It's been a while! It's just, you know, winter and all that, I go into hibernation, hence, no blogs! Anyway, happy belated new year to you all, hope you are well! My first blog of the new year is to review my most favourite apps of 2011.

My list includes things that; keep you amused for half an hour - to things that I use on a day to day basis.

So, here goes, in no particular order…

Instagram

A nice little camera app that allows you to take photos and add different effects to your images. You also create an instagram account (justinmyfocus, in case you were wondering) with which, you share your photos with the rest of the world. It creates a news feed of other instagram feeds that you follow and other users can share and like your photos.

There is also the option to upload your photos to Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Flickr and many more, which is handy if you want to show your photos off to a wider audience.

The app is free to download and is only available on iPhone.

Whatsapp

A third party messaging platform where users of iPhone, Blackberry and Android can all send each other messages over data - at no cost. You can also send your contacts pictures, videos, voice notes, contacts and even share your current location.

Great app that helps me to keep in touch with friends in America on Blackberry's without the added dent in my bank balance.

The app costs 59p to download on iPhone, free on Blackberry, free on Android for the first year and $1.99 USD/year after that.

Sky+ Remote Record

Such a great app; an up to date TV guide that shows you everything on every Sky channel for the next 7 days, the ability to search for programmes and a showcase section. Once you have browsed for these, you can then schedule your Sky+ box to record the programme and if it's a series, you can even series link it.

You can do all this, from your phone and it is automatically sent to your Sky+ box, how can this not be cool?! I once set Match of the Day to record whilst I was in Brugge!

The app is free on both iPhone and Android. I don't think it's available on Blackberry but I am not 100% sure on that.

You also need a Sky iD to be able to use this service.

Artpad

A great little app where you can create your own images using endless amounts of colours, shapes, backgrounds, text and much more. You can then upload your created pictures to both Facebook and Twitter.

The app definitely keeps you entertained during those boring times and is well worth it's value at only 59p!

This app is only available on iPhone.

Stick Cricket

Lovers of the web game stick cricket will spend endless hours playing this game, just as I did! Using your expertly timed button pressing, you slog the balls out for fours and sixes (if you're good enough) and have a certain amount of overs to beat the score that the bowling team have set.

There are options of all star slog, world domination, two player and more.

The app is free to download but to add the extra games to it, it costs £1.99 but it is definitely good value for money.

It is available on iPhone and Android.

Sky Go

Again, Sky have made another cracker of an app here. This app allows you to watch your movies and sports channels on your iPhone, iTouch and iPad. As long as you have Sky Movies and Sky Sports in your Sky package, you can watch live television over 3G and Wi-Fi.

The app is free to download and is available on iPhone and Android.

You also need a Sky iD to be able to use this service.

The Cube

The app from the popular TV game show on ITV1. You get to take on the cube and carry out the same activities that contestants on the show tackle.

Obviously, it's not as good as doing it in real life for real money! But it's a great app nonetheless.

The app costs £1.79 for iPhone and $2.32 USD for Android.

There you have it, some of my favourite apps for 2011!

Hopefully it inspires some of you to explore the apps mentioned above! All the best for the coming year.

By Justin O'Connell

The topic was something 'very inspiring', something that needs to be shouted about!

What is exciting in the world Baseline?

Derby Hub…!

...and more imminently the Inspiring Derby event which is due to take place shortly, at this point I will hand over to Julian Hall:

a derby business group aims to unite the business community and boost employment in the city

Derby Hub, a non-profit making business network in Derby, is hosting a launch event with the help of Kavita Oberoi Derby’s own Secret Millionaire.

Craig Barker of Baseline Creative is part of the membership committee “The vision for Derby Hub has always been one of collaboration amongst Derby businesses and nurturing the business talent we have in this great city.”

Derby Hub is a member run, non-profit business network where members meet regularly to assist each other with improving their businesses. “The difference with this group,” says Julian Hall of Beating Anger “is that it is focussed entirely on the membership and not one someone seeking to make a profit from the members.

The vision for Derby Hub grew out of concern for the demise of Business Link as a force for local business advice.  While it remains an online support function there is a gap left in Derby for business advice and education from fellow professionals.  With Derby Hub, as membership grows and the member businesses grow, more and more employment will be generated at a time when job losses are at the top of the headlines.

Derby Hub has been in the planning stage for a few months and is launching in style with guest speaker Kavita Oberoi. Yvonne Gorman of Essential Print Services said of Kavita “not only is she an inspirational figure in Derby’s business community but she is generous with her time to causes that she thinks will benefit local businesses. We feel very privileged to have her addressing our group.”

If you want to hear Kavita speak about how she has overcome adversity and meet other like minded professional business people to network with you must book. Tickets are £20 for non members (£10 for members) and demand is high with limited numbers.

Karen Sheldon of Sheldon Financial Services says “ if you are serious about growing your business, and you want to help other businesses grow then Derby Hub is where you need to be.”

Derby Hub’s launch event is 10th November at Chartwell Group, Pride Park. It starts at 5.30pm prompt and will end at 7.00pm. Ticket price includes wine, soft drinks and light snacks.

press notes

Available for comment and/or Interview are:

Craig Barker
Baseline Creative
Unit J
William's Yard
Melbourne
DE73 8JJ
01332 419803
07834 191830

Yvonne Gorman
Essential Print Services
Unit 1
Melbourne Business Court
Pride Park
Derby
DE24 8LZ
01332 418377
07809361708

Julian Hall
Beating Anger Derby
Croft House
51 Ashbourne Road
Derby
DE22 3FS
0345 505 2450
07850 614042

By Craig Barker

Over the last few months, we have been working with a new organisation called Derby Hub.

derby hub intro

Derby Hub is a 'not for profit' membership organisation, set up to help the Derbyshire business community flourish.

Derby Hub's core mission is to create a culture of giving and collaboration between Derbyshire businesses.

With the government reducing support and funding for businesses, Derby Hub is about encouraging businesses to'share business excellence', for the greater good of the Derbyshire business community.

The target market of Derby Hub is two fold:

• Established business owners; that want to meet with likeminded businesses; share best practice knowledge and support other organisations with their experience
• Fledgling businesses; that are wanting to meet more established businesses, get support and advice

The collaboration of both new and experienced businesses, will help all to grow their network, promote their business and ultimately become more successful.

It was great to work with the Derby Hub committee as they were very receptive of our ideas. As a result of having a client with this kind of mentality, we have been able to get them a lot of exposure and interest in a very short space of time.

scope

We were asked to undertake the following work to help with the promotion of Derby Hub:

• Branding
• Design of a synopsis
• Design of an event flyer template
• Website design and development
• Email marketing design and implementation
• Social media branding / integration

our approach

The Derby Hub brand needed to be fresh, vibrant and inspiring. It had to encompass the core principles of Derby Hub which include sharing, collaborating and uniting.

Derby Hub is very much about the people involved, so we wanted images of the members and their guests, to feature heavily throughout all promotional material.

We created the website to be unusual, easy to use and engaging, for both the users and the administrative team at Derby Hub. The core purpose of this website is to inform people about Derby Hub and encourage people to get involved.

project feedback

Derby Hub are delighted with the work completed by Baseline and the results that are already being achieved. We are proud to be part of an organisation; which has such a fantastic buzz and presence surrounding it.

Derby Hub is going from strength to strength all the time, the monthly and weekly events have a real buzz surrounding them and membership is growing all of the time.

View the Derby Hub website and why not get along to one of the Derby Hub events.

By Justin O'Connell

As always the move is never quite as easy as you think, but it has been worth it. The main reason for this move was quality of life, we wanted to reduce journey time and travel expenditure. From that point of view this move has been a complete success, all staff have saved money on fuel, reduced journey time and have more time available for either work or play. Plus we have reduced our carbon footprint.

We were very happy at Friar Gate Studios and I strongly recommend it for any small creative company. It is very well set up there and they do make life very easy for you.

Moving into this new office feels like we are moving to the next stage of our business development. We have been in business now for almost eight an a half years, the first few years were easy in comparison to the global recession that we have just been through.

