Tuesday 26 April 2011

Researching Studios

Design Source, Nottingham
What they do: 'We don't have expensive office overheads, so we can offer our graphic design services at very competitive rates. We have extensive experience & knowledge of design in a number of areas including... display and exhibition, branding, corporate identity, corporate literature, reports and accounts, advertising, print management, packaging, photography, illustration, web design, web build and hosting, packaging, merchandise, icons, logos'

Are they professional? Last year we became a member of the National Business Link Consultant Register, an initiative owned by the Small Business Service, an agency of the government. In order to gain membership, we had to meet certain standards in the following areas: working relationships, providing information and advice, contributing to implementation and evidence of continual professional development.

All of our work, whether it be design, illustration, print, photography or web design is done to the very highest standards, at an affordable price - just looking at our design portfolio shows that we are a passionate, modern graphic design studio.

Images of work below:





Abstrakt, Nottingham
Abstrakt have a completely different approach than most studios I have seen. On their website when presented with the problem of introducing themselves, they have chosen to create a video. I think this is a really unique way of tackling this and something we could perhaps consider with our studio. If we have a video camera and someone who is competent at editing then it shows us and our skills in a positive light straight away. Below is screen cap from their webpage, however if you wish to watch the video click here.





FDC, Leicestershire
Taken from the web: 'From small to medium to large... we'll get you thinking big! So you need a... Graphic designer? Marketing Specialist? E-marketing Strategist? Web Designer?

Big agency ideas, without the big price tag
FDC is the first full service design agency in Leicestershire serving the Midlands and beyond at a genuinely affordable rate. From web design to email marketing, branding and copywriting, our tight-knit team of experienced experts come armed to fulfil your design and marketing needs with our professional, no-nonsense approach.

Proudly the fastest growing design agency in the country, we support both small and large enterprises in the Midlands and further afield, paying heed to our clients’ creative and commercial needs.

Fusing substance and style with inspired results, our proven track record includes British Sugar, Ola Holidays and Davidsons as three of many satisfied clientele.'

Below are images of their work. It all seems very corporate and not the style our studio will be working in. It all seems very two dimensional and not creative enough for out own tastes. However if this is what is required to make money then maybe we be open to taking on such professional briefs.




RJDA, Nottingham
Taken from web:
'RJ Design Associates is a graphic design agency based in the East Midlands.

If you are looking to move your company forward then you need some forward-thinking ideas to get you there and we know that ideas are everything when it comes to design.

Our graphic designers are full of fresh ideas and produce outstanding, innovative designs tailored to your brand and your product. They enjoy working together with clients relishing the endless possibilities and opportunities that are design. Our passionate creative design team work efficiently but ensure that they take time to get things right: clients are always impressed by our attention to detail.

Graphic design: going straight to the Sauce

RJDA's graphic design team includes several award-winning graduates from top East Midlands universities and our annual Creative Sauce competition for local graphic design students showcases the best of the region's fresh creative talent.

Our strong links with the graphic design departments at Derby, Nottingham Trent and Loughborough universities means you can rest assured we won't miss an opportunity to recruit the best new graphic designers to work on your brands.

We are located just off junction 25 of the M1, between Nottingham and Derby, in a purpose-built office that also houses our print, web design and digital marketing departments. This integration ensures excellent value for our clients as our experts are always on hand to offer advice and deliver the best results for your brand in any department.




Seismik, Nottingham
Taken from web:
We are a creative studio that cater for all manner of design disciplines. Our services include: graphic design, motion graphics artists, video production, animation, web design. Nottingham, UK is our base but we are in the perfect position to serve both UK and international clients.

We believe all good design stems from good ideas and process. Our creative ideas are what makes us unique and our approach to design could just be what you are looking for.


Background:
We have been producing our unique idea driven design works for various clients both corporate and non-corporate which has seen us steadily rise up the food chain. Originally set up by Simon Dunn in Nottingham Fashion Centre the business has thrived off a self sustaining good word of mouth. We pride ourselves on attention to detail and this ethic echoes throughout all areas of our work and we always deliver more than asked for.

Contact:
There are a multitude of reasons to get in touch and multiple ways to do so.
Phone us - 0115 8415043
Email us - enquiries@seismik.co.uk

Traditional Mail
Seismik Ltd
Studio O
69-73 Lower Parliament Street
Nottingham City Centre
NG1 3BB

Seismik seem like the kind of studio that we would really compete against. The fact that they are multidisciplinary seems like an advantage, but at the same time by specialising in so many skill sets they could actually be taking on too much work. The way they present themselves on their website is professional, whilst still a little quirky, something I am pretty sure our studio would be too.

Purple Circle, Nottingham
Taken from web:

Purple Circle are a print and digital design agency in Nottingham. With an established background and specialism in branding, we combine award-winning strategy and design to help businesses in Nottingham and beyond engage their audiences in online, mobile and traditional media

Services:
Ground-up branding and rebrands
Design and artwork for print
Packaging design and POS
Design and build for web and email
Design and build for phone apps
Copywriting and editing
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and online PR
Social media packages

Awards: The lengthy list below obviously shows that this particular studio is a high achieving one, and not afraid of showing it off. The sheer amount is quite overwhelming. I'm pretty sure we could not compete against these in our start up years, but they are perhaps a studio whose success we should aim to emulate.


Images of work: Their work is very similar to type of work I can imagine we would undertake, with print methods and production always in the forefront of our minds.



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