Another week, another website launch, this week for a banqueting venue in Berkshire.

The Olympia Ballroom at Shehnai is the largest banqueting suite anywhere in Berkshire, catering for all manner of events, from spectacular conferences through to elegant weddings, quirky exhibitions and even comedy nights.

The Shehnai Group asked Bluegg to develop a new website. The old site was dated, didn’t showcase the beautiful venue in the best light, offered little advanced functionality and didn’t represent them as a company.

Left: Old website was outdated and unprofessional. Right: New website is sleek, classy and tasteful

We started the project by spending time with the client at the venue, absorbing the atmosphere and getting a good understanding of the business. As part of the research phase we looked at the business requirements and how a new website could both promote and help Shehnai run the business. The team needed a better way to manage enquiries, bookings, clients and events so we advised a bespoke management system as part of the project.

Once the project and scope were agreed, we started work on the visual side. Using the existing gold logo as a basis, we created a design that was stylish and contemporary. The dark colour scheme reflects the opulent and luxurious look of the venue, whilst working as a backdrop to highlight the custom photography the client had commissioned.

During the design stage, we decided that we wanted to create a different theme for the wedding section using ivory, cream and gold to give a lighter more appropriate feel.

For the main site we used WordPress as a CMS to control the main pages, slideshows, blog and events. The custom built booking system allows the team to add clients and bookings, track payments and suppliers, and have a much better overview of the business. It also allows clients access to their individual bookings to check the status and details.

We’re really pleased with the result and even more pleased to have another satisfied client. Visit the new site at www.shehnaigroup.co.uk and let us know what you think in the comments!

Over the last five years we’ve designed and launched a number of auction websites for clients all over the UK and in the Middle East. Last week we added to the list by launching Truck Auction World – The UK’s leading online truck auction.

Truck Auction World deal in seriously heavy duty equipment, from HGV cabs and tailors to road going cement trucks and industrial machinery. This means that it’s logistically impossible to transport and store vehicles to a single location, so the company needed an auction system that was entirely online.

The old website and online system was overly complex, yet didn’t offer all the functionality required. The stockists were cluttered and difficult to manage and navigate.

The old website – feels cluttered and over complicated making key content difficult to find

The team at TAW chose our long term partners Kingfisher to operate the backend system and auction software, so we were brought in to work on the front end, user experience and help with the integration.

The new website – Is simple, easy to use and helps users get to important content

Since the Truck Auction World brand is very well established within its market the decision was made to stick with their existing logo. Everything else, including typography, colour and layout has had a complete overhaul.

The key focus for the project was to create a website that offered a slick user experience, a huge array of features and functions aimed at regular auction buyers and sellers and to represent the company as leaders in their field.

Each lot features a unique count down timer and a bespoke bidding system

It’s early days to know what effect the new website has on the business. So far the signs are good! Even if you’re not a massive fan of trucks (and you should be) make sure you check out www.truckauctionworld.com and let us know what you think in the comments.

This week we launched a small, but lovely site for Black Vanilla a gelato maker in London. They already had an exisiting brand identity and wanted to bring more personality to the new version of the website with bespoke illustration and texture.

There was minimal content for the site so the illustrations were always going to be paramount to its success. We opted for a hand drawn style and simple shapes to reflect the content, circles for gelato and sorbetto, cake shapes for the cakes and glasses for the champagne.

We used pastel shades to bring these to life and add some colour to the predominantly chocolate brown website.

This hand drawn style was also introduced to the navigation and the social media icons. The guys at Black Vanilla have used matching illustrations for wall and window graphics in both their London shops to help bring the brand together.

It may be a small site but we’re really pleased with the final result and think it is a beautiful and unique site which makes us crave sorbet every time we look at it!

Check out the site at www.black-vanilla.com and let us know what you think in the comments.

It’s hard to believe that March is here already. 2012 has flown by so far and we have been caught up in a frenzy of fun and exciting projects. So we are taking time to reflect on the year so far and to share some sneak peaks at projects we are currently working on.

We have recently launched websites for a company that help with self assessment tax returns, Taxdoctor, and also for a botox training organisation, Honey Fizz. That’s what we love most about our job – working with completely different types of businesses!

Website we're currently working on for a Banqueting company

At the moment, we’re working on websites for a banqueting suite company in Berkshire, a boutique bakery and gelateria in London, a specialist rehabilitation and counselling service and for a Norwegian outdoor clothing brand.

Here's a sneak peek at a website we're designing for gelato maker in London

As well as these exciting web projects we have been involved in some fun print projects for long term clients the Seren Group, SSE, DS Smith Recycling and the PHS Group. We’re also being kept on our toes as we are working on projects in Arabic, Urdu, Russian, Czech, Flemish, Hebrew, Hungarian, Slovak and Polish. Headwork, but fun! To say we are lucky and excited about the months past and the months ahead is an understatement.