The recession taught us many lessons but it forced us to look for improvements in every area of the business from 'time management' to 'wasted effort', ultimately streamlining the service for all of our clients and making the business more efficient overall.

Personally, the new move saves me £200 per month in fuel, gives me an extra hour every day for work, allows me to workout again several days per week, and allows me to spend more time with my family.

Result!

The cost of the studio is similar to that which we were paying at Friar Gate Studios, but we are getting a lot more for our money and we have managed to reduce costs in so many other ways.

One bonus that I did not envisage is that this move has introduced us into a new network of businesses and we have already won quite bit of new work, just by being here.

If the last couple of years have taught me anything, it is that business efficiencies start on a very personal level with the business owner. There are so many ways that you can make a business work better or harder.

This constant effort ultimately gives us a much better offering to our clients.

If you are in business and reading this article, there are several reasons to undertake this continuous business and self improvement exercise, but the most important one for me is; quality of life.

I did not go into business to run myself ragged or work myself into an early grave.

I went into business because I loved being creative and thought I would be good at running a creative company.

After eight and a half years and a lot of learning; I am good at running a creative company.

By Craig Barker

• NEVER put anything on your social media that will degrade you or you business
• NEVER directly sell to your customers through social media
• NEVER use social media whilst under the influence!
• Avoid broken record syndrome; don't keep going on about the same thing!
• NEVER have automated greetings; it's basically spam

There is no business like good business so don't force your customers to go elsewhere.

Now I am definitely not saying completely abandon traditional methods of advertising etc but why not help broaden your advertising streams by promoting yourself and your business on the Internet?

From as little as 10 minutes a day, taking the time out to update your companies Facebook, tweeting about your fantastic success with client 'A' or writing a fantastic blog and sharing it with the world, can have a fantastic impact on your business.

People often think that there is no way they can keep on top of all these social media platforms, but the answer is you can. You can integrate them together so that when you update one, it'll update the rest for you. One update can cover all platforms!

There no longer has to be this barrier between you and your customer. There is a new paradigm, embrace it and share your success stories with the world.

Speaking of social media, I am on Twitter, @justin_oconnell (disclaimer, may talk cr*p a lot of the time) and so are Baseline, @baselinedesign (we don't talk cr*p and we can help with your social media!).

By Justin O'Connell

We have secured a new studio in the fantastic William's Yard in Melbourne.

The main reason for this move is quality of life, I live in Melbourne and it will mean I can walk to work, but also, it halves the journey time to work for other staff. The new lease begins officially in October, but Richard Blunt, the developer, has allowed us to move in early, so our first working day will be 2nd September.

We are in the process of moving some of our office furniture and equipment into the new studio, so that we don't have one big upheaval. 

This new space is fantastic and will give us lots more scope for expansion, we are really looking forward to the next chapter for Baseline. We are looking forward to a studio warming party once we have settled in.

Farewell to all at Friar Gate Studios, you will be missed, but we will be back regularly, as FGS is a fantastic base for any meetings we need to have in the city centre.

By Craig Barker

• Help businesses save money on overheads. For example, rather than opening a new shop in a different city, they can open up a fully functional e-commerce website which will save them all the costs of building a new office and most importantly, help them reach a wider target audience.
• Allow the company sell products locally, nationally and globally.
• Offer consumers the chance to reserve items on the internet and then pick up in store.
• Allow customers to view products in store without leaving their home.
• Influence faster buying and selling of products.
• Have no closing hours; 24/7 shopping for consumers.

So, if you build it, they will come, right? Wrong.

Many people fall in to the trap that, just because they have a great e-commerce website, thousands of people will visit the site and revenue will go up and up - this is not the case.

It is all well and good having a fantastic looking website, that has thousands of products on it and fantastic features but if people don't know it's there, how will they use it?

For example, you could own a confectionery shop in a big city that sells THE best sweets, chocolates etc; no-one else sells anything that is anywhere near being as good as your sweets, but, your shop isn't bang in the middle of the city centre, it is down a side street which hardly anyone goes down - you've got to let them know you're there and make them take that detour down to that side street, because you sell THE best confectionery in the city - it is exactly the same with an e-commerce website; you've got to drive the traffic to your site.

Using effective search engine optimisation, good marketing and great advertising will help drive the traffic to your brand spanking new e-commerce website, after that, it is up to you to keep them there and ultimately, buy from your online store.

Obviously, we at Baseline do some cracking e-commerce sites. Want to get yourself 'hooked up' with a great e-commerce website? Get in touch with us!

By Justin O'Connell

We are the kind of business like likes to help out our contacts and customers whenever we can.

The reason for this short blog entry is to help one of our contacts. TCO are a quality provider of; new, used and bespoke furniture. TCO come very highly recommended if you need office furniture and I happen to know that they have a decent amount of stock that they need to clear in order to accommodate new stock.

If you are looking for new or used furniture, then TCO are certainly worth a call.

Click to view the TCO website

Happy shopping!

By Craig Barker

So many (otherwise) good businesses have been crushed by cash-flow in the last couple of years.

Great news for our clients! From now on we will be able to accept credit and debit card payments!

This means that we will be able to take deposits for work quicker and get projects started quicker, it also means that we will be able to give clients the option to pay for the project over a period of time, on their own terms.

We have an excellent relationship with our Bank Manager at Natwest (Emma Thrall). Emma has helped us to set up this Streamline facility (amongst other things). Emma has been an asset to Baseline, if you are unhappy with your bank, ask and we will introduce you.

We are are constantly looking for new ways to improve our business and our customer experience.

To find out more about our creative services or our payment terms / facilities, get in touch.

By Craig Barker

It makes sense for the government to help support small businesses and lay the foundations for them to become the large businesses of the future.

Many people are unaware that there is actually funding and support available for small businesses (Although it is reducing). The problem is; there may be funding available for various purposes, but it is not very well publicised, plus, there are many hoops that you have to jump through and sometimes seemingly impossible criteria to meet.

At Baseline we have made it part of our business to be as clued up as we can on any funding pots available (that can be utilised by our clients for various aspects of our service). It is already difficult enough for a person to make a business succeed, so we like to try to lighten the load a little if we can.

At the moment, we have three different funding pots available and we are constantly working to find any other opportunities for our clients.

Examples of the kind of funding amounts available are:

• 60% funding on a project valued at up to £5000 (we have two different pots available with this level of funding)
• £1000 funding on a project with a value of £2000+

There are very strict criteria to see if you are eligible to claim the funding available. Sometimes it seems like they have made the funding available, but then they make it as hard as possible to apply.

The good news is that there are people out there, who have made it their mission to help as many people as possible. They will help to guide you through the process. We can introduce you to them...

If you are interested in working with us and would like to know more about our 'part funded' opportunities, the please get in touch.

We can talk you through the criteria and help you to understand what opportunities (if any) are available for you.

By Craig Barker

Over the last couple of years, I have been really focussed on 'continuous self improvement' and in turn; 'continuous business improvement'.

I would be very complacent if I ever thought that we were perfect. If you look hard enough, you can always find things to improve. I have a massive long list…

Over the last few months we have been working very closely with two business consultants, Neil Harvey and Mark Greenhouse, who run a company called Levantar.

They are helping us to look at the business from the outside in, to make sure that Baseline is as efficient and profitable as possible. We have been looking at the business from every angle, but the area I am focussing on today is 'customer experience'.

Our company offers a variety of creative services with different members of the team having different specialisms, but this article is mainly focussing on the website design and development services that we offer.

We have absolute confidence in our abilities as a website provider, but we decided to look at what could set us apart from our competition.

We did some research and found that many customers (not necessarily ours) felt that there was not enough support, during the website production process. They often found the process painful and were unaware which part of the project they were responsible for and why certain aspects were important. They found the process bewildering.

We decided that we need to make sure our customers are consistently given the information that they need in order to make informed decisions. We decided to produce a series of documents explaining important aspects of the website production process and the choices that they have to make. The documents also explain the benefits of paying a professional to carry out certain tasks rather than adopting a DIY approach.

This is great for us because there are less likely to be any misunderstandings, this is great for the client because they get free professional advice from us whether they use our services or not.

