There’s a hero in all of us

On our last blog, Andrew mentioned that we are working on a project for a client using Thermochromic heat sensitive varnish. I thought it would be good to share a bit more information on this project, plus, who doesn’t like talking about superheroes?

Now, before you get carried away thinking about what your superhero name and special power would be, let me explain how the idea all came about. Our client was after an Internal Communications campaign to boost internal sales and communication, and also for peer to peer recognition within the business. What better way to grab their attention than sending a teaser e-mail asking them if they’ve got what it takes to become a superhero?

Of course everyone has. I can see it now, all of them wrapping their suit jackets round their shoulders and charging round the office. Ok, maybe just me. But you get the point.

Next in the campaign came the magic, the personalised thermochromic direct mailer with heat sensitive varnish. All the sales people had to do was use their own powers to reveal their registration code and enter it into the website. From there, they could sign onto a purpose built website and choose their own Superhero Avatar.

Over the following three months, all they have to do is use their super sales powers to gain entries into a grand prize draw. The more power points they gain, the more chances there are to win big. And we mean big! Points can be accrued from everything from accepted deal registrations to revenue closed, and are logged by the individual on their own page, and confirmed by the business development managers who have a separate access area on the website.

The website shows everything from individual points scores, to league tables across divisions and business development managers (on their own log in) can pull reports to show who has already signed up, how many points they have, who is playing and who hasn’t responded yet. 

Bubbling away in the background is also a Social Media campaign going live in the next quarter, T-shirts and USBs handed out and follow up emails. 

Keep checking this blog to see the next stage come to life!

Ink on Paper

As you may have guessed we are taking in turns writing our blog to ensure that we have some quality information to share - it has felt strange to share this process but seen as I had not been getting round to it I am pleased there are posts every week so far.

This week I have been running our new digital press, among my roles here I have been over seeing the production team....it's a tough process that needs constant supervision due to the changing nature of our clients requirements, but all in all it's a very rewarding job, I get to see the work being finished and sent to the client. We love our digital and design services here but there is nothing as tactile as the hard copy printed item to make you feel warm and fuzzy about what we do.

So...our new press, WOW, it's blooming smashing and while it came with a large price tag it has delivered what was promised in the way of speed and quality, those of you who know me will know that I am a print geek of massive proportions (the geek bit not my size) so getting down and dirty with this new bit of kit has been a real pleasure. It can run papers from 60gsm right up to and including 400gsm printing both sides at once at 1200 DPI - We run SRA3 sheet size as standard to make sure the value to the client is maximised.....and wait for it........70 pages a minute.

Now I am trying not to make this post look like the Printers version of "50 Shades" but we are fast becoming very good at the specialist printing processes. We have just delivered a super project for one of our clients which used a Thermo Chromic Heat Sensitive varnish (see pic below)......we have been doing scratch cards - heat reveals, NFC and QR codes - I wanna talk Print Tech so email me....call or shout really loud and I will pop round and show you what can be done.

For now it's back to the print room for me.......next week I have a ton of web projects to start planning so I am going to make the most of the time I have to produce real hard copies this week.

Andrew Watts - Printer, Planner, Managing Director

Help...i need an idea!!

We've all been there... sat at our computer/tablet/pad and not known where on earth to start a project. It may be that the project is simply so large that all you need is a project plan to break down the chunks. Sorted.

But what if that's not it...? What if you purely have creative block and feel that all of your brightest ideas have been used in recent projects? Tight deadlines are always a common cause for 'the block', but these are inevitable. You need inspiration and you need it FAST.

Thankfully there are exercises and checklists to help you through this frustrating time. Even if the outcome doesn't directly lead you to the perfect idea...they will start you thinking and, in turn, drag you out of the pit of despair!!

Here are my top six tips for getting back your creative mojo:

1) Check you have all of the relevant information.

Now this may sound obvious, but sometimes the information presented to you by a client/colleague may not be enough to work with. You can try... but if you need to know more or you're finding it difficult to visualise what the project's even about - then its time to pop the cluedo hat on and ask as many questions as necessary. It will also help you out in the long-run as misinterpreting briefs can be catastrophic.

2) Communication is key.

You've come up with some ideas...but you're convinced they are going in the wrong direction. Don't sit on them and ponder, this wastes time and digs you further and further into 'the block'. Use internal staff to bounce these ideas off. You may find that they actually ARE hitting the brief or the staff may present thoughts and opinions you hadn't yet considered. Even the most well-rounded ideas can benefit from an outsider's perspective before being committed to.

3) Create a good balance between isolation and outside influences.

You may be distracted from conversations surrounding you or the office music playlist just doesn't float your boat. Either way... take some time out. Stick on the headphones...listen to your own choice of music...sometimes even the process of putting on headphones without any sounds helps me zone-out and focus. If you're lucky enough to be able to work in a different room for a period of time - do it.

It goes without saying that this also works in reverse. If you've been sat working alone or isolated under those headphones for too long... be sociable. Something you overhear from the conversation the other side of the room may just spark some inspiration!

4) Use creative flash cards.

You could make your own or even just flick through magazines letting your eyes pick out random words. Brian Eno and Peter Schmidt created a pack of cards in the 70s called 'Oblique Strategies'. I cannot recommend these enough!! They were originally produced to alleviate musicians block...but work just as well in any form of creative role. They are a series of words and sentences designed to relieve times of pressure by making you think another way or about something else. They also look pretty cool and something all creatives should own!!

www.enoshop.co.uk

5) Be a sponge.