These are part of an icon set we're working on for a rehabilitation and counselling centre

We’ll be blogging about these projects as they reach completion, and have started Instagramming sneak peeks of projects we’re working on, so follow us on Twitter for the latest updates!

Last week some exciting news was announced about our Creative Director, Tom and our Studio Manager, Rob. In a moment of complete madness (or excitement and confidence), Tom and Rob decided to offer themselves as speakers for a new web conference.

The idea was Tom’s, and as a man with many valid opinions and a wealth of knowledge to share, I can’t think of anyone better to take to the stage than him. It’s his first ever gig speaking at a web event though and as Rob has been toying with the idea of public speaking for a while it seemed like a good plan that they team up and give a joint talk… providing moral support for one another.

The conference is being held on May 25th here in Newport! It’s called Port 80 and is a first for Newport, so major hat tip to conference organiser Joel Hughes.

Tom and Rob will be talking about personality on the web. By deconstructing websites, copy and brands they will be revealing why it is important to find your personality and how to communicate it effectively online and offline to your target audience.

Everyone at Bluegg salutes the guys for taking this brave step and we’re super excited to be there and support them on the day. With their combined knowledge and charisma they are sure to knock ‘em dead and wow the crowds (or something like that).

If you’re interested in finding out more about the conference you can visit the site here or follow it on Twitter here.

If you’re planning to go to the conference, feel free to let us know in the comments below!

Break a leg fellas.

I had high hopes for Designing for Emotion before I had even opened it. The subject matter was one that interests me greatly and any book that discusses the psychology behind design is a must read for me.

Not only did the book live up to my expectations but it exceeded them. Author Aarron Walter has crafted a well researched and enjoyable read that is the perfect length to digest in a few hours but also a handy reference that I will come back to time and time again.

One of the first things that hit home for me was the importance of longevity in our designs and somehow creating an experience that people talk about long after they have moved onto the next website.

This industry changes quickly and it can often be a struggle to keep up, so whilst we are focused on making sites responsive or adopting a content first approach, it won’t be long before something else will be the focus. What Designing for Emotion makes clear in the foreword is that by ensuring there is an emotional connection between users and the websites we create, we are creating work and experiences that last and that keep people talking about them.

The book continues to discuss a wide range of topics but always links them back to main subject. Craftsmanship is one such topic and here Walters discusses how those who craft something, anything, leave a bit of themselves in their work. It’s about adding the personal touch and being passionate about what you do.

He goes on to say how we are more connected today through the web, social media and technology but not necessarily more connected in an emotional way. I completely agree with this sentiment. If anything social media is making us more anti-social, with superficial friendships and weak emotional connections between one another. With the importance of offline relationships clear, Walters believes we can bring some of that emotional resonance online and his book tells us how.

At Bluegg we focus on personality and the best way to communicate this through the designs we craft for our clients. It was great to read that Walters also sees this as being an important part of design, to show the humans behind the website. He also encourages us to keep things simple. Sure the sites we create have to be usable but that usability doesn’t have to come at the expense of pleasure (or emotion).

The book states that to make experiences pleasurable we have to look at storytelling, the attention to detail and (dare I insert a blow-my-own-trumpet plug here to my own book) the value in designing the invisible. I couldn’t resist -sorry.

As for the psychology behind design, Walters talks about the relationship between emotion and memory. He shares some great real-life examples with us throughout the book including when we hear songs, when we smell certain things and when we taste incredible food. Recall is improved when we have an emotional connection to something. There’s no need for this not to be true with websites.

Another theme in the book that is close to my heart is audiences. Walters states that ‘when it comes to emotional design, we need to tailor the personality to the content and audience’. He also says that ‘by understanding our audience we can better address their needs’. Again I completely agree and would also add from my experience of working as part of an audience research team for the BBC that there is a big difference between knowing your audience and understanding your audience. It is this understanding that brings with it more insight into those you are targeting, an insight that will allow you to create designs that they can relate to emotionally.

Having a keen interest in all the topics neatly sewn together in this book means that it was unlikely I wouldn’t like it, but that’s not to say that my enjoyment was guaranteed. Walters has written a book that all those in the industry should read, it won’t take long but the knowledge he shares and the inspiration it yields is invaluable. It’s certainly got me thinking and I’m going to make sure all those at Bluegg read it too.

Have you read Designing for Emotion? If so, why not tell us what you thought of it in the comments.

We seem to have a lucky knack of attracting clients who give us a lot of creative freedom and truly value good design. Taxdoctor is one of those clients who wanted to relaunch themselves with a refreshed logo and completely redesigned website. They had very firm ideas about what they wanted, but we were able to work together to bring plenty of personality to a service seen as being stressful and confusing – self assessment tax returns.