Ultimately the client comes away from the initial meeting with us, equipped to make an informed decision over which company they should work with.

The documents are currently being drafted, but will cover the following website production related topics:

• Website design
• Accessibility
• Website copy (Including SEO)
• Sourcing images
• Content management
• eCommerce
• Analytics and reporting
• Google Adwords
• Social media
• Email marketing
• Link building
• Choosing the right web company

These document will not be DIY guides, they will just give the client the information that they need to make informed decisions.

We want our clients to have a smooth experience with us. We want our clients to chose us because they know 'without a shadow of a doubt', that we are the perfect company for them to partner with. We know this wont always be the case...

Baseline will be 8 years old next month. I can easily pinpoint things during that period that I would have done differently if I went through it again. But when I am planning the next 8 years, I will keep one thing in mind:

"There is no such thing as a failure, if you learn something from it."

For more information about or website design services, please get in touch.

By Craig Barker

After rearranging the furniture a few times, we have finally settled in! We have included pictures with this blog, so check them out!

By Sonal Odedra

In recent weeks, I have been able to sit there, think of a topic instantly and blog about it; as many of my readers who care to follow me will recognise.

But today, I got that feeling of writers block, so I decided to turn it into a positive and blog about it, happy days!

Writers block is defined as: 'The inability to start writing for some period of time. It can take many forms: an inability to come up with any good ideas to start a story, an inability to start writing a new work, or extreme dissatisfaction with all efforts to write.'

Now I know I'm not the only one out there who has this problem from time to time, many of you out there will come across a time when you want to write about something but have no idea what! It happens to even the most successful of writers (well, after time though, they may turn their stories into a multimillion pound series - J K Rowling to mention one).

Even now, sat here writing a blog about writers block is a tough ask, when struggling with writers block, believe me!

The aim of this blog is to give all of you out there tips that I use to help overcome writers block. (These are not guaranteed to help!)

Obviously the hardest part of writers block is actually getting around to writing. I usually make myself a cup of tea, sit down whilst the kettle boils and have a little ponder on what I can write about. Just so you know, procrastination isn't the answer here. You'll only ever end up doing things to delay your actions but you'll never actually never get on with it! Set aside time, ten to fifteen minutes, sit down and relax. Let your mind run free.

Another thing I do is doodle. Doodling can be linked to many things but it is not often clear why we doodle things and what they actually mean. Use them as a positive, you could maybe even write about why we doodle! (giving you ideas now eh!)

Try to move away from other people if you can. It is so much harder to concentrate in a room full of people talking than it is in a room of silence where it is just you and your thoughts.

Overall, the best thing for you to do is to sit down for a few minutes and try to relax. Think about things that you enjoy and make some notes and drawings from those thoughts and then develop them into words on a page.

Having come from a university background where I had to write a dissertation (15,000 words, that kinda thing!), I know how hard this can be. You have to keep yourself focussed, relaxed and above all, never give up. Set yourself a deadline and you are more likely to stick at it.

'Knowledge is power"

By Justin O'Connell

Follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/justin_oconnell

We feel that if the government is going to help the country to recover from the global downturn as quickly as possible, it needs to invest in business. Luckily there are still some support opportunities for some sectors.

Germany has recovered far better from the recession than the UK because they have a strong manufacturing sector.

One of the great things that the government is doing, is helping to strengthen and increase the UK manufacturing industry via the Manufacturing Advisory Service (MAS).

MAS have match funding available to help any company that can be classed as 'a manufacturing company'. This funding is to be used for various business improvement tasks including:

• reducing wasted effort
• increasing productivity
• reducing costs
• increasing sales

…but overall increasing the success and profits of manufacturing companies.

If the government are investing in business in general, then the country will prosper as there will be less unemployment and more disposable income.

It is very difficult to become an approved MAS supplier, in fact we have been informed that they are not currently accepting new suppliers.

We have formed a strong business alliance with a business consultancy; ResQ Management Resources.

ResQ are already an authorised MAS supplier and have 'made' and 'saved' millions of pounds for their clients. Our business alliance with ResQ means that some of our services are able to fall under the criteria for MAS funding, meaning that we can provide some of our consultancy and web design services match funded.

For example, we are currently finalising the details with a manufacturer of granite worktops to produce an e-commerce website with a value of £5400 (plus VAT). This project will be 'match funded' saving the client 50% of this cost.

As a result of working with us, this client will be able to increase sales into their business. Then by working with ResQ, they will be able to increase productivity and reduce waste from the business, this complete process will make and save them a significant amount of money.

This kind of improvement will enable our client to grow their business, this type of growth is exactly what the UK needs.

If you are reading this article and you know a manufacturing organisation that would like to take advantage of this type of opportunity, please pass on our details.

We are uniquely placed to supply these organisations and have a proven track record with other manufacturing based clients.

We will be adding case studies to our website as we complete work for these types of clients, so watch this space. :O)

By Craig Barker

Let's put it out there straight away; when you think smartphone (actually, if you just think smart and technology you usually think Apple!), you think Apple iPhone. Don't read this and even try to suggest you don't think that. Even if you don't like the iPhone, you think that way!

And who could blame you! The iPhone is a remarkable piece of technology and completely set the tone for smartphones of the future. The latest model has it all; FaceTime, a state of the art retina display screen, HD video recording and editing, the ability to multitask, 5 megapixel camera with an LED flash, internet, music, email, wireless printing, voice control, maps and millions of apps (some really good and equally some extremely poor ones) - an astonishing amount of technology that fits in the palm of your hand!

If you'd have told Alexander Graham Bell that phones would have even been wireless in the future, he would've gladly slapped you around the face and called you insane.

Now before you think this is a huge iPhone love-in, think again! Although I am an iPhone user, I am only too aware that there are other smartphones out there that are slowly (but surely) catching up with the capabilities of the iPhone.

According to Stuff Magazine, the top ten smartphones are as follows:

• Apple iPhone 4
• HTC Desire HD
• HTC HD7
• Google Nexus S
• HTC Legend
• Nokia E72
• LG Optimus One P500
• HTC Mozart
• Blackberry Torch 9800
• Nokia N8

As you can see from that list, HTC has four phones within the list, Nokia two and Google, LG and Blackberry one. I could really go overboard with comparisons between each of these phones but time simply does not allow for this! Instead, I have summarised the smartphones from each brand below:

Apple - Stylish, Impressive, Huge applications market, Expensive.
Blackberry - Blackberry messenger, Great for business users, Good value for money.
Google - Fast, Big screen, Speedy updates, Expensive.
HTC - Suave, Social media driven, good android market, Expensive.
LG - Up and coming, Innovative, Cheap.
Nokia - Durable, Great for media, Good value for money.

I am not a tech expert and I doubt I ever will be, as always with my blogs, they are based on opinions. I will leave it up to the users to decide which smartphone they feel is best.

For now, Apple is king, but for how long? You decide.

By Justin O'Connell

Don't forget to follow me on Twitter @justin_oconnell

We decided to give you an insight into our processes, and post updates on this project as it evolves.

Our branding process is as follows:

research and planning

For every brand identity that we create, we take time to research:

• Brand message
• Competitors
• Related organisations
• Target market

Once we have a strong idea of the message that we need to convey and the people that we are communicating to, we start on the visual research and experimentation. We call this our Ideas Development stage.

ideas development

Our Ideas Development stage allows us to use the research undertaken, to create style ideas and carry out further visual research and experimentation if required.

The selection of ideas are reviewed internally in the form of a mood board. Here we select the strongest ideas to carry forward into the concept development stage.

concept development

Concept Development is the process where we fabricate the overall brand style from our strongest ideas, conveying the theory behind them in the form of a concept presentation.

In this stage of the process, the client will have the ability to give input, make amendments and make a decision on the brand they wish to take forward as their own.

brand identity creation

In the final stage of the process, we take the chosen identity style and generate any promotional material required. We also produce a set of brand guidelines; a document which informs the client of the exact fonts, colours and rules that have been used in order to formulate the overall brand identity.

our approach

Our approach to this design was to give it a clean and corporate feel to represent the professionalism of the Family Mediation Forum but to also keep it friendly, welcoming and balanced so that it appeals to the target market. 

