Blog http://www.adeptdesign.co.uk/ Fri, 24 May 2013 04:49:46 +0000 Unicity CMS Congratulations to Tudor http://www.adeptdesign.co.uk/blog/blog/post/59-congratulations-to-tudor As many of you know, this past Christmas Adept launched an online game to help Santa get his Christmas presents back from those pesky penguins.

We would like to say a big thank you to everyone who played, but sadly there could only be one winner.

The winner of the game was Tudor Howell, who scored a whopping 22,456 points. His charity of choice for the donation of £100 is Hope for Latvia, which a really great cause and whose on-going efforts make a huge difference to the lives of their beneficiaries.

Thanks again everyone and if any of you see those penguins causing trouble, let us know!!!

]]> Ben Kemp Mon, 14 Jan 2013 10:18:14 +0000 Adept on Ice. http://www.adeptdesign.co.uk/blog/blog/post/58-adept-on-ice- For a treat The Adept staff went down to the Ice Skating Rink at the Aylsham Frost Fayre.

We invaded the empty rink for an hour or so on Friday afternoon and during that time we saw some near professional manoeuvres. Pirouettes a plenty, backwards skating courtesy of Shamus, and at times Daniel even managed to stand up without the support of the wall. Nicholas also gave a perfect impersonation of Bambi trying to stand up on the ice for the first time.

We finished off with warm mulled cider and got back to work to see out the week.

Thanks to Ben and Dan from all the guys for letting us indulge in childish activities.

 

]]> Richard Vickers Tue, 04 Dec 2012 12:52:57 +0000 Increase the impact of your newsletter http://www.adeptdesign.co.uk/blog/blog/post/57-increase-the-impact-of-your-newsletter Just one of the many jobs we regularly do for some of our charity clients is to design their newsletter or magazine. There has always been a stipulation that as a charity you should not be throwing money at an overly designed item when the funds could be used to further your mission. In part this should be taken into consideration, but please remember that no-one wants to read something that looks unappealing, so although you might not be spending a lot of money on your newsletter, is what you are spending on it seeing any return at all?

Here are some of our helpful tips for charities when looking at the design of your newsletter:

Don’t be afraid to ask

Remember you are a charity and the aim of the newsletter is to see a return on your investment. So if you are talking about an appeal make sure you let the reader know how they can donate.

Add some colour

Colour helps a newsletter look more appealing and something you have put thought into. If you only want to slightly increase your printing costs, it might be simply making it a two colour print job rather than one.

Change your text from being quite neutral to a more direct mail style of copy (using the word "you" a lot).

Don’t make articles too long

Try and keep your article length at a reasonable level for people who just want to skim read. This could mean the introduction of a stand first that would sum up the article but in turn entice the reader to read on.

Keep the article relevant to the charity

We see it time and again with charity magazines: lots of articles that focus on what’s going on internally in the charity. Your readers are not going to want to know it was Dawn’s birthday last week, they are going to want to know what you are doing with their donations. Our advice is, if you think an article is not relevant, don’t put it in.

I hope this helps when you are looking to produce your next newsletter. If you do want to chat through any of your ideas or see how we could help improve the return on investment, please give me a call on 01263 734 198.

]]> Ben Kemp Thu, 11 Oct 2012 13:36:13 +0000 Salisbury Hospice Charity Website Launch http://www.adeptdesign.co.uk/blog/blog/post/56-salisbury-hospice-charity-website-launch Salisbury Hospice Charity Website

This week the new Salisbury Hospice Charity website has been launched.

Adept have worked alongside the Charity to produce the new logo and visual identity in addition to applying it to a totally new site that will aim to develop and assist the Salisbury Hospice Charity to move forward and carry on the valuable work that they have been undertaking for the people of Salisbury and the surrounding areas.

Adept would like to thank the Salisbury Hospice Charity for the opportunity to work with them, and produce what we hope is a valuable tool with which to effectively develop the charity.

To see this great new site, please visit http://www.salisburyhospicecharity.org.uk/.

]]> Richard V Fri, 05 Oct 2012 17:20:49 +0000 We have a new starter http://www.adeptdesign.co.uk/blog/blog/post/55-we-have-a-new-starter Hello there, I am Richard Vickers.

I am very excited to introduce myself as the all new Account Manager here at Adept.

I have a relatively brief but positive background in Marketing and Communications, acquired through a position within Sika Limited, a multinational material supplier to the construction industry, and several voluntary positions undertaken whilst I was studying Media, Culture and Communications at the University of Lincoln.

