Office is all ready – just waiting for me to fill those shelves up with and move my stuff out of Pool Innovation Centre tomorrow.
If you are interested there are more photos on Facebook.
Archive about October, 2010
Office Move 4
Thursday, October 28th, 2010Cornwall Accommodation Guide
Wednesday, October 27th, 2010Finally got approval on all the adverts for VisitCornwall Accommodation Guide – so now to upload the files.
Cornwall Accommodation Guide 2010 - can't reveal the new one until official launch date!
Massive typesetting job this one but I am delighted to say the customer is happy and all deadlines were met.
Office Move 3
Tuesday, October 26th, 2010The walls and ceilings have been given a fresh coat of plaster.
Now they need painting.
Looking great.
Office Move 2 & Ikea
Monday, October 25th, 2010Getting ready to move office, the decorating has started and the old furniture needed to go so replacements are required.
We decided it would be nice to have a more streamlined look but needed desk space for both Mark and myself. Part of the reason for my moving out of The Formation Zone is limited desk and storage space.
As I offer design for print, as well as digital, I think it is important to have various paper samples to show customers, as well my past print work (and since I have been in the print trade for over 25 years I have accumulated a lot of past work!). So therefore a lot of shelf/cupboard/bookcase space was needed.
So we decided a trip to Ikea was needed!
Such is the power of the Ikea brand that we felt it was worth a trek to look at what they offer. Bristol is nearest, but we decided to combine it with a trip to Southampton to see our Daughter.
Fantastic store with various computer stations where you can play with layouts – so we spent 3 hours in their deciding the best layout. Our proposed layout didn’t work with the desk sizes, so taking inspiration from their instore layouts we came up with this.
Screen shot of office layout
Overnight I realised one of the desks would have a window behind it, not good for screen glare. So we went back to Ikea and had another play.
Screen shot of revised office layout
However when we got home and looked again at the space we realised it still wasn’t right. Ikea offer an online office layout facility – but it wasn’t perfect as it doesn’t work on an Apple Mac (grrrr) but also doesn’t have the complete range of furniture. Still it was enough to have another play . . .
Screen shot of second revised office layout
Screen shot of second revised office layout - from a different angle
So decision made – furniture ordered. Very good ordering system, they advise you exactly of delivery – so roll on next Tuesday.
Office Move 1
Thursday, October 21st, 2010Having made the decision to move back home, my old office area is in desperate need for a revamp!
So lets not do it half-hearted, we have stripped off the old wood chip wallpaper (yes it was put up in the 1980′s when it was fashionable!), removed the old mahogany coloured desks and bookcases, stripped down the walls and they are all ready to be professionally plastered.
Now lets look for some nice furniture!
Best Bid Car Auctions Website
Wednesday, October 20th, 2010Pool Motor Auctions has had a change of management and are now Best Bid Car Auctions.
Hooper Graphics produced the website for Pool Motor Auctions so Kevin and Joanna approached me to provide them with a website for Best Bid Car Auctions.
I was able to alter the old website to match the new logo and flyers they had had produced and they continued with the same Content Management System, as it was a system they found easy to use. This enables them to keep the website up to date every week with the latest vehicles they have in their auction.
The right office space
Monday, October 18th, 2010For those of you who have been following my blogs and news on Facebook you will know how excited I have been about moving into Pool Innovation Centre. Well sadly it seems it has not worked out and I will be moving out, at the end of the month, on 29 October.
My desk space at The Formation Zone
I am based in The Formation Zone, a shared office space and I always had my reservations whether it the space I was allocated was big enough for me and what my customers would think.
My area in the The Formation Zone
So quite simply I don’t have enough room and my feedback is telling me that whilst everyone loved my old office, they would rather visit me at home than come here! So as I have been harping on about how important it is to listen to customers then I had better follow my own advice.
My office at Forth Kegyn
My old office was nice – but sadly my Landlord increased the rent by 20% and in this current economic climate I didn’t think it was fair to pass that extra cost onto my customers. So I am going to work from home again.
So please come and visit, I don’t have a barrier to the car park, it is nice and private, I will have everything to hand, but perhaps most important I can offer freshly brewed coffee.
Time to get decorating I think . . .
Choosing a Designer
Tuesday, October 12th, 2010Here is an interesting article from The Design Council that tells you how to choose a Designer – could be worth a read.
Of course I am hoping that it will encourage you to choose me.
No joking aside it has a few interesting points about information that helps us Designers find out what we can do to help you. Here is an extract
Things you are likely to discuss in this initial meeting can include:
- Your products
- Your customers
- The size of your business
- Its financial performance
- Your competitors
- The reason behind your decision to commission a design project
- What you hope the outcomes of the project will be
- The business’s or product’s current position in the market
- Your aspirations
- Your ideas for growth
CPR Annual Review
Monday, October 11th, 2010I was delighted to be given the opportunity of designing the Annual Review 2009/10 for CPR Regeneration. It was printed by St Austell Printing Company on Cocoon, an excellent uncoated paper stock with excellent “green” credentials.
I have received very good feedback from CPR
It has been a pleasure to work with Hooper Graphics. Jane responded really well to our brief and delivered on all the aspects of creative design and cost-effective print that we needed. We have already received compliments about the report and would certainly recommend working with Hooper Graphics.
Alice West, Communications Manager, CPR Regeneration
Fake enquiry
Thursday, October 7th, 2010I received this email the other day, and like anyone in business, was pleased to be given the opportunity to quote on a website.
However it did seem rather brief, so I decided to find out more and did a search on Google for the phone number, and found this blog entry. It seems it was a fake!
The number I am being asked to phone is a premium phone line, so you phone the number they keep you on the line for ages, it costs you a fortune and there is no work at the end of it!
Hi
I am currently looking to have a community based website built. Could you please give me a call to discuss costings. My number is 07031964651.
Many thanks
Jason Hannigan
However being on the cautious side, I replied via email first asking for more information. None reply came back, so it confirmed it was a scam.