I have included some images to show the logo development process from three concepts, down to the final chosen logo.

We are currently working on the website for the Family Mediation Forum, it is going to look amazing! So watch this space!

By Sonal Odedra

• Fruit and vegetables taste delicious and there's so much variety to choose from.
• They're a good source of vitamins and minerals, including folate, vitamin C and potassium.
• They're an excellent source of dietary fibre, which helps maintain a healthy gut and prevent constipation and other digestion problems. A diet high in fibre can also reduce your risk of bowel cancer.
• They can help reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke and some cancers.
• Fruit and vegetables contribute to a healthy and balanced diet.

Clearly very good reasons there then! But what actually counts towards your '5 a day'?

Well, the World Health Organisation suggest:

• Fresh fruit and vegetables.
• Frozen fruit and vegetables.
• Tinned or canned fruit and vegetables.
• Dried fruit, such as currants, dates, sultanas and figs.
• Fruit and vegetables cooked in dishes such as soups, stews or pasta dishes.
• Fruit smoothies and 100% unsweetened fruit juice.

Also, potatoes are vegetables but they don't count towards your 5 a day because they are very starchy foods. They do however, play an important role in your diet. They are a good source of energy, fibre, vitamin B and potassium.

All of these can easily be incorporated into your diet very easily and they're all very tasty! Since eating more fruit and vegetables daily, I have felt a lot better. I am sleeping better, feeling more alert and definitely feeling the benefits after exercising.

Go ahead, start your health kick today, you won't regret it!

The NHS have a full list detailing how much of each fruit/veg you should eat, to be able to count as one portion of your five a day here.

By Justin O'Connell

Follow me on Twitter: @justin_oconnell

At a first glance, It is a different set up and layout to your 'beloved' Facebook page, restricting posts or 'tweets' to 140 characters, which is a short message to let the world of Twitter know what you are up to. You can tag fellow Twitter users in your posts by using the '@' symbol followed by the username (which Facebook decided to steal, sorry, 'incorporate' into their design) and it appears in their Twitter feed.

All well and good, but why would this make someone want to use it more than Facebook or as well as Facebook; we all know that Facebook has been 'the king of social media' for a few years! So how has another social media platform managed to grow just as popular?

Colette Martin said in her Forbes blog that the reason that Twitter has become so popular is because 'Twitter is all about messaging. Messages go to your followers, but are easily accessible by everyone. Twitter is a goldmine of information and there is no need to ever send a tweet to leverage the data in Twitter.'

'Small and large businesses alike can benefit from “listening” to what their customers are saying about them on twitter.'

A perfectly good reason to join from a business point of view; your customer base are within touching distance and you can keep up to date with the goings on of their day-to-day activities.

So there are good business reasons to join, why would a person join Twitter?

Personally, I believe that people join Twitter because of the 'celebrity factor' it has about it. There is an overwhelming amount of celebrities who use Twitter and the majority of them are very active with lots of regular tweets. It allows the user to feel properly engaged with the celebrity as they know it is them replying or 'retweeting' their tweets.

According to a recent Nielsen study; 'people in the USA spend 906 million hours a month on social networks' - a phenomenal number, I can only imagine the numbers are around the same in the UK!

And I am not surprised, listening to Radio1 this morning, I think I have heard the words: 'Twitter', 'Tweet' and 'Retweeting' about 20-30 times in nearly two hours!

In conclusion, my personal opinion on the 'deal with Twitter' is that it acts as a knowledge base of information allowing people and businesses to share short messages with one-another and it gives us that social interaction with celebrities which, who wouldn't enjoy! Yes, It's a place where people are less likely to 'follow' their friends and more likely to 'follow' celebrities but hey, isn't that what Facebook is for?

Don't forget to follow us ;o) @baselinedesign, @justin_oconnell, @sonal_odedra.

Keep tweeting!

By Justin O'Connell

Needless to say, the person making the brew will go around the office (if there's not too many employees there of course!) and ask that all important question; tea or coffee?

Now, as I have recently changed my diet due to my marathon training commitments (had to sneak that in there, you know you want to sponsor me ;o) : http://www.justgiving.com/Justin-O-Connell-11) I was interested in how my morning brew affects my diet and productivity whilst at work.

Before the morning is out, I would've already had four cups of tea, with 1 big heap of sugar (I have cut down from two but I still can't seem to ween myself off it!) and a dash of semi-skimmed milk, bare in mind that this is between the hours of 8.30am and around 11.30am! So in the space of three hours, I've had around 16.8 grams of sugar (there are approximately 2.4 grams of sugar per teaspoon) less than 4 calories (PG Tips contain less than 1 calorie per tea bag) and around 25ml of milk; a good source of calcium.

So it seems I'm not really doing much to my body apart from rotting my teeth because of my love for sugar! So I decided to research this further.

According to the 'Tea Association of the United States of America'; 'Tea contains flavonoids, naturally occurring compounds that are believed to have antioxidant properties. Antioxidants work to neutralise free radicals, which scientists believe, over time, damage elements in the body, such as genetic material and lipids, and contribute to chronic disease.'

They also suggest that: 'The antioxidant properties of tea flavonoids may play a role in reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease by decreasing lipid oxidation, reducing the instances of heart attacks and stroke and may beneficially impact blood vessel function, an important indicator of cardiovascular health.'

And finally: 'Lower the risk of certain cancers and support the human immune system.'

Healthiest types of tea: Green, White and Herbal.

Coffee on the other hand, according to 'The articlesbase.com': 'Stimulates bowel production and has an unknown chemical agent that can stimulate adrenaline and cortisone for an added effect.'

Coffee is full of many different benefits, including 'the potential to reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease. When you drink coffee in moderation at around 2 cups per day, you are less likely to develop the onset of Alzheimer's later in life.'

Coffee also 'lowers the risk for gallstones and gallbladder disease in both women and men. Coffee also does have the potential to reduce the risk for Parkinson's disease.'

Healthiest types of coffee: Filtered coffee, Medium roast and Decaffeinated. 

So, thats the health covered, how does it affect how we perform at work?

Well, both of the two contain caffeine which is a stimulant. However, studies have shown that regular coffee consumption will work to increase focus and energy, making it perfect for the work environment. Tea and coffee are also seen as 'social drinks' and can help bring us together. They are also seen as a type of 'peace offering' and people usually reach for the tea after resolving an argument.

Naturally, as with anything, too much caffeine can be bad for the body and likewise with too much sugar. The message here is to drink them both in moderation and let your body do the rest.

By Justin O'Connell

For others, more sensible (and lets face it, realistic!) resolutions would of been suggested; "I will work harder at university", "I will get to work on time" etc.

I suppose my new years resolution comes under the category of one of the most popular; "I will go jogging more". Now, I am not simply following suit, I actually need to get myself fitter as I have the small matter of conquering 26.2 miles on the 17th of April 2011. Yep, that's right, the Virgin London Marathon 2011.

I applied for a place for the 2010 London Marathon but due to unforeseen circumstances, I couldn't compete last year and my place rolled over to this year.

Training for the marathon this year has been a challenge for me. After long days of work during the week, it has become commonplace for me to just get home and relax. I need to snap out of this and concentrate on getting fit for what is an immense opportunity to raise money for charity.

However, I have not completely abandoned my training. I train once a week for football and play a league or cup game, every Sunday morning. I did do a fair bit of training last year but this year I really need to kick on with my new years resolution and work harder on my jogging.

I am running in memory of a close friends' sister, if you're feeling generous please, sponsor me at my Just Giving page: http://www.justgiving.com/Justin-O-Connell-11

By Justin O'Connell

We have an opportunity for for a small (1 person) creative business or freelancer...

We don't actually need quite as much space as we will have (with this studio) in the near future, so we are looking for a talented creative, a freelancer who is looking to take their business to the next level.

Maybe this candidate is already looking at 'hot desking' at Friargate Studios, but would prefer to have their own permanent space.

We are looking to offer affordable (all inclusive) desk space, to a like minded individual.

It would be great if we could help them boost their business by having a premises, but there is also the potential with working for us on any overflow work on a freelance basis.

