The exhibition is open to the public until 8th January 2012. It features the work of artists from Leicestershire and the East Midlands, showcasing the region’s artistic talents through a variety of media including photography, landscape painting, textiles, illustration and sculpture. The exhibition also features the winner of the 2011 Attenborough Prize, which was launched in 2007 by Lord Richard Attenborough to coincide with the siting of his personal collection of Picasso ceramics at the museum. This year’s winning piece, ‘Ascension’ by Edward Sellman, will be on show along with work from the competition’s six finalists.

In addition to being event sponsors, Tassell Design also created the branding, marketing material and catalogue for the exhibition.  Director Mark Gray was a guest at the opening evening and said “As always, a fantastic variety of work is on display and we are proud to be associated with the event for the third year running. The work is impressive at all levels, but the youth category was particularly strong this year - indicating a great creative talent pool for the future. As a design company, we feel that it is important to celebrate our region’s emerging and current local talents.”

All of the artworks will be available to purchase during the exhibition. This year’s selectors are Jamie Scott, artist and senior lecturer in fine art at De Montfort University, artist Gurminder Sikand and Simon Lake, Senior Curator of Art at New Walk Museum & Art Gallery.

QR codes (or Quick Response codes) were first created by a subsidiary of Toyota - Denso Wave - in 1994, to enable them to track vehicles through their factory during the manufacturing process. They are similar to barcodes used on packaging to keep track of stock and to price products. The main difference between the two is the huge amount of data a QR code can hold.

QR codes can carry more than just a web address. A smartphone equipped with a QR code reading app - available for free - can take your audience to your website, online photo gallery, reveal your business card or push their phone to dial your number.

They can be scanned directly from printed materials as well as on screen - which make them ideal for use on digital installations and PDFs, as well as on signage.

How are they made?
The good news is that simple QR codes can be created for free - as Denso Wave didn’t exercise their right to copyright the idea. In the spirit of the original concept, it is important that QR codes should continue to be based on free access. In this way the codes will become more widely used - benefiting businesses globally.

There are many free online resources for generating your own QR codes - Google have their own QR code generator which can be found by clicking this link.

Is it all black and White?
From the outset, QR codes were designed to allow for up to 30% error correction. This built in ‘error correction’ was to allow the codes still to be read
even when poorly printed or affected by the conditions in which they were used.

At Tassell Design, we have been researching utilising the ‘error correction’ to enable us to introduce both graphics and colour whilst retaining the QR codes usability.
By doing this your business can develop QR codes that stand out, and can become integral to a marketing campaign rather than just as an add on.

The possibilities are endless for the codes - and the scale they can be used is astounding. QR codes have started to be introduced onto the roof tops of buildings - with the intention of them appearing on Google Maps. This is an interesting development in property marketing, however putting them on a building is best for companies in no great hurry as It takes about a year for the code to show up on line - and Google can blur the codes if they choose to do so!

Following a merger which was completed in June this year, the American company Prologis, who have property assets valued at over $44 billion, selected Leicester based Tassell Design over their international roster of agencies. Tassell Design has already carried out regular UK based projects for the company over the past eight years and was delighted with their most recent international business win.

The project was assigned after a series of briefs and included a through the night stint to ensure that all material was delivered in time. The work, which commenced this month (August), involves creating adverts for the world’s financial press and developing a website so that all of the company’s properties from across the UK, Europe and America can be viewed from a single database. 

Tassells’ New Business Director Mark Gray comments “Whenever a client merges, there is always the worry that areas such as design get centralised or reassigned.  We have always been proud of the quality of work we have carried out for this client, but we were thrilled to be chosen to work on this prestigious project.” 

Tassell Design has worked with many of the UK’s leading property companies.  Recent projects include design work for the redevelopment of the former MG site at Longbridge, turning it from a derelict factory into a multi-use leisure, retail and business site creating 10,000 jobs

Setting off from south east London on 22 September, the riders reached the Eiffel Tower in Paris 4 days later.  On the way, they not only learned to mend punctures in double quick time, they also built a great team spirit and – perhaps most importantly - raised over £60,000 charity.

Mark said “after being asked to support the ride by handling the pre event promotion and design of the team shirts – I just had to take part and had a fantastic time”

The cyclists riding on behalf of ProLogis’ charities: Wellchild, The Prostate Cancer Charity and the Renal Unit at Birmingham Children’s Hospital – raised over £20,000. Their friends and colleagues from the industrial property sector raised equally impressive sums for other charities, such as the Alzheimer’s Society and Macmillan Cancer Support.

