published 'Meet the Family' leaflet these are the first items that have been produced by us (Hoffi), since we were successful in the tender process to win the Museum's Marketing contract for the next two years.

Time to clean up

The last few weeks have been unbelievably busy at the Hoffi studio. Since moving into our new studio around 7 months ago we have always wanted to change a few things and make it a bit more homely. At the time we were not sure what exactly we wanted to do but as we have used the space more and more it has become more and more apparent what we should do. You may have seen some of the teaser shots on our blog, but if you have not it is now nearly completed so if you fancy coming in to have a nose why not pop in, we might even make you a coffee. As a company we find it really important to keep our space fresh and invigorating. In fact I always remember one of my lecturers in university talking about change, different view points and how these alter your perspectives. The idea being that by changing things, such as the journey you take to work, what you eat or even when you go to sleep all contribute to keeping things fresh and exciting and so through an ongoing 'freshness' regime it can aid creativity and productivity. 

In similar ways we try and use these same techniques to aid our clients to think differently about their company and the directions they are thinking about taking. Later this year Hoffi will be offering new services for our current and new clients to aid them stay competitive and stand out from the crowd, all based on the same principles. Watch out for developments

Cardiff Design Festival 2008

It is only April but the planning for Cardiff Design Festival is already in full swing. Although it takes place in mid October there have been some official and unofficial offers of support and sponsorship alreaady. We were speaking to Olwen Moseley Director of the Festival the other day and some of the events sound very exciting. Most of them are top secret at the moment but confirmed events are going to be from NakedWales, WonderCulture and of course some by Design Wales and the Festival itself.

Check out the cardiff design festival website (www.cardiffdesignfestival.org) to keep up to date with the latest news and plans for the event. Also look out for the new website which will be launched by us (www.hoffi.com) in the next month of so. We will be trying to get as many people involved in the Festival as possible this year so if you think you may have an event or want to volunteer help in anyway get in touch.

 

Design Futures - Design Wales Event 19th March 2008

We all went to Design Wales' Design Futures evening last night, at the Riverfront Theatre in Newport. This was the second year it has taken place, with last year Wally Olins (Safron) and Martin Raymond (The Future Laboratory) being guest speakers. Last years event was a great event with the guest speakers really giving me a new view and look into certain aspects of design. As well as the speakers there is also the student Ffres awards.

So I was really looking forward to last night, it is the first time we have all been out together for ages, as we have been really busy but it is good to stretch the legs  and get of the office sometimes. The years guest speakers came from very different aspects of the design scene. The first guest speaker was Pete Fowler (of Super Furry Animals CD sleeve fame), I remember years ago going with my father to one of his exhibitions in Cardiff. I think it was near Jacobs antiques in the Centre of town, probably been knocked down now. He basically gave us a whistle stop tour of what he has been getting up to over the last 8-10 years. I find his work really interesting and I love the magical world he has created over the years. The only thing that did put me off was a gentleman behind me who obviously was not as impressed as me due to the large amount of snoring that was coming from him!!

To break up the speakers there were mini videos that had been produced for three companies to highlight the effect design has had on their business, and how design has made them more competitive in their market place. The videos were about Mustang Marine, Melin Tregwynt and DMM. I was really looking forward to the DMM video as I have trusted these guys with my life on many occasions. For those of you who do not know DMM is a manufacturer of Rock and ice climbing hardware. They produce karabiners, 'friends' and rocks to aid you climbing up the rock face. From the age of about 12 I have climbed (although with the business of the company very little at recently) and DMM was the equipment I always wanted to own. It was always so beautiful even back then, DMM and PETZL always had that bit extra about their products something that you coveted. 

The video itself was ok if a bit dated with regards to its editing but I was slightly disappointed in the fact that the feeling of the DMM brand and of what it allows people to do for me personally did not really come across. While I realise it and indeed all of the videos were about the companies and how they have used design to help them become even more competitive, for me the customer/client is the real person who is important in this equation. And in that respect what more brand loyalty could you get than a video about a climber (customer) risking his/her life with their product?

As well as these videos and the guest speakers were this years Ffres awards. The awards have been set up by Design Wales and is about the second or third year they have taken place I think. The competition are for Welsh students or students studying in Wales. The categories being in graphics, textiles, fashion and product, with each brief being set by an industrial leader in the sector. There were some really interesting pieces that were shown in the shortlisted students and I single handedly managed to get the winners wrong every time. For me although competitions are about realisation and practicality if these items are never to be produced then they are also about pushing and exploring? 

The final speaker of the evening was who I had really been waiting for all night. Jonathan Sands, Chairman of elmwood Design Ltd and member of the Design Council. Elmwood are a really different company, a different world. Through their business based approach they have worked with amazing clients and have offices all over the world. The most interesting thing though is that he is from Yorkshire. So I instantly like him even more so when his first offices were in Pudsey. The reason being my mum and dad are both from Farsley and Pudsey respectively. his talk was really interesting and very enlightening. It also made a lot of sense with a number of bits really reaffirming what we have been implementing in our business over the last year or so.

difference is good

A new month and a new look into things. Over the last few months we have been working with alot of new clients, we have been really busy and have hardly stopped. We have also started working in a slightly different way. We feel that we are producing work that is far more sophisticated in it's understanding on current marketing and trend techniques. Over the last month we have been trying to help our clients be ever more bold with their design choices. 