The old Taxdoctor prior to the Bluegg redesign

Taxdoctor wanted to keep the basis of their current identity so we recreated the logo by updating the overall shape, typography and colour. This helped define the colour palette and design style for the website.

New refreshed logo and the old logo

A key part to the project was to change the view of the whole tax return service. Taxdoctor are a personal, informal and friendly company and this needed to be reflected in the tone and design of the site. They also wanted to make dealing with tax return information much less formal, less intimidating and as smooth as possible. To help introduce this style we used bespoke illustrations of a Taxdoctor character and his clients. These are featured throughout the site and are complimented with bright colours, a clean design style and a well structured navigation. We also introduced clear call to actions to help users find key information and increase sign up numbers.

The new Taxdoctor homepage featuring bespoke illustrations

The site content is controlled by WordPress as a CMS to give the team control and allows for flexible management. We built a bespoke plugin to allow Taxdoctor to add customised landing pages for an increasing number of third party partners. The site also integrates with a CRM so all enquires, forms and sign ups are captured and stored.

In addition to the website, we also created a range of exhibition banners and leaflets to help support the brand offline. These also featured the illustrations style ensuring consistency across all materials and bringing out the friendly side of self assessment.

James from the Taxdoctor said:
“We’ve never worked with a design agency before as we choose to use freelancers, we knew that this had to change though and as soon as we met the Bluegg team we knew they were the people for us. From day one they understood our idea, philosophy and just got “the Taxdoctor way”. Communication is fantastic and the creativity and ideas have been invaluable. After just finishing our busiest month ever we know we made the right decision and we look forward to our next helping of Blueggness.”

Have a look at the site at www.taxdoctor.co.uk and as always, we’d love to hear your comments below.

Last week I contributed to a series of workshops that were being run by our client Honey Fizz.

Honey Fizz train medical professionals on new techniques in the field of non surgical aesthetic procedures (that’s Botox injections and stuff to you and me!). On top of that they also advise these newly trained experts on how to kick start their business including business planning and marketing. I was asked to deliver workshops on branding.

Now, I think I’ve got a long way to go in my career before I’d feel comfortable walking around wearing a big ‘Expert’ badge, but the experience I’ve gained in the 10 years of running Bluegg has given me enough information to at the very least form an opinion.

I’ve been fortunate enough to deal with a big array of businesses and business sectors, who are all at very different stages of development but who all strive for the same thing; increase sales and awareness through various forms of communication. They all aim to portray a certain ‘brand’ to their customers hoping that there are mechanisms that will connect them and draw them in.

Now, we all hear the term ‘brand’ banded about a lot and am still surprised to hear what the term means to professional business owners, so the basis of my workshop was to get people to understand what I believe is the essence of a brand and how that applies to all businesses, big and small.

The discussion started by questioning what the term ‘brand’ meant to individuals. I wasn’t surprised to hear the response “a familiar logo” or “a nice advert and leaflets that are all the same”

This, I believe is the biggest misconception, especially in the world of SME’s (and one of the reasons why Bluegg is going so strong). People are getting the term ‘brand’ confused with ‘communication’. They were highlighting the mechanisms but not the reasoning. Not understanding this is where a lot of companies trip up.

I believe (and this is nothing new!) that a ‘brand’ is the whole experience of a company, from the connection made in an advert to the reassurance felt in a handshake or phone call, or the initial impression of looking at a business card. This carries through to the feeling of delight and satisfaction at a job well done and the thought of “they really looked after me there” (hopefully).

All of this can be achieved by any sized company by simply offering a service that lives up to their own expectations and here, I believe lies the problem. Too many businesses and business owners forget what it’s like to be a consumer. They struggle to remove themselves from their stressed filled offices to recall what would be their own perfect experience of buying their product or using their service. They need to almost have an out of body experience.

This is a technique that designers and brand experts have mastered through years of training and experience, which is why we say things like “that’s way too much text” or “the logo really doesn’t need to be any bigger” or even “please don’t say the words clip art again”.

It’s because we’ve learned to remove ourselves from your business and look at it subjectively. With enough research on your target market, you will learn just what makes them tick, which will help you understand what they consider a great experience, and encourage them to return.

How does this then become a brand? Well, that’s where communication and design plays its small but important part.

So the key areas of advice I gave were:

• Try to recall your what you would consider to be the best ‘brand experience’ you’ve received.
• Break that down to the parts of the service that really impressed you.
• Use these insights to create your own ‘brand statement’ or company ethos and then strive to emulate and deliver those key elements.
• Be true to yourself by developing an image that represents your personality.
• Look at your communication streams and deliver continuity in design and tone of voice.
• Incentivise your employees to connect with the brand that they too represent. Their connection with a customer is as important as your own.
• Believe in what you’re offering.
• Always keep an eye on the brand statement.