Starting out in bright September sunshine, the riders cycled 80 miles from London over the steep North Downs to Dover, where they caught a ferry to Calais.  After spending the night in Calais, they set off across rolling countryside and 43 punctures later, reached Arras.  The following day, the team was in a contemplative mood as they cycled past British and Allied Forces First World War cemeteries on the way to Compiegne.  Then, on the final day, they rode the final 60 miles to Paris, cycling – appropriately enough - around the Arc de Triomphe and down wide boulevards to the reach the Eiffel Tower.  To mark their achievement, the entire team celebrated with dinner on a Bateau Mouche sailing along the River Seine.

As Paul Weston, Senior Vice President of ProLogis, said: “Most of us fall into the MAMIL (Middle Aged Man in Lycra) category, but whether this is the start of a collective mid-life crisis or not, we raised a great deal of money and we had a truly brilliant time.”

View the image gallery

“When taking part in the Vantis Corporate Challenge, we wanted to do something different but fun.  We had £50 as a prize and created a little competition for those who donated based on guessing what our final score would be, having approached the oche with 100,001 as our starting point.  Our challenge was to play darts for 12 hours with individual hours sponsored by local businesses. We also collected sponsorship money both via traditional means and via our website and Twitter link. In total 6,993 darts were thrown and our final score was down to 11,049. 

Our challenge has raised £1000 and our online presence created international interest with watchers from as far afield as the USA and Russia - increasing the traffic to our website by 75% during the event.”

The Vantis Corporate Challenge runs annually and challenges Leicestershire businesses to raise money for Rainbows Hospice for Children and Young People and LOROS. Over the last two years the challenge has raised over £130,000 for the two local Hospices, and has become an integral part of the Leicestershire business calendar. 

Prior to the start of the Darts challenge - Patric Phelan, Location Director at Vantis in Leicester said, “We are nearing the end of this year?s challenge and there has been a real flurry of activity from the competitors.  I have been impressed with the wide range of ideas and particularly like this one because it is combining the old with the new; darts goes digital!  Innovation and entrepreneurial thinking are key to the Vantis Corporate Challenge and Tassells have really picked up on that.  I hope they raise a lot of money for Rainbows and LOROS.”

With minimal practice - all of Team Tassells launched into the challenge with the intention of just hitting the board - with varying results! This was highlighted by both the highest and lowest 3 dart score being held by Jim - 138 and 0 (twice!) 

For those fans of statistics among you, During the 12 hours we…
... threw 6993 darts (which equals 582.75 per hour)
... scored a total of 88,952 points
... averaged 38.16 for every three darts thrown 
... had fun!

The College has recently gained planning permission for a state-of-the-art building within the centre of the regeneration site. To promote this event Tassell Design were asked to work with the Art & Design department at Bournville College creating an ‘Art Gallery’ for the A38 and Longbridge Lane.

A real-life brief was written for the students with a time-line and deadlines, loosely imitating a workplace situation. The students thoroughly enjoyed attending briefing meetings with Mark Gray, Director of Tassell Design, where he outlined the brief, answered questions and encouraged the students for their ideas and contributions.

As the work progressed, styles and designs were worked up and reviewed by the College Board. On reviewing the Art Department?s collaborative work with Tassell Design, the Board felt that the displays would be a wonderful way of promoting the other departments within the College. The Brief was reworked and extended to reflect the inter-departmental collaboration.

The final displays are a combination of the original ?Art Gallery? concept and a showcase for the many facilities and opportunities available at Bournville College.

Please view the case study for more information.

Paul Suter, Marketing Manager for One Leicester said, “We particularly liked the look of the campaign proposed by Tassell Design which promotes the One Christmas campaign in an innovative and stylish way”.

The campaign has now been launched and includes city wide on-street branding, posters, an event guide, display stand and advent calendar towers, all of which will be distributed in and around Leicester and showcases our unique designs.

Mark Gray, Director, Tassell Design says, “The team is very pleased to have won such a high profile campaign in our home city. Leicester is renowned for its creative talent and we are glad to be selected against some excellent competition”.

Please view the case study to see a full description of the project.

The exhibition, for all entries, is being held from 13 November 2009 to 9th January 2010 at the City Gallery, Granby Street for the 21st year. It showcases paintings, crafts and sculpture by artists from across Leicestershire and the East Midlands. The competition is open to all abilities and age groups with a separate youth entry for 13-17 year olds.