A lot of our work is based along the lines of difference being good and indeed commercial. A recent tour round the leading thinkers in marketing and brand strategy seem to back up these theories. As people the idea of difference has been around for a long time. Ever since the Industrial Revolution made mass production possible companies have made more and more products. If we take a company such as Nike for example, and in particular there trainer ranges. If we look at a trainer fundamentally they all do the same thing so why the hundreds of different models? this though is in complete contrast to say a food product. Where a food company launches a product they are constantly revising their recipe and improving the taste, however what these companies should have been looking at is why don't we produce five or six different variations of the same food item so people can get exactly what they prefer?

This type of mass personalisation works for companies with very strong brand values. As long as the brand is clearly not been subverted or taken away from it's original feel/belief then why can't this be used on other less consumable items? Recently we have been working on a number of projects where we are actively encouraging our clients to choose a number of items (marketing collateral) to sell the same product/event. Just like the Nike scenario, people like different trainers and so in the same way people can also like different marketing collateral. This type of thinking has two advantages over traditional thinking. Firstly people will feel personally understood by the company trying to sell the product/event, secondly the difference will allow for far more dramatic/striking design and so difference will get you noticed above the rest of the crowd.

Self Service

My first proper blog of 2008. It is something I have been looking / noticing for a while now. for those who do not know our (Hoffi's) offices, they are based in Cardiff Bay. We moved there after a year or so working from our bedrooms. This was really due to the benefits of working there, but anyway back to the point.

Last year the  Tesco Express in the bay brought in a number of self-service tills. The store itself is very small, and if you are slightly late at lunch time you will be lucky to get any type of sandwich or wrap. Even if you do get anything then you have to wait an age to get served. So for this very reason the tills were introduced. Now I realise that self-service tills are nothing new, it did however start me thinking. Predominantly about if people are wanting to do more of the leg work themselves?

If we carry on with the idea of the shop. Historically it was the corner shop, items were placed behind a counter and a customer would go in, tell the shopkeeper what they wanted and the shopkeeper would get it ready for you. You would then pay for the goods or it would go on a slate. As shops became busier and stocked more items there was a change and the advent of the supermarket now brought aisles and the customer was now given a basket or trolley where they had to now search out the products they wanted. Once they had found what they wanted they would go to the check out, place the items on a conveyor belt and then they would be scanned by a cashier. As they beeped through the items you would frantically try and place them into plastic bags as the items slewed down the chromed ramp. 

Now with the self service till we are now doing the job lot. 'Hunting', scanning, packing and paying. What is really interesting about this is there is another side to the modern way. And that is internet shopping. It is now possible to go on the internet, order what you want and get it delivered to your door. While both of these concepts initially seem different in one way. i.e. physically. In another they are almost identical. Both options can be almost devoid of customer interaction with any member of staff of the supermarket in question.

What it brings to question is there going to be some kind of backlash? As people we are inherently social beings, the local shop gave a chance not only to pick up groceries but gossip about what was happening to June and George down the road. With this in mind and also people now slowly beginning to demand to know about how, where, when the products they are buying got to the supermarket. Convenience is still king which is bore out by new finds published in the Guardian that convenience meal consumption has gone up 300% in the last 10 years. Once again though there is a smaller contradictory change. 60% of people now claim they prepare at least one meal everyday from scratch, this is a 25% increase over the last four years. The report comes from several government agencies for the Cabinet Office, with the report commenting "Food is now a key part of our leisure time". 

Could it be that shop while you socially network be a possible future? Tesco turns it's web portal into more than just an online shop but also accommodates a place to chat while you shop just as you would before? Perhaps another strand could be the idea of the local markets either run in the flesh or virtually, bringing people together who want to discuss produce and origins of products. 

Retail on the internet

Now that retail on the internet is becoming commonplace with millions of pounds worth of goods being sold via secure e-com sites people are now becoming more and more assured and used to this type of retail, brands now seem to be looking at themselves and seeing if they can in anyway have a public facing through this inexpensive way of creating a retail space, if we look at companies such as the Guardian newspaper who have obviously had a public face through their newspaper sales however their new venture 'ecostore', they have set up this ecom site for eco goods,which seems to do two things for the company, firstly revenue from sales, it also comments on the guardian newspaper and gives the customer a window into their companies ethos and beliefs.

This is interesting as it is different to the approach taken recently by innocent, they have always had a big emphasis on ethical and health and in the same vein no added colours or preservatives, recently they launched their 'this water' range which was a range of drinks that were effectively flavoured waters. now this was initially launched in conjunction within the 'innocent' brand, although it seems that the ethos of 'nothing added' was a very strong issue for it's customers and as such there was a backlash on their new venture, this lead 'innocent' to move their 'this water' brand away from 'innocent' and setup a different website and take nearly every reference to 'innocent' away on 'this water' packaging. With the ease of the internet and setting up websites ecom seems to be something that may indeed grow and grow, you only have to look at how ebay has altered the second hand market, companies seem to be making the step but slowly.

Ffiz a Biz

The 10th Ffiz a Biz network evening sponsored by Sglein, trosol Welsh Assembly Government and the Welsh Language Board,took place at Brazz located in the Wales Millennium Centre. The evening is really all about networking with the goal of promoting the Welsh Language with the business sector. It was my third time at the evening and met some familiar faces and also a few new ones, it is always good to get out and about and meet people from different types of business just to get a feel for what is going on in the Cardiff area.