Opps...!

 

The above is a great picture that you may have seen doing the rounds at the moment, and is an unfortunate example of using the correct (or incorrect) font for your material.

 

Clearly it should say flickering lights, but whoops, the L and I are a bit close together creating a rather different word than the one they were originally intending.

 

One could argue that as this particular image has gone viral over the last few days, the company has received massive exposure and considerably more than even a decent advertising budget could ever hope to achieve.

 

But it comes down to the fact that that a different font would have been more appropriate.

 

As would an accurate proof reader!

Shrink and Enlarge......bah!

I was visiting the web site of a "competitor" earlier this morning.

I say competitor, they're not really. They're not even in the same city, however they are in the same industry offering a number of similar services, so it's fair to qualify them as a competitor.

 

I am sure that I am not the only one that does similar things, more out of nosiness rather than anything else, but we can sometimes become cocooned in our own little environment so it's good to keep an eye on what's going on out there in the big bad world.

 

Now this was a professionally built web site, which clearly had resulted in a bit of investment from the company involved.

But you know what, it didn't work.

 

I viewed it on my iPhone (other smartphones are available) however the web site wasn't optimised for viewing on the smaller screen. As a result, I had to either shrink or enlarge every single page. Even going back to a page that had been previously viewed, it defaulted back to the "full screen" setting.

 

I found the experience extremely frustrating and I guess that if I was a customer looking to purchase, I would be heading somewhere else pretty quickly.

Wouldn't you?

When a USB memory stick just won't do...

The 44 page instruction manual! No-one said it would be easy.

A completed model along with the sticker set and assembly instruction booklet.

Studio shot used for the outer packaging.

The printed boxes during assembly.

Completed and all ready to go!

 

 

It's not everyday we get to plan and build 200 drillships, however a recently completed project saw us do just that! We were in conversation with our client who wanted something different to hand out to delegates at a recent engineering conference. They felt the usual t-shirts, USB memory sticks and jackets, whilst useful, were not really what they were after, as they wanted something that reflected the engineering nature of the event.

 

The conversation turned to Lego and so started the process of producing their flagship vessel "Stena DrillMAX" made entirely from the famous coloured bricks. We enlisted the services of a professional builder, who working from photographs and other reference material, created the prototype. Initially it was hoped it would incorporate around 400 parts, however the extensive detailing involved with the model soon saw the brick count increase to over 800. We must say however that he did a fantastic job in creating the correct overall look of the vessel.

 

In the meantime, our own design team worked on producing the 44 page assembly manual, together with the self adhesive sticker sets and the outer packaging, all of which were bespoke and unique to this model. Trying to work at the smaller scale and yet keep everything looking proportionally correct took a bit of time and effort from our design team. However the end result was most satisfactory once applied to the finished kits.

 

Over 160,000 small coloured bricks duly arrived from our supplier, and thankfully were already sorted into their kits. All that was left for us to do was assemble the box and insert the assembly instructions, sticker sets and the model itself.

 

Following delivery, the feedback that we've received from our client has been extremely positive. The first batch of kits were recently handed out and were very well received. An inter-office competition quickly developed to see who could build their's the quickest, with the fastest time currently sitting at 3 hours and 28 minutes.

 

Completed model, built by Gareth Falls.

Completed model, built by Geir Johnny Eide.

 

For information on our extensive range of corporate gifts, see www.printagraph.co.uk or telephone +44 (0)1224 893900

A truly interesting project...

 

 

A few weeks back, I mentioned a really interesting project that we were working on, which involved developing a unique corporate gift for a client to present to its VIP guests at a recent event.

 

Once we had created the initial idea, we worked closely with a specialist acrylic company to produce something really special.

 

Hand made from pewter and crystal clear acrylic, it underwent a couple of specification changes throughout its development, which can be seen in this video, however all concerned were truly were delighted with the end result.

 

They are now sitting on desks and display cabinets througout the world.

 

And it all started as a little sketch...

 

Of course, we also offer a huge range of personalised corporate gifts which are available to view on our promotional products web site.

 

 

Professional Illustrator...

 

Received some really nice feedback this morning from a supplier. We've been working on a new publication and his illustrations have been instrumental in its development.

 

It has recently been sent to print and is due shortly. However he was kind enough to offer the following feedback:

 

" I must say I thouroughly enjoyed working on this job, you're a great project manager. Cheers, Graham"

 

We're all really looking forward to having the book ready to deliver to our client later this week.

 

To contact Graham and for details on his talents, you can click here>

The Crown Jewels...

It's been an interesting couple of days hasn't it!

 

It seems all the talk is either about Prince Harry and his crown jewels or the decision by Aberdeen City Councillors not to proceed with the Union Terrace Gardens (UTG) project.

 

It really has split opinion throughout the city and opened up an amazing opportunity for  open debate. There didn't really seem to be any in-between: you were either for it (as most people seemed to be) or against it, however despite the public referendum showing the majority of Aberdonians wanted it to proceed, there really wasn't much in it at all. Likewise, with the council vote, it went 20:22 against, with one person abstaining (a disgraceful decision on such an important debate).

 

But should we be upset that they voted the way they did, or should we applaud them for actually voting and putting it out of its misery once and for all?

 

What is now clear however, is the £50m donation from Sir Ian Wood has now been withdrawn. And whatever way you look at it, that is particularly disappointing.

 

But who can blame him? Really, he's trying to give something back to the city that has rewarded him so well, and he's had it spat back at his face. I even read someone referring to him as a bully and a "oil pri*k". Hmm, seems a tad harsh but I guess that everyone is entitled to their opinion.

 

So really, there have been no winners. UTG will continue to decay as it has been for many years, the heart of the city being stangled like a slow and pain full heart attack.

 

It's a sad day all round.

Is it really over...?

We were having a discussion in the office the other morning, in which we were trying to decide if the golfing season was over.

of course we all agreed, that it's getting towards the end of summer (hahaha) and the evenings are beginning to draw in faster.

And yet, this morning, in torrential rain, players continue to tee off throughout the country.

Is there really a 'season' any more?

Well if you are carrying on playing, no matter what the weather, you should probably check out our new golf only web site, offering some fantastic deals for golfers of all ages and abilities.

www.printagraphgolf.co.uk