At Tassell Design we are firm believers in encouraging art of all disciplines and have enjoyed donating our time creating various identities, one of which has now been rolled out across application forms, invitations, flyers and web banners.

We are now in our second year of involvement with the Open art competition, which we find very fulfilling. Last year we supported one of the artists; Liz Minichiello whom we awarded a prize of £100.00. It’s a great opportunity for artists to exhibit and sell their ‘works of art’, especially as the competition to be selected is becoming more and more competitive each year. 

The Private View and launch evening was held on Thursday 12th November, attended by the Tassell Design team, invited guests and the artists themselves. The prizes were awarded, wine was drunk and a jolly good evening was had by all!

To view the project design click here

Visit the Leicester Open 21 website

Without competition, there is no drive to innovate and improve, and we become stale and complacent. Without co-operation with others, some goals are difficult or impossible to achieve. It is the wider business community that shapes and sustains us.

To celebrate this, Design Leicestershire has produced a book showcasing the best and brightest that Leicestershire has to offer in the design arena. Obviously, Tassells are delighted to have been invited to submit our work for inclusion.

Amongst stellar design by local agencies, and groundbreaking work from Loughborough, Leicester and DeMontfort universities, Tassells shows off some innovative and interesting work for our clients; Prologis and Stephen George & Partners.

Design Leicestershire, in producing this book, has demonstrated that London isn’t the only place in Britian to have a wide variety of creative talent, and Tassells are proud to be a part of it.

As with every new project, we sat down with ISIS to find out what they wanted to achieve, and the image they wanted to project.

Reliable, adaptable, knowledgeable - the key attributes of a development company - were conveyed with a strong identity which was consistently rolled-out over a complete stationery range, a new website and marketing material.

Simon Spencer said, “I am very happy with the work Tassells produced for ISIS Land. Working with the team was enjoyable. They understood the brief with minimum input from me and the end result exceeded my expectations.”

With a brand and identity in place, this assisted Simon in winning a major development contract with Aviva Investors. We are currently working with Simon on new brochures and website for this project.

It is important to keep communicating with your clients and suppliers, even in an economic downturn. You need to find out what they want, what makes them happy, and more importantly, what makes them unhappy.

Customer surveys are an easy way to find out more about your customers’ needs, and they can be done in a printed format or online. Professionally designed customer surveys can encourage a higher number of replies, providing you with valuable information for future use.

The answers to customer surveys can often lead to companies deciding what can be done to improve their service and encourage repeat business. The information can also be used to discuss ways in which companies can offer a more cost-effective and efficient service with clients and suppliers.

These surveys can answer questions such as; What you do well? What do your customers feel is your Unique Selling Point ? You might think you know but your clients and suppliers may think it is something else. Do you offer value for money, reliability, experience, knowledge, a rapid service? 

Now is the time to look towards the future, ensure that your customers know you are ready to face the challenges ahead and are adaptable. Providing surveys via the internet is an easy, economical and environmentally friendly way to source information. Because the surveys are sent electronically we are able to source statistics that are created in graph and timeline format. This information is extremely useful when predicting future marketing expenditure. The surveys can also be linked to your website and we are able to provide similar statistics that add even more value to your company?s vital marketing information.

Ensure you are prepared to take advantage of the current economic climate, and the opportunities it will present.

The businesses which thrive during difficult times are the ones that will most likely succeed in the future.

Michael Garner - Director, Tassell Design

As a company your business image is everything. But what exactly is it?

Your business image, or corporate identity as it is more formally known, is ‘the “persona” of a corporation which is designed to accord with and facilitate the attainment of business objectives.’1

Your corporate identity is not the only influence on the perception your customers (or potential customers) have of you. Of course, having a strong graphic identity is paramount but what about your team? Do they subscribe to your company’s ‘philosophy’? Are they consistent in delivering the company’s ethos?

In business, first impressions count. It doesn’t matter if you’ve invested in great marketing material and campaigns; sales can be won or lost within 30 seconds purely on the ‘experience’ your team gives to customers.

From the top down your company’s ‘personality’ should always be the same. There are a number of dos and don’ts which will stand you in good stead:

• Be clear about what you offer;
• Ensure your team know what you offer and deliver the same messages, whatever their role;
• Do not try and portray yourself as something you are not;
• Focus on your clients and their requirements;
• Ensure a consistent identity throughout your marketing material.