For an immediate cure... get out and about. If 'the block' is definitely not laziness and you've tried all of the above you need to take a break and let your mind have some fresh air. Talking a walk will not only calm you down in general, but it will also open up your senses to what's going on in the world (opposed to just your screen and desk). Take in your surroundings and really look at things. Did you even know there was that bakery round the corner??

For good practice, and a more long-term solution...you need to keep interested. Go to galleries and gigs, read magazines, watch bizarre documentaries. This will keep your mind active and open to new ideas.

6) Speak to other professionals

Here at Apple Print and Creative we are always happy to help with creative consultations or even project brainstorming sessions. If you're stuck with a campaign idea to launch that latest product or would like to bounce off advertising plans with a member of our experienced team then just give us a call. We will happily visit you or you can pop into The Orchard for a cup of tea, cake and a natter. Often the best ideas come from collaboration.

If you need help with a project or would just like to chat an idea through then drop us a line www.appleprint.co.uk  

Five Things We Love About Living at The Orchard

After almost three decades, Apple Print and Creative finally has a home of its very own. It is now 3 months since the move to our new premises, The Orchard.

Having settled in, here are some of the things our staff loves the most about our new location in Abex Road:

1. More space – the sales team are very happy there is now room for clients to visit us without having to practically sit on our laps! We also have a great boardroom for formal presentations to clients, or just to have an informal chat about your needs. Our managing directors Jane and Andrew even have their own spacious offices.
2. The improved arrangement of space – all of our offices are now upstairs, whilst all of production takes place downstairs. No more getting lost, as often happened in our maze of a previous building, with this new layout! It has also been a great chance to reorganise ourselves – a new start gave us the opportunity to really think through the best way to make the space work for our needs, and the needs of our clients … which have changed hugely over the last 27 years.
3. The amount of natural light – we’re spoilt for windows here at The Orchard! The studio and managing director Andrew’s office even enjoy dual aspect views.
4. Plenty of car parking – no more shuffling cars around, so no more excuses for being late to client appointments! There are parking spaces reserved especially for visitors if you come to see us.
5. A great central location by the canal off Bone Lane, well located for deliveries to clients in the Newbury area, and for clients to call in and see us.

Most of all, we love having a place to call ours, and a secure long-term future for Apple Print and Creative… we’ll be here for many years to come!

So drop in for a cuppa if you haven’t already seen our new home for yourself … we look forward to many more clients calling in!

Mondi, Premier Paper and UK printer, Apple Print, collaborate for the Digital Printer Awards

Vienna, Aug 22nd, 2012 ─ International paper and packaging producer Mondi is working together with Apple Print & Creative of Newbury and The Premier Paper Group, the UK’s leading independent paper distributor, on a submission for the prestigious Digital Printer Awards. Organised by Whitmar Publishing, the Digital Printer Awards recognise innovation, creativity and excellence in digital print.

Apple Print is a well-established business offering a full printing service including lithographic, digital and large format with a fantastic creative studio on-site.

Andrew Watts, Joint Managing Director of Apple Print, commented: “We are delighted to be invited to participate in this exciting initiative with Premier Paper and Mondi.  We are a highly talented team with over 20 years of experience within the design and marketing industry and welcome the opportunity to have our success recognised through the Digital Printer Awards 2012.”

 “Working together with The Premier Paper Group and Apple Print, who has expertise both in creative design and digital printing is an exciting opportunity. This collaboration combined with Apple Print’s in-house creative team will bring out the best in paper and print technology and innovative design,” said Johannes Klumpp, Marketing and Sales Director for Mondi Uncoated Fine Paper.

The winners of this year’s Digital Printer Awards will be announced in November 2012.

Why We Like Working With Apple Print

Here at Jokers' Masquerade we have been working with Apple Print on various hard copy offline marketing initiatives for the last few years. We're also based in Newbury so the fact that Apple are local was an important attribute for us. We wanted to work with a local company so we would be able to receive and review the proofs quickly and also support another business located within the same area.

One of our first projects that was honestly handled with tact and probably just the right amount of urgency was a magazine style brochure called Visage that we added to all orders that were placed on our website. We have since worked with Apple Print to produce header cards for products as well as various fancy dress themed leaflets and flyers.

Apple Print and Creative Celebrates 25 Years of Print

Thursday August 11^th was the date of the big 80s themed fancy dress celebration to mark 25 years of the business successfully creating and crafting printed materials. Apple very kindly invited Kate and Donna to attend. Both wore our Space Invader fancy dress costume to the event held at the Faraday Road studio. Both received various requests to walk sideways in homage to the computer game.

Apple Print actually launched their new website at the event, which is a nice new modern look. In composing this blog post I actually asked Nigel, our resident graphic designer how he feels about using the Apple website to which I received an unusually concise response saying “It certainly conveys their services clearly, you can find your way around the site easily. I also think their friendliness comes across through the site” What a nice chap. Kate, who was no longer wearing the Space Invader costume at the time of being quizzed shared that “Its very quick and simple to upload artwork to their client area”. That certainly sounds like two very positive reviews of the new website.

Here's a photo from the celebration:

We've worked previously with both Andrew Watts and Barbra Frost and both were very helpful, they provided a personal and professional touch and make us feel very confident that they are on top of things. That personal touch and the willingness to go just  a little further is why we like working with Apple.

This was a guest post by Jokers' Masquerade fancy dress, where they are currently fighting over which is the best new Halloween costume.