My decision to join the Adept team was heavily influenced by the opportunities that I will be given to work with charities, which is an interest of mine.

In the past I have volunteered in Bucharest, for a charity campaigning for better facilities for the sensory impaired citizens of Romania. I have done the National Three Peaks Challenge and will also be taking part in the Jerusalem Marathon 2013 all to raise money for the British Heart Foundation.

I am very excited by my new role and can't wait to get stuck in and help move Adept forward in the coming years.

If you would like to get in touch to discuss any new projects please feel free to give me a call or drop me an email.

email: richardv@adeptdesign.co.uk

tel: 01263 734198

]]> Richard V Fri, 05 Oct 2012 16:58:04 +0000 The Incredi-bowls strike again! http://www.adeptdesign.co.uk/blog/blog/post/54-the-incredi-bowls-strike-again Tenjy showed us how it was done last night on our team night out!

 

We were all bowled over by her skills... Thanks Ben & Dan for a great night out!

 

 

 

]]> Holly Fri, 17 Aug 2012 09:31:25 +0000 Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital Redevelopment Appeal http://www.adeptdesign.co.uk/blog/blog/post/53-royal-national-orthopaedic-hospital-redevelopment-appeal Earlier this year we launched a new website for the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital (RNOH) Appeal.

The RNOH is one of the world’s largest leading specialist orthopaedic hospitals, and has been at the cutting edge of orthopaedic care for over 100 years.

Check out their website here and see how you can support their redevelopment appeal.

]]> Holly Snelling Thu, 09 Aug 2012 11:03:17 +0000 Ben’s Fun Run! http://www.adeptdesign.co.uk/blog/blog/post/52-ben’s-fun-run- A big well done to Ben for completing the Wells Carnival Fun Run last week. The event raised funds towards the 1st Wells Scout Hut Replacement Roof. Great job!

]]> Holly Snelling Tue, 07 Aug 2012 15:09:34 +0000 New Headley Park Church Website! http://www.adeptdesign.co.uk/blog/blog/post/51-new-headley-park-church-website Adept have just launched a new website for Headley Park Church, a family church based in Bristol.

The new website, based on our popular SmartWeb content management system, heralds a fresh new look and feel, easier navigation and improved functionality. 

Click here to visit the website and see for yourself!

]]> Holly Snelling Tue, 24 Jul 2012 16:23:26 +0000 We have a new joiner! http://www.adeptdesign.co.uk/blog/blog/post/50-we-have-a-new-joiner Adept Design is pleased to announce a new appointment to their account management team.

Holly previously worked at London based advertising agency M&C Saatchi, where she was responsible for overseeing national campaigns for a number of high profile clients including Ribena, The Daily Mail and Direct Line. With a strong creative eye and exacting attention to detail, she will be a brilliant new addition to the team!

Do feel free to give her a shout with any enquiries or just to say hello!

Her details are:

T: 01263 734198

E: holly@adeptdesign.co.uk

]]> Ben Kemp Tue, 24 Jul 2012 15:55:27 +0000 Kidney Research UK on Facebook http://www.adeptdesign.co.uk/blog/blog/post/48-kidney-research-uk-on-facebook Adept has recently worked with the charity Kidney Research UK to design their Facebook page encouraging fans to “Like” their page and at the same time, keeping in line with their corporate styling; so far they have seen good results.

Nowadays, Facebook is regarded as one of the biggest and most effective marketing tools and can increase exposure of your charity. Most people will not visit your website daily but most Facebook users will log in to their account on any given day, meaning you can reach those people with a daily status update. If you want to talk to us about designing your Facebook page, please call us on 01263 734198.

Click here to visit their page now

]]> Ben Kemp Mon, 27 Feb 2012 15:24:46 +0000 New FARM-Africa homepage http://www.adeptdesign.co.uk/blog/blog/post/47-new-farm-afroica-homepage Adept have been working with the charity FARM-Africa to give them a NEW look homepage for the New Year, why not check it out http://www.farmafrica.org.uk

]]> Ben Kemp Tue, 17 Jan 2012 16:17:12 +0000 Paintings in Hospitals http://www.adeptdesign.co.uk/blog/blog/post/46-paintings-in-hospitals Adept have just launched a new website for the charity Paintings in Hospitals. Why not check it out http://www.paintingsinhospitals.org.uk/home