We will be growing our business over the next few months and it is essential that we have the resources available to deal with the workload.

If you are interested in this desk space or know someone who might be, contact us now.

By Craig Barker

Now, before you read on, I must state that I am not an expert on either operating system and nor do I pretend to be! This blog is just a personal reflection of my thoughts of the two systems.

On my first day at Baseline, I was shown to my new computer which was, a Mac. Now, from being a user of Windows for many years, the first thing I thought was, 'Oh no, I'm not gonna like this' and I'll be honest, my main problem with Mac's basically stemmed through perception, as I was always told they were 'crap' (obviously until I met Craig. THE biggest Apple fan on the planet!).

So it wasn't as if I'd already gave Mac's a try and thought, 'Well this isn't for me'. I basically took peoples' word for it that Mac's were rubbish (I think that mainly had something to do with the fact that the majority of people I had previously worked with were very anti-Mac and very, very pro Windows) and never bothered to try it myself, stubborn eh?

The first few days were a bit of challenge, getting used to the whole functionality of the Mac OS as it is quite different from Windows. Everything is 'not where it should be' as such, or so my Windows ignorance tells me that 'this isn't set out how it should be'.

Two months on, I have grown to like the usability and feel of the system and I really enjoy using it. They're very modern, clean, stylish and are well suited for the design industry. They are however, only exclusive to Apple and with it being their operating system, it is hardly surprising. The Windows system is available on nearly every manufacturer of a laptop in the market and they are relatively cheap, compared to a Mac anyway.

To summarise, I was sceptical about using a Mac but have since grown to really enjoy using it. I have got that used to it, I'm trying the command shortcuts on my Windows laptop (which obviously don't work, however much Microsoft try and replicate what Apple create in their OS). Also, I am considering buying one! (oh Craig will be pleased!)

I think it is safe to say that I have been converted! Time to start saving!

By Justin O'Connell

If you don't know anything about angry birds, please read my previous blog about them here!

Hope you enjoy this as much as I have!

By Sonal Odedra

Click here to download!

Check them out!

By Sonal Odedra

By Craig Barker

So for this blog entry, I have provided instructions for you to have a go and make your very own Origami Christmas Tree!

See attached images for the step by step guide.

We'd love to see your attempts, so please take pictures and email them to us! We may publish the best looking ones on our Facebook page!

Have fun!

By Sonal Odedra

Having found out my degree result in June, it was a lengthy wait before I could don the mortar board, gown and the hood, emblazoned with the colours of Sheffield Hallam University.

On a very cold yet, easily one of the sunniest days of November, I set off from my hometown of Loughborough and endured the fairly short journey up to Sheffield. Travelling with me were my parents, sister, girlfriend and grandparents. Although there were only three of my grandparents present, I still felt my other Grandad was there, looking down on me.

When I got to Sheffield, the cars were parked up for the day and it was off to Sheffield City Hall to pick up my graduation gown and have my professional photographs taken.

Having posed for my photos, there was time for me to meet the rest of my family outside City Hall and have some more photos taken. Before we knew it, it was time for the ceremony.

We had to be in our seats by 2.30pm so after saying goodbye to my grandparents for a few hours, me, my parents, sister and girlfriend entered the Oval Hall inside Sheffield's City Hall. The hall was very nicely decorated and had banners unveiled on the stage with 'Sheffield Hallam University - Learn and Serve' hanging from them.

The ceremony got underway at 3.00pm sharp and we were addressed by a member of the academic community. We were then told to stand as we welcomed the members who were to be seated on stage, including the Vice Chancellor. Once they were seated, we were addressed again by the Vice Chancellor and at around 3.30ish, the confirmation of graduations began.

I had no idea what the time was when it was my turn to walk across the stage, all I know is that I was nervous! As I was stood, at the top of the stairs waiting for my name to be called, my heart was pounding (god knows why, it was only a walk across a stage!). Finally it came, 'Justin O'Connell', the announcer said, and across the stage I went, to a chorus of applause, my Mum crying with happiness (As I bet with her before the ceremony that she would!) and my Dad, being his usual self, shouting 'Get in there!'; queue the embarrassment for me!

As I walked across the stage to shake the Vice Chancellors hand he said to me 'Congratulations, I see you've brought your fan club with you' with a smile, to which I replied, 'Yep, that's my Dad!'. Walking down the stairs of the stage I gave my Dad (and his video camera he wasn't supposed to be using!) a thumbs up and a smile.

After around 300 students had their moment walking across the stage, the ceremony was drawn to a close, a good hour and a half after it began! And it was time to meet my Grandparents outside City Hall and make our way to the reception at the university.

We made the short walk to the university and were greeted with a glass of champagne each and had a few more photos taken. We stayed there for a good hour and then it was time for me to hand back my graduation outfit that I had hired for the day.

Walking out of the university with my parents and grandparents I felt a real sense of achievement, the four years of hard work had finally paid off and now, starting out a new chapter of my life working at Baseline, it was time to put what I had learnt, into practice.

Watch this space!

By Justin O'Connell

The ability to remain positive will increase your motivation and will help you achieve your goals faster, as it is a more productive state of mind and your mind is more acceptable to learning. An optimistic belief in yourself and your capabilities will fuel your success.

Negative energy and talk can often increase your stress levels and limit your success at home or at work. It is also important to understand that being negative may irritate others around you, but the main victim of this depressing energy is YOU. For example, being annoyed at your workload isn't going to affect your workload, but it is affecting your mood and your productivity.

Here are some good tips that will help you lift the negativity from your life.

• Reassess the situation that you are in from an unbiased perspective. Are you being reasonable? Try to shift your attitude by focusing on "happy thoughts".
• Feel gratitude for everything that you have, instead of concentrating your energy on things that you don't have.
• Surround yourself with positive people, this will influence you in a positive way.
• Do things you love. You will find it difficult to be positive if you are constantly doing things you hate.
• Don't let small issues escalate into a downwards spiral of negativity and depression. Inject some positivity into the negative situation as soon as it has happened to immediately shift your energy.
• Keep reinforcing positivity in yourself and the people around you. 

I hope this blog will help you keep the smile on your face for longer! Don't forget to keep looking up even when everyone else is looking down.

By Sonal Odedra

Now I know there will be a few of you sat there scratching your head and wondering what Movember is all about. Well don't you worry, I am on hand to explain it to you!

Taken from the Movember website:

'Movember started in 2003 in Melbourne, Australia, with a few guys talking about the idea of bringing back the moustache as a bit of a joke and to do something for men's health. They never generated any money in 2003 but the guys behind the campaign realised the potential in the idea and were inspired by women all around the world and all they had done for breast cancer.

In 2004 the campaign evolved and focused on raising awareness and funds for the number one cancer affecting men – prostate cancer. 432 people joined the movement that year, raising $55,000 for the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia – representing the single largest donation they had ever received.

It has since grown year on year, expanding to the UK, US, Canada, New Zealand, Ireland, Spain, South Africa, The Netherlands and Finland.

In 2009, global participation climbed to 255,755, with over one million donors raising £26 Million (GBP equivalent) for Movember’s global beneficiary partners.

The funds raised through Movember’s UK campaign benefit the The Prostate Cancer Charity (TPCC), the UK’s leading prostate cancer charity.'

The reason for this blog is to get the word out there about Movember and also to let you know that I am going ahead with it and will be raising money for The Prostate Cancer Charity. If you would like to sponsor me, please Click Here to donate.

Follow us and Facebook and Twitter for regular updates!

By Justin O'Connell

As a result of our continual success and new members being added to the team, we have had to move from our cosy character office at Banks Mill to a larger, smarter (very stylish) office at Friargate Studios (FGS).

Baseline arrived at FGS on the same day as Cactus Images (also of Banks Mill) and Boast Sponsorship.  We decided rather than having our own (relatively small) studio warming gatherings, we should make a bigger thing of the occasion and turn it also into a networking opportunity.

We decided to pool our respective contact lists so that we could have a far superior event. Throughout the whole evening we had more than 90 people come along to wish us all luck and help us to celebrate. We had wine and nibbles supplied by Bean Caffe, the catering for the event was superb and well worth every penny.