In today’s climate, your company’s identity and brand have never been more important. Your team are the ambassadors for your company. Remember that if they are confident about - and believe in - your brand values they are more likely to encompass and promote the company offer. Currently, as all companies re-assess their budgets, now is the time to increase your brand awareness through investing in your internal team and your brand. It is in times like these when the most creative yet cost-effective solutions should be delivered.

Mike Garner - Director, Tassell Design

References: 1. Pat Matson Knapp, Judith Evans, Cheryl Dangel Cullen (2001). Designing Corporate Identity: graphic design as a business strategy.

Of course every business wants to increase sales; in fact your business must generate sales JUST to stand still.

The current situation is challenging for all - and a first reaction for many businesses is to stop marketing all together. Design and marketing is often considered a cost rather than an investment. In challenging times you need to be smarter with your marketing.

“It is well documented that brands that increase advertising during a recession, when competitors are cutting back, can improve market share and return on investment at lower cost than during good economic times.”

Professor John Quelch, Harvard Business School

There are some simple steps to help give your business a leading edge:

What do you want to say? Sounds simple, you know who you are and what you do - but do your potential customers? Take a close look at your business from a customer perspective. What do you offer? How can doing business with you benefit them? Crucially your offer needs to be in a language they understand - you are marketing to your customers, not to yourself.

Consistent messages. All of the elements in your marketing mix need to work together. A surprising number of businesses give different marketing messages to the same customer. When marketing to a potential customer think about the route they follow before engaging with your business. They may ‘meet’ you for the first time in a press advert, when they visit your website do they get the same visual language and tone of voice?

Don’t ignore your existing clients. Finding new business isn’t ALL about new customers. You know your existing customers intimately so you can target them to a personal level - this can be achieved not only with e-business but also by taking advantage of digital print solutions. Short run personalised printed material means you can target smaller groups but can expect better results.

2009 will see difficult trading conditions but this can be an opportunity for your business. Both existing and potential customers will be questioning their current suppliers and considering looking at alternatives…

...but you need to be seen and heard to be considered!

Mark Gray, Director, Tassell Design

Emma Tyreman, Marketing Manager for ProLogis said: “The team at Tassells worked closely with us to ensure that our new website delivered on every level and significantly differentiated us in the marketplace, all within the agreed budget and timescale. It even exceeded our expectations by incorporating some nifty features that have really impressed our customers - the feedback has been incredible!”

Crucial to this website is the bespoke property portfolio search engine. Tassells have added features such as a postcode driven area search, allowing quick and easy access to their UK property portfolio.

The site is designed with a fresh new look and the contents have been reconfigured to include client case studies and an online version of ‘ProLogis News’ utilising a page turning facility - enhancing the visitor experience.

The announcement of the website was made through an e-mailer; configured and distributed by Tassells.

Mark Gray, Director of Tassells said “email marketing is big news but you have to get it right if you want to avoid being classed as a spam mailer - a potential disaster for any business.”

Tassells are continuing to work with ProLogis to ensure the website stays up to date. Further additions to the online facilities are planned throughout 2009.

The new website has already seen a 30% increase in traffic.

Visit the ProLogis UK website »

In Liz’s own words “Westminster Bridge explores the confluence of MPs, doctors, tourists and celebrities travelling between the arts and medical centres of the South Bank and the administrative and government areas of the North Bank.

“Collage and printmaking (in the sky) are incorporated in an energetic challenge of suitable mark-making to fit the subject. For example the MI5 building seen on the horizon is made from pages of a Russian filofax, denoting espionage, the police bollards that stop traffic moving are made from train tickets, the Houses of Parliament from cut up and rearranged pages of a London A-Z - signifying ‘the knowledge’ that is going no-where. Sheets from the Financial Times are slipping out of the gloved man’s grasp to suggest loss of government information.

Tickets fly through the mono-printed sky because everyone depicted has a price, a cost to the tax-payer.

“But its light-hearted and the references are subtle so that they do not dominate enjoyment of what is essentially a playful city-scape.”

The Tassells team were unanimous in their selection from the 350 pieces in the exhibition and were intrigued by her sources of inspiration. Gary Dent, one of the design team said “the most fascinating aspect of the piece is that every time you look at it you see something new.”

Liz also explained how she combines both traditional and up to date methods in her work, “I am inspired by the playfulness of Pentagram designer Alan Fletcher and New York illustrator Saul Steinberg, among others. I am happy with the role of the computer, particularly the way that aspects such as scanning and resizing in photoshop lead towards the creation of part hand-made, part collaged artwork.”