]]> Ben Kemp Fri, 23 Dec 2011 09:59:21 +0000 Dogs Trust on JustTextGiving http://www.adeptdesign.co.uk/blog/blog/post/45-textgiving Our friends at Dogs Trust recently entered the JustTextGiving competition almost raising £1500 over one weekend. Through social media service Facebook, Dogs Trust promoted their campaign ‘FUNdraising Friday’ and after a great response, extended the campaign through the weekend renaming it 'FUNdraising Weekend’. In addition to status updates through Facebook, Dogs Trust drove traffic from Twitter. A month later, they are still receiving positive feedback from the campaign and have now set up more JustTextGiving codes to launch new campaigns. You can watch the Dogs Trust JustTextGiving video entry here and whilst you’re watching, why not donate? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-999sihTs0

]]> Ben Kemp Mon, 07 Nov 2011 15:04:42 +0000 KidsOut website goes live http://www.adeptdesign.co.uk/blog/blog/post/44-kidsout-website-goes-live Adept have just launched the New KidsOut website. This extensive website features a wide selection of functionality including blogs, events booking system, online donations, online shopping and email newsletters.

The website makes use of our content management system of choice, SmartWeb, allowing KidsOut to make updates to the website easily and effectively. Through Smartmail email newsletter system they can keep in touch with their supporters regularly with news and project updates.

Check out the new website http://www.kidsout.org.uk/home

]]> Ben Kemp Tue, 16 Aug 2011 17:03:50 +0000 Ben\'s triathlon for Hope for Latvia http://www.adeptdesign.co.uk/blog/blog/post/43-bens-triathlon-for-hope-for-latvia Our very own Ben Kemp (MD) is taking part in the Virgin Active London Triathlon at the end of July to help raise awareness and funds for 'Hope for Latvia'.

Hope for Latvia is an organisation that provides fresh and creative solutions for the tough challenges faced by thousands of Latvian families. Their vision is to simply break the cycle of poverty in Latvia.

 

Held at the ExCeL centre, London, Ben will be running 5K, cycling 20K and lastly swimming 750m. Ben, who has been training since January this year, hopes that he can conquer the challenge in a good time. Good luck Ben!

If you wish to donate to Ben's cause and give him a few words of encouragement please go to his JustGiving page.

]]> Laura Taylor Tue, 12 Jul 2011 11:01:12 +0000 Charity design tip - Up to date information http://www.adeptdesign.co.uk/blog/blog/post/42-charity-design-tip-–-keep-your-information-up-to-date Most charities have feeds to their website for latest news and events, or from social media channels. It can look very unprofessional to have information on your website that is out of date or irrelevant.

By keeping your website up-to-date it is not only good practice, but also shows that the charity is active and that you are putting your supporters’ donations to good use. It is also very good for search engine optimisation.

We know it is not always easy to do, but the results are worthwhile for those who update their websites consistently.

]]> Ben Kemp Mon, 20 Jun 2011 16:17:24 +0000 Hot off the press http://www.adeptdesign.co.uk/blog/blog/post/41-hot-off-the-press We have just received our new information pack from the printers. The pack contains details of our services and some of our most recent charity case studies. Why not click here to order one now before they all go!!!!

]]> Ben Kemp Tue, 07 Jun 2011 12:36:49 +0000 Hollie\'s leaving picnic http://www.adeptdesign.co.uk/blog/blog/post/40-hollies-leaving-picnic We have just got back from a Picnic in the park to say good bye to our designer Hollie. Hollie is off to have her first baby and we all wish her well and want her to know we will all miss her loads!!!

]]> Ben Kemp Wed, 25 May 2011 14:37:10 +0000 Adept feature in design week http://www.adeptdesign.co.uk/blog/blog/post/39-adept-feature-in-design-week We were all pleased to see that Design Week featured a recent branding project by Adept.

We recently created a new brand for TazZa Coffee, a Sutton-based coffee shop. Rather than the typical approach of focusing a coffee shop brand around coffee, the TazZa brand centred on bringing the community together. The new brand needed to form a strong foundation that could be taken forward as a franchise if needed. The brand incorporates a new logo, bold colour palette and a collection of illustrations to achieve its message.

The new logo incorporates a coffee cup, with a speech bubble and mark, combining coffee and community. Artwork was then produced that reflected the community DIY ethos of TazZa Coffee.

 

]]> Ben Kemp Mon, 16 May 2011 16:44:06 +0000