It was just a shame that we could not invite everyone we know, also there were some valued contacts which could not make the event for one reason or another. You know who you are and were missed...

Cactus and Derby Evening telegraph were on hand to take some wonderful shots of the event.  The photos 'above' were kindly supplied by Cactus images, they really give you an idea of how much of a success the event was.

Many people commented on how many positive connections were made, some even got new clients out of the event (ourselves included). One person even said that we should make it a regular event!

Thanks to everyone who attended the event and made it the success that it was.

:O)

By Craig Barker

With the end of October approaching this weekend, it's the time to carve out your pumpkins, buy your sweets and dig out your old costumes - you guessed it, its Halloween!

Halloween or Hallowe'en, was traditionally celebrated as the 'summer's end' and certain festivals celebrated it as the transition from the 'lighter half' of the year entering the 'darker half'.

In more modern times however, Halloween is used by people to dress up in costumes, trick-or-treat and some even choose to play pranks! With this in mind, there have been plenty of horror movies throughout the years that have spawned characters which are used as inspiration for costumes.

One of my favourite modern horror movies has to be Saw, the first film was a treat however the sequels have failed to impress. The Saw series of films have been historically geared around a Halloween release and this year is no different, bringing about, what producers say, is the 'final chapter' in the Saw franchise with a 3D film. The films are based around a 'killer' by the name of Jigsaw, who puts his would-be victims in traps, giving them the chance to escape and a second chance on life. Not many escape and there are often huge twists in the film plot, along with a whole lot of gasps, screams and gore!

It created a different twist to horror movies and this is why it is in my list.

Below is a list of my top ten favourite horror movies in reverse order:

10. Halloween
9. Saw
8. REC
7. Night of the Living Dead
6. Dawn of the Dead
5. The Thing
4. Alien
3. The Shining
2. Psycho
1. The Exorcist

If you have not seen any of the films on this list, you're missing out!

By Justin O'Connell

The starting credits of the show are probably the BEST starting credits for any show I have ever seen. It is not just the standard cheesy video clip with an annoying jingle, the credits have been very carefully thought out and is more of a piece of art. Its an amazing introduction to what Dexter is all about, and it is guaranteed to send shivers down my spine (and make me hungry) every single time I watch it!

Check out the video below!

By Sonal Odedra

I'm 22 years old and I am from Loughborough, not far from Derby. I went to Sheffield Hallam University and recently graduated with a BSc (Hons) in Business Information Systems. I have a passion for football and have played since I was 8 years old.

I have always wanted to travel the world and some day I may be able to!

Other things about me:

• Like many people in the world, addicted to Call of Duty (this doesn't necessarily mean I'm good at it)
• I would love to visit New York, Tokyo, Los Angeles, Washington DC, Las Vegas, Dubai, Fiji, Miami and revisit Sydney.
• Will Ferrell is a comedy genius.
• I have seen Sonal decimate a rubiks cube in under 5 minutes.
• Jack Daniels was a great guy.
• I have never seen Fosters on sale in Australia.
• I am quite good at Texas Hold 'Em poker.

Cheers!

By Justin O'Connell

I have definitely been neglecting my blog entries of late, so have been nagged by staff to make sure I do this today. Isn't it great when staff feel passionately about the business and help to keep the business owners on the straight and narrow?

The main feature of this article is Business on Toast...

Business on Toast

We were one of the founder members of Business on Toast back in August 2009, we were fighting off the recession and this was one of the additional networking activities that we took on to push the business forward.

Shortly after joining, Business on Toast became one of our loyal clients and we helped to 'put them on the map', getting them the 'number 1' spot on google for the search phrases that they wanted to be found for (in a very short period of time). 

Just over a year later Business on Toast have celebrated phenomenal success with their 'one year' birthday bash. The event was a black tie affair at Derby's Mickleover Court Hotel. I just loved dressing up like James Bond!

The event was very well organised and really felt like a celebration of businesses coming together to help each other succeed. We had great drink, great food and great conversation.  The evening was topped of by an awards ceremony.

Baseline were given 2 awards one for being a 'founder member' and one for 'outstanding contribution'. We were very proud!

We have worked with Business on Toast since 'day one' and see networking as an integral part of Baseline's business strategy.  We have gone from strength to strength, thanks to being a member of Business on Toast. 

If you fancy coming along to a networking meeting, get in touch and I will take you along as my guest.

By Craig Barker

Photography courtesy of Cactus Images

Procrastination from ism studios on Vimeo.

Baseline took part in the challenge as part of a team with other business colleagues, to raise money for the charity.

Races were held throughout the day, plus there were refreshments and various attractions. A great day for the whole family!

Our team came 4th overall. We were very pleased with the result, this was our first attempt at Dragon Boat Racing. We were told that some of the teams were having professional coaching several weeks before the event.  Not a bad first attempt!

We are well on track for surpassing our £1000 target for fundraising and will keep you posted on this.

You can be sure that we will be entering next September with a view to improving our result!

If you have not yet sponsored us for taking part in this event, then it is not too late, all donations are gratefully received and will go to the NRSB.

Thanks to everyone who has already pledged money and to those who supported us on the day.

:O)

By Craig Barker

Graphic designers who watch this will relate to some of the things that the client says in the clip, none designers who watch this may see things that they have said or done in the past when dealing with their designer.

Hope that you are amused by this clip!

**Please don't watch this clip if you are easily offended or have a dislike of strong language.**

By Craig Barker

Typography is the art of arranging shapes to create a typeface (a style of lettering) or arranging type to create a design. Either way, the aim of typography is firstly, to grab the attention of the reader and then to communicate a message.

Graphic designers see type as an image, an element to be designed with. Something that can make a design take on a different feel or style. A typeface can look bold, striking, traditional, modern, delicate, friendly, harsh and many more.

Typography is an important consideration for many people including; graphic designers, illustrators, graffiti artists, comic book artists, architects, web designers plus many more in the creative world. We all know the importance of using the correct typeface and the impact that this can have on the design piece as a whole.

I love typography because it allows me to break the boundaries of legibility to create a strong striking design. A nice piece of simple, bold typography can often look a lot more powerful than a more complicated design. The negative space around the bold type portrays a strong message to the reader to say "LOOK AT ME… WHAT AM I SAYING?"

Attached to this blog is some typographic experimentation that I have produced, to demonstrate the power of using type as a creative piece. I've had a lot of fun creating these, so I hope you enjoy them!

By Sonal Odedra

I was sceptical, I had heard that it was about applying franchise model principals to a business.  I didn't want to franchise Baseline so I thought that it would probably not be right for me.

Having read the book a few months ago, I can honestly say that with every new chapter it was like a thunderbolt moment where I learnt something new about myself or my business.  I found that the book was more about understanding human behaviour and why we do certain things, It really helped me to understand more about the type of person I am, why I went into business, my weaknesses and what I can do to improve them.

The core principles of the book are about having a clear goal and function for the business, then standardising and streamlining processes. By documenting the processes you can in theory hand the task over to someone else have them do it as well as you.

Before reading the book I thought that the quality of design would depend solely on talent.  I still believe that.

I don't believe that you can completely document the creative process and hand it over to someone unskilled to produce a design of the same quality as the experienced designer.

However there are many tasks within the business that you can document and hand over.

So what did I get from the book?

The E-Myth prompted me to look at my business from the outside, at each individual task and process, then I stripped the task apart and streamlined it to make sure that it was as efficient as possible.  Whilst I could not hand a skilled creative task to a an unskilled person and have them perform it as well as the experienced person, by documenting the stages and activities involved in the creative process for each task, it enabled us to provide a consistent well considered service.

This streamlining also makes the business very lean, profitable and cost effective for our client.

We have cut out all of the waste from our business using principles that we learned from the E-Myth.  We are still as creative as ever, but the business works better over all.

Every time we have a new member of staff, it is very easy for us to teach them 'The Baseline Way' of doing things.

Are we finished?  No.

Now that I have started working 'on the business' more rather than 'in the business' all of the time, I am working to constantly improve our processes and the services we offer to our clients.

This constant improvement process will ensure that our clients get a consistently high service.

