DUO:Design and Marketing

Today was great day!

Isn't it great when you get to the end of a busy week and you receive some positive feedback from unexpected directions.

This was an email forwarded to us by Nick Hamilton who runs Barnsdale Gardens -  we have recently reinvigorated his brand with a new identity, website and other communications (see www.barnsdalegardens.co.uk) 

"I have been using your redesign as an example of great marketing during a recession in presentations I have been making for Nottinghamshire County Council and Business Links.
 
Well done!
 
Regards,
 
Jane Reynolds"

This is testimony to our client's bravery in very difficult market conditions.

Also another client contacted us today out of the blue (Anglian Water - for whom we have developed an internal brand called Asset Plus - see anglianwater ) and said "In November we were judged as one, if not the leading, asset management company by Ofwat according to their scoring system, it is too early to say if we have retained the position, but Asset Plus was a key enabler.  This business is really getting behind what we started and there is a great organisational pull rather than us pushing.

This in my mind is exactly what good design and communications is about - being a 'key enabler'. Love this and love design - even after a long week.

Paul Middlebrook

Go on – take a break!

Last week we hot-footed it over the channel for a last minute family holiday in the Loire valley. It was great. Like so many people, we’ve had the big ‘CC’ cloud over us for much of this year and we’d settle for some time out in England. But, with kids out of school, a natural break in client projects and the sun shining, out came the laptop and in a few hours we’d bagged a bargain and were off. The jewel that we found was in a tiny village called La Celle-Guenand. Surrounded by mile upon mile of green and yellow – forests and corn and sunflower fields – we were treated to blue-sky tranquility. Time to downshift a gear. Time to think. Time to listen (why did God make birds so noisy?)! Time to BE rather than DO. Time to NOTICE rather than WALK BY. And guess what? We’ve come back to DUO with energy and some ...a busy week, packed with meetings and things to do but we’re raring to go. So, that’s official then – holidays are definitely good for you and worth fighting to hang on to even when the going gets tough.

Viv Middlebrook