Inspirations

OK, OK, I can’t resist it any longer!

For those of you that don’t know, I recently became a happily engaged lady. Nick and I were in New York for Christmas and he popped the question at sunset on Brooklyn Bridge. Utterly romantic, I know. And I said yes.

Since then (as I’m sure most newly engaged ladies experience) I’ve become obsessed with The Wedding and despite it being a good 17 months away, I’ve pretty much planned everything from the style of the invitations to the pins going in the bridesmaids’ hair.

Today I wanted to share something rather beautiful with you that really got me thinking.

By pure coincidence my friend Melanie is getting married in New York this August and I duly received her invitation through the post last week. I was truly taken-aback at how much love, passion and devotion she’d poured into creating her bespoke invitation and I felt completely inspired to a) share it with you all and b) think of ways that we as a business could pass that kind of emotional experience on to other people.

It really made me question why that much love and attention can’t be put into something we give our customers.

Lots of ideas! Where do I start?…

Tagged as , ideas in Inspirations, Powerful Branding

I visited friends in Cardiff last weekend and we made a visit to their local teahouse - Waterloo Gardens Teahouse. It was such a great experience I thought I would share with you.

Formally a local butcher that had to close its doors, the new owners of WGT thought they would open a teahouse to become the new hub of the community.

From looking at their branding, shop front and through the windows I knew it was going to be good before I had even walked in.

The ambience, decor and little details were all consistent so as an overall experience it rivalled any high street chain. It would have been easy to cut a few corners, but the thought and effort that went into everything completely won me over.

They have a great website which reflects the brand & flavor of the teashop, and with a newsletter and Monthly Tea Subscriptions they’ve really thought about how to develop the brand.  In fact their own brand of tea can be bought as far away as Dubai!

The place was packed and I was just thinking how special it must be for the local residents to have this little independent on their doorsteps.

A cracking little business!

You don’t have to be in retail to give people an unforgettable experience and that can come from how you answer the phone, to how you present your proposals to clients. What little piece of memorable brilliance do you leave your customers wanting to come back for more?

Image source: Waterloo Gardens Teahouse

Tagged as in Inspirations

I’ve always prided myself on producing our own content for our blog. But every now and again something comes along that blows you away and challenges to break those rules you put in place. And these Pantone Tarts are exactly the time.

When I saw these Pantone Tarts on Design Boom I just swooned. Baking, colour and design all in one place? Gorgeous! They were created by Emilie de Griotes for French food mag Fricotes and I knew that many of you would appreciate them. Aren’t they just delicious? You can find the full works in Fricotes Issue 6. Get yourselves over there!

Tagged as , pantone tarts in Inspirations

I love this quote: It’s not who you are that holds you back, it’s who you think you’re not. It’s by Roy Disney and I love it because it reminds me that often, confidence (or a lack of it) is the thing that stops us achieving what we want from our businesses. Isn’t that interesting? [...]

Tagged as in Inspirations

Since a very young age I’ve always been drawn to the outdoors. Growing up on the south coast of Devon meant I had open fields and long beaches at my fingertips – a privilege that I took for granted at the time. Needless to say, whenever I need an injection of inspiration the first place [...]

Tagged as in Inspirations

In preparation for a new brand identity that we’re creating for a customer over the next couple of weeks, I’ve been doing some research into some beautiful script fonts that make me swoon! I’ve been exploring the big world of typefaces for a stunning accent font to work for brand packaging, potentially the tagline and [...]

Tagged as in Branding, Graphic Design, Inspirations

Here is my first of many watercolour studies that we will be showcasing through the blog. We wanted to explore the effects watercolour can give us creatively, looking at shapes, colours and textures that we can take inspiration from. You’ll notice two very different shades of pomegranates which I deliberately painted to develop a colour [...]

Tagged as in Inspirations

Inspired by Leslie Shewrings’ extensive washi tape collection I ordered an *ahem* small supply for the studio from Superlovely. I was so pleasantly surprised when they arrived earlier than expected and with these gorgeous rosettes as a small present! How lovely is that? I’ve been talking to my Branding Masterclass students about delighting their customers [...]

Tagged as , superlovely, washi tape in Inspirations

Isn’t it interesting how we all find our inspiration in different places? For me, immersing myself in a room full of supportive creative energy and being encouraged to play with colour, photography and styling is completely energising. So when Holly Becker and Leslie Shewring announced their workshops in New York I ummed and aaahed and [...]

Tagged as , blogging your way, BYW, holly becker, leslie shewring in Inspirations

We start a new project this week and it makes me happy. We’re creating a brand identity for a new interiors shop that will be importing the most beautiful pieces: furniture, homewares and gifts from the Middle East. I immediately caught our client’s passion for her business and was excited to be creating something with [...]

Tagged as in Case Studies, Flourish Stuff, From The Studio, Inspirations