I strongly recommend this book as a good starting point for the business improvement process. Any book can only ever take you so far, you have to have the will power and the motivation to make serious change and admit that just because you have been doing something for a long time, that you may not be doing it the best way.

This book did not give me all of the answers but it did prompt me to ask some very important questions of myself and my business.

I can honestly say that I have a new passion for my business, I feel like I am tinkering with a great machine that works well, looking for ways to make it work better.

The E-Myth did not restrict the creativity within the business, it just enabled me to put that creativity into framework that would make it easier to communicate to others.

I think that with any book, you have to read it objectively not as though it were a user manual.

I hope that my experience with this book helps.

By Craig Barker

• Branding
• Poster design
• Leaflet design
• Ticket design
• Website design

The brief was to create a sophisticated identify for the 'black tie' event with an 'Art Deco' style.  This was an unusual project because it was quite simple in it's purpose and it was heavily style led.


our approach


The process for this project was as follows:

• Research into art deco styling and imagery in the form of a mood board
• Creation of various logo ideas based around these visual references
• Development of the ideas with the clients input to form the basis of the brand style
• Application of the brand style to all promotional items
• Sign off / launch

project feedback

The client was very happy with the results and the event was a complete success!

Click on the image above to see larger versions of the images.

• My most enjoyable part of graphic design is typography
• In the weekends I enjoy a few cheeky drinks with my friends
• I have a rubix cube which I can complete within 2 minutes
• My favourite countries whilst travelling were; Laos, Indonesia, New Zealand and Japan
• My PS3 speciality is; Call of Duty
• I have only recently discovered (and am obsessed with) Banoffee Pie
• Nando's is my place of peace

Speak to you soon!

Sonal

We will also be creating the rest of our branded promotional material so watch this space.

We welcome any feedback, we are always looking to continuously improve our business, we promise we will not bite (too hard).

get in touch...

By Craig Barker

our latest recruit...

Over the last two weeks we have been searching furiously for the best young talent, to help us grow our company and add to our growing skill set.

We have settled on a fabulous, talented young lady named Sonal.

Sonal has settled in straight away, is like minded and in her words, "is going to shake things up".

We are all going to 'shake things up' and have started already…

re-brand...

Over the last 2 weeks we have been having various strategy meetings and have decided that now is the right time to 'tweak' our brand so that it is a true reflection of our company, the quality work we produce and the fabulous results we get for our clients.

In recent times a couple of our new clients have said that they did not realise how good we are and that we should showcase our work more. They were right…

I think it is time we started to practice what we preach.

Watch this space…

getting involved…

This weekend I am going to be doing a 'tug of war' which should be fun, never done that before.

In September we are going to be doing a charity Dragon Boat race for The Nottinghamshire Royal Society for the Blind (NRSB).

We do lot of work with and for Charities, we want to do more of that! It's fun!

The NRSB are also abseiling down a building which I quite fancy, then I fancy climbing a few mountains…

Any other ideas?

:O)

By Craig Barker

Intent (Human Artist)

• Don’t read EVERY tweet. It’s perfectly okay. You have permission.
• Follow anyone who follows you (and unfollow spammers/jerks).
• Promote other people 12x to every 1 self-promotional tweet.
• Build lists to watch people who matter to you more closely.
• Retweet the good stuff from others. Sharing is caring.
• A lot of @replies shows a lot of humanity/engagement.
• Robot tweets are less sexy than human tweets.
• Promote the new/less followed more than the “names.”
• Set an egg timer. Twitter is addictive.
• Everyone does it their own way. You’re doing it wrong, too- to someone.

Technical

• A non-standard background and face avatar means we believe you may be human.
• Leave 20 characters or more space in each tweet to improve retweeting.
• Use Seesmic or Tweetdeck or Hootsuite so you can see more.
• Linking one update to several communities is technically possible. It’s just not respectful of each community’s uniqueness.
• Tools like http://bit.ly let you see stats. Use them.
• Make hashtags small and simple. We need room to tweet.
• If software allows you to “post updates to Twitter” as well as to the app, don’t do that. We rarely want to see them.
• If you develop software that pushes updates to Twitter, be VERY explicit how that works.
• Every time you use OAUTH to give apps permission to use your account, you open a potential security hole. Check your permissions monthly.
• The best mobile app is the one that you feel comfortable using. We don’t know better.

Business

• Spamming us repeatedly is okay. We just unfollow you.
• Spend more time in search than in chatting us up about your stuff.
• Finding people who need what you’re selling trumps advertising to us.
• Retweeting someone’s nice words about you is lame and doesn’t buy you more attention. Let it stand.
• If your link is an affiliate link or a client, say so (in parentheses).
• Your customers might not be on Twitter. Use rapleaf to find them.
• Invite your customers to Twitter, then make it worth it for them.
• Use Twitter as a personalized communication tool, not another blast.
• Having different accounts for everything seems like the right move, until you realize it’s hard to grow multiple followings.
• Just make money and then the boss won’t ask about ROI any more.

Integrated Usage

• Twitter makes every event better. Post the hashtag everywhere. Make every speaker sign/label/name include a Twitter ID.
• Apps like TweetChat.com make following event chats really easy. Put in a hashtag and go.
• Tweeting the content of events is nice, but so is occasionally making a real live connection with the speaker.
• It’s okay to tweet your blog posts, but try asking a question that leads readers into the post.
• Can you invite Twitter followers to your other social platforms, like LinkedIn or Facebook? Sure you can.
• I’m not into mixing my location apps with my tweets, but if you do, do it FROM the location app into Twitter, not the other way around.
• Getting others to tweet your posts or news or registrations is useful, but sometimes comes off as a barrage or spam. Be prepared for that perception.
• Tweets that point us to photos and/or video and/or music, etc, are always a great way to enhance the experience.
• Please remove Twitter from LinkedIn. Use the #in tag instead and be selective.
• Spammy or no, events that tweet their attendance registration seem to drive attendance.

Off-Twitter

• Are your tweets really what you want to show in your sidebar? Doesn’t that direct people away from your site?
• Think of Twitter as a guidance system to what you think is interesting. A lot of that is likely off-Twitter.
• Apps like VisibleTweets.com are neat, but can be very distracting at events.
• If you use tweets on a screen at an event, be warned if you moderate. Angry crowds can happen.
• Don’t forget to invite people from off-Twitter to follow you on Twitter. Include your actual Twitter ID (I see lots of “follow me on Twitter” with no details).
• Asking questions on Twitter makes for very interesting commentary and opinions for blog posts.
• Tweetups are awesome, especially if you make them about more than just drinking and saying hi. (Though, hey, drinks can be nice.)
• Outside of the Twitter app, keep “Tw” names to a minimum. We’re not your “tweeps.”
• If your only marketing efforts are on Twitter, start building an email marketing list. Never put your eggs in one basket.
• Start thinking in 120 characters (remember? save 20). Every bit of this advice is tweetable.

We hope that you found some use in this article, if you need any further advice, get in touch.

This article was originally posted by Chris Brogan, many thanks to the author for allowing re-posting.  :O)

By James Caves

Baseline were approached by FOX Graphic Design to complete the web work for this project, FOX very capably handled the branding and design for print work.

One of the great thing about collaborating with other high quality creative companies, is that it forces all involved to raise their game. It always highlights the strengths of the companies involved and the areas that you can improve you own business.

We have worked on several collaborative projects with FOX, as we all have a passion for working in the public and voluntary sectors. I am delighted to say that all have been an absolute success.

From a technical point of view, the LightSpeed Derby website includes some of the following functionality:

• Built in line with current accessability / web best practice guidelines
• Built on a very easy to use Content Management System
• Polling function
• Data gathering from different sectors, including KML data so that postcodes can be plotted on Google Earth / Google Maps
• Integrated with email marketing software

What the client had to say about baseline:

"Thank you for your time and patience, I must say I think the website has been set up very well"

...and about the team / overall project:

"Just to say thanks to everyone for putting together such a good site. It looks good and the messages are clear and effective.

It was a bit painful at times with so many of us adding our strongly held ideas, but in the end I think we have a richer and better site because of it.