In conclusion: There’s a lot that we can all do to visually deliver beautiful looking messaging, but if beyond that there is a bad experience that doesn’t match up then you’ll always be fighting a losing battle to build your brand.

I’d love to hear your views on branding (even if they’re different to mine!) so if you’d like to add anything please feel free to comment below. Of course if you’d like to talk more about your brand, please get in touch.

The Aesthetic Academy name and logo lacked any personality so a new name was needed

Over the years we have gained a reputation for producing work with bags of personality. We call it the Bluegg way. It’s pretty rare that we get asked to do something so off the wall that it stumps us, but we recently worked with a company that thought we’d be up for a challenge. That company was Aesthetics Academy, a non-surgical cosmetic training organisation. They are now called Honey Fizz. Here’s the story how.

The Aesthetic Academy name and logo lacked any imagination or personality and was being used by a number of competitors. The logo of two needles making an ‘a’ was both appropriate and a bit scary at the same time. It got across the idea of administering fillers and Botox, but it was too obvious and too medical. The same would be said for the colour palette of light blue and grey. Director Chantalle wanted a name that would get people thinking and was unrelated to the services, it had to be quirky and different. Honey Fizz is all of those things!

In order to name any company you need to understand the business, its customers and its values, as well as the wider industry. And in the case of Aesthetics Academy, we had to quickly learn to ignore much of that and look at the surreal. Having picked Chantalle’s brains and embarked on a research phase, we gathered the team and started to come up with names. We decided early on that we wanted two unrelated words to combine to help create something unique. Our ideas session led us from snakes to colours and from fruits to sweets!

After a while, we settled on Mint Cherry, something fresh and unrelated, but even this was considered too serious. After more research, we started looking down many random avenues including different languages. One such ‘language’ ended up being cockney rhyming slang, which turns ‘face’ into ‘boat race’. This got us thinking and after much searching we found a famous boat from the 19th Century called ‘Honey Fizz’.

The old website was too clinical and looked to much like a generic template which lacked personality

Once the name was agreed we set to work on the visual identity. We experimented with typography and ended up developing a logo which uses ITC Souvenir as a base font, which has been customised. Part of the customisation was a ligature joining the letters ‘n, f and i’. This helped form a smooth shape that we used to create a subtile ‘honey dribble’.

We opted for a strong yolk yellow and black colour palette, a nod to bees of course. We also introduced a secondary colour of blue to act as a way-finding tool by using it for links and clickable content on the website.

The new Honey Fizz website introduces a consistent brand style, and a simple, bold colour palette

Once the identity was agreed and the stationery had been designed we moved onto a CMS website. Again it was key to inject as much personality as possible into the pages, without distracting from the content. To achieve this we created bespoke illustrations for each of the top level navigation pages, and small hand rendered touches around the site.

The whole site is managed by WordPress to allow the Honey Fizz team to add and edit content whenever they like. We also hooked the site up to a CRM they already had set up, so all enquires are stored and available for use later on.

Quirky illustrations help add character and personality

Chantalle said “Bluegg have delivered a design exactly as I imagined, there were no templates and the visions of the brand we clearly discussed all the way through. Their clear organised manner really appealed to me, as we had meetings set out as the project progressed. I’d highly recommend Bluegg to anyone who wants to stand out from the crowd and get their business vision across to their customers. A great company to deal with, who are fun, contemporary, yet very focused on getting the job done properly!”

We’re really excited about the future of Honey Fizz and proud to have been involved in such a radical brand overhaul. Take a look at the new site here and come back to let us know what you think in the comments.

And there goes another year! It seems to have flown by quicker than Vettel on his way to a 2nd F1 World Championship! There’s been a couple of pretty big moments. There were highs as the whole nation held its breath as Wales did us proud in the Rugby World Cup. And lows as the tech world mourned the loss of a true pioneer.

For us, it’s been another bumper, action packed year, despite the economic issues that haven’t exactly made life easy! We met a whole bunch of fantastic new clients as well as (hopefully) doing our existing ones proud. We started a new networking club which now has almost 100 members and will see its 4th event in January. We’ve had a good bit of press too, with yours truly and Rob appearing in Computer Arts, .Net magazine and Web Designer magazine. Mike did a bike ride. And most importantly, we’re all still here and loving (virtually!) every minute.

We’ve got some really exciting times ahead in 2012. And some pretty big plans too. For now, we bid you farewell, Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year. We’ll see you on the other side!

Opening Times

The studio will be closing at 5pm on Wednesday 21st December and we’ll be back, refreshed, bright eyed, bushy tailed and ready to take on the world at 8.30am on Tuesday 3rd Jan 2012.