Especial thanks to Baseline for their unfailing patience throughout the process, to Sarah Jenkin-Jones for being able to draw together such good copy from the ideas of all of us and to Sarah Troman and Hannah for managing the process so well.

Without giving anything away, the timing for this has turned out perfectly. We are having a vital meeting with a key potential investor in superfast broadband in Derby this week. There are four key points in their criteria in choosing where to invest and one of them is that there will be an effective marketing vehicle to promote the benefits of fibre to the home to residents and businesses.

All we need to do will be to point them to the website.

Fingers crossed, but if we succeed, the website will have played an important part."

:O)

By Craig Barker

We are looking for a fresh graduate for a junior graphic/web designer position.

Baseline is a small but successful graphic design company, based in the creative heart of Derby. Our clients range from start up businesses to larger organisations including The National Autistic Society, British Bankers’ Association and Building Society Association.

We are looking for a highly creative, motivated individual with excellent communication skills.

The applicant must be enthusiastic and easy going, eager to learn, full of fresh creative ideas and can work to tight deadlines.

The successful candidate would carry out a variety of work from logos and stationery right through to brochures and websites.

We will be expect the individual to land and hit the ground running to help with ever increasing workload.

Essential skills:

• Photoshop
• Illustrator
• Indesign

These additional skills would be an advantage:

• XHTML
• CSS
• Flash

Salary negotiable.

If you feel that you are up to the job, please send your CV (designed) along with some examples of your recent work to Craig Barker, email craig@baseline-creative.co.uk

By Craig Barker

Saylavy already had a logo and the beginnings of a brand style, so our job was to undertake the following work:

• Streamline the brand style so that everything produced from this point onwards will be consistent, giving a stronger more professional brand.
• Designing a custom illustration / cartoon character to accompany the brand, the purpose of this illustration was to help reinforce the friendly, fun, approachable side of the business.
• Designing and building a content managed website, that is easy to use and built to be search engine friendly. The website also needed to be integrated with Facebook and Twitter.
• Branding of the Saylavy Twitter page.

This is what the client had to say about the work completed:

"I can't stop smiling! You have totally captured everything I wanted Saylavy to represent. Fantastic work Craig. Thank you so much for listening and delivering exactly what I wanted!"

Thanks to Sara for being a great client, and passing us so many new clients in the short time we have been working with you!

:O)

By Craig Barker

The Macbook was still usable (the sound wasn't working), the the experts at Square Group said that the logic board had gone and would be costly to replace.

I figured I would just put up with it and then get a new one this summer.

I was having a conversation with a fellow designer yesterday (Chris Redshaw) as to whether you could use an iPad for client meetings to demonstrate work etc, (I was looking for an excuse to buy one). The conclusion was yes I can.

I think that my MBP must have some how sensed that I was considering replacing it with a 'young upstart'.

I woke up this morning and everything was working perfectly! Currently listening to Spotify, which I would not normally do on this machine.

Maybe a stay of execution is in order, life in the old dog yet!

In recent times there have been security issues related to Internet Explorer A few of our clients were effected so we advised them to switch to Firefox until the problem was resolved.  See the following article for details:

BBC News Item 1

It seems now, whole nations are boycotting Internet Explorer, which can't be good for Microsoft.  This is due to apparent security issues.  Microsoft have said that you should be fine if you upgrade to the latest version of Internet Explorer, but now might be a good time to have a look at either Firefox or Google Chrome.

Please see the following news story for more details on China, Germany and France and their comments regarding Microsoft Internet Explorer:

BBC News Item 2

Here is another article regarding France and Germany and their war on Internet Explorer:

BBC News Item 3

Our tip is, do your own research and then make sure your software is up to date.

One of the things that most web designers will say that they don't like about their job, is cross browser compatibility.  When we create a website we want it to look and work as we expect, no matter what browser the user prefers…  …unfortunately this not always the case.

As part of our service at Baseline we always strive to make our websites cross browser compatible, but for your reference here is some useful info:

Historically, Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE) has always been the most popular web browser (taking around 95% of the market share), but we think that times are changing!

In recent times IE has dropped to around 62%, which is taking into account IE6, IE7 and IE8 and within the last 6 months alone it has dropped in use by around 5%. In the mean time, its main rival FireFox has just pass the 25% milestone and seems to be going from strength to strength.  

The fast mover to watch out for at the moment seems to be Google Chrome. Currently, it is the third most popular browser taking over from Safari (The web browser from Apple). Initially, I have to say it seems to work pretty well and pretty quick.

As a business owner, did you know that your website might not work in other web browsers?  

Sometimes the differences can be quite dramatic, sometimes a website will break completely.  How professional will this make your business look?

If you like many others would like to make sure your website still functions correctly, check out Browsershots, which will allow you to take a screenshot from as many different web browsers as you like, giving you an insight into what other see.  

We have several different types of computers in the office and use a cross section of web browsers, but this website (Browsershots) is a reliable tool to check how other people view your website.

If you need any advice on how to make your website more cross browser compatible, please get in touch!

Have fun!

By James Caves

We have had a quite few new clients on board over the last few months, so as part of this blog, we will be making time to showcase the work that we have done for them.  Some of the projects will be 'baseline essentials' projects and others will be more substantial very bespoke work.  We might even dig out some past projects that we are particularly proud of to show off a little....  :O)

branding and design for print

In recent times we have been getting in mainly web work, which is great because we enjoy it and are excellent at it.  However, when we original started Baseline back in 2003, we mainly concentrated on branding and design for print.  We still get some of this type of work in, but one of my goals for the coming year is to increase this side of the business a great deal.  We love branding and design for print and are a creative company after all.

new year new start

With the 'new year new start' mentality I have decided to concentrate on making sure that we are running a tight ship 'in house' and that everything is as efficient as it can be. 

At baseline, we constantly strive to improve our service.  This endless mission 'to be better' has left us with a business that can provide a consistently good service time and time again. 

Keep a eye on this website as we will shortly be adding some new products and services, we will also be tweaking some of our existing offerings based on feedback and working practice.

Perhaps it's time for you to improve your business to make it more successful?

New year new start...

By Craig Barker

I love Sesame Street, it’s characters – everything!

Today I looked and found yet another Sesame Street character, Elmo. This prompted me to look at what the Google doodles were all about.

OK, from what I can see there are two things to know here, there is the original doodler (Dennis Hwang) and then there is a cool competition for local schools (Doodle 4 Google).

I’m no expert on Schools but I think Google 4 Doodle is a great idea. It encourages creativity, teamwork and the prize is really cool – a day on Google for the winning design. What is most interesting for me is that I knew about Dennis Hwang but had no idea about this and wonder how many schools know about it?

So here is the challenge: everybody reading this that have children, know people that have children or that are involved with Schools need to tell the school about Doodle 4 Google.

For now however here is todays 'Doodle 4 Google' - enjoy!

By David Stump

It’s not like you need the link but to save you time the logo is below or click here: http://www.google.co.uk.

You can see more from Sesame Street here: http://www.sesamestreet.org/ or here are some of my favourites:

• Bert Doing the Pigeon
• Banana In Ernie's Ear

Great fun, now better get back to work!

By David Stump

We are not just a faceless organisation, Baseline is made up real people, with real lives. Plus real personality quirks...

I am a family man, with a wonderful wife (Caroline) and two children (Olivia 4 and Lily 19 months). For people without a kids, I am sure when I talk about my family, I bore them to tears. My family is the reason I work so hard and make sure that I do the best I can at everything I do. What more motivation do I need?

Any way, on to our latest recruit.

When asked what does she want to be when she is older? My eldest daughter (Olivia) says one of the following things: a princess, a ballerina, a fairy, or work with daddy...

She recently completed a creative project, which led us (at Baseline) to see real potential in her creative ability. There is nothing like taking an apple from the tree if you want the best/freshest. Obviously we recruited her immediately.

So welcome to Olivia Barker, the newest member of our team.  :O)

By Craig Barker

Today is the 40^th anniversary of Sesame Street, I may be giving away my age here but I loved Sesame Street as a kid and this tribute from Google is great in my eyes!

By David Stump

Here is the link.

By David Stump