I recently designed this campaign for Optimal Chiropractic in Ballincollig. It deserves special mention for their chosen charity; Breakthrough Cancer Research and Cork Cancer Research Centre (CCRC). I am aware of the great work CCRC do from my time as JCI Cork President in 2010 when one of their researchers Dr. Mark Tangney was nominated for JCI Ireland “The Outstanding Young Person of the Year” (TOYP). He was recognised that year as one of the Top 30 Young People in the World for his work in Cancer research.
Spread the love and help CCRC continue the fight against cancer and at the same time have your back (or your loved one’s back) checked at Optimal Chiropractic for only €20 (it is St. Valentine’s Week next week after all!)
Recently a close friend asked me; “So what is it exactly that you design?” At first I was surprised by the question as I ‘assumed’ that everyone knew what Christine and I do! (Wrong assumption). Sometimes it is our closest family and friends that really don’t know what we do day in day out as we tend to not ‘talk shop’ when we spend time together. However, they are the very people, who in a heartbeat, will recommend us to others. So, Christine and I set about rectifying this by putting together a year at a glance (reeling in the years style!) in the form of a newsletter. We had some difficulty choosing from all the projects we did in 2011 and narrowing it down to 8 pages was more difficult than we thought. So, here it is attached, we hope you enjoy reading it and we look forward to creating more in 2012.
It’s been a bit of a busy week but I can’t let it finish without writing a quick post on a very special campaign being run by a local shop in Skibbereen. Sean Murray Fashions is looking for the women of Ireland to send him their old bras with a donation to The Irish Cancer Society.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Sean aims to cover the town with bras to raise awareness and round out October with a fashion show in aid of the charity as well as a tug of war with the bras on Main St. The tug of war is a fun event but will symbolise the struggle against breast cancer Irish female sufferers face on a daily basis. Each year more than 2,500 women are diagnosed with breast cancer and although women are more aware of it there is still much to be done.
If any ladies reading this have old bras (which I’m sure you do) lying around the house please send them to Sean Murray, 5 Main St., Skibbereen along with a small donation – the pennies make the pounds (or cents make the euros!). Sean Murray’s is also donating 10% of sales of bras sold throughout October to the Irish Cancer Society as well as giving ladies 10% off for themselves – everyone’s a winner!
Here is a link to TV3’s Midday programme where the ladies speak about the campaign
Sean also hit the national airwaves yesterday morning when he spoke to Hector live on air about the campaign!
Below is a sample of some the coverage from the papers yesterday…
Just like everything else in the world, the nicer you are the more you seem to get back. Therefore, the nicer you are to a service provider, chances are the better the service you will receive in return. Thinking about this made me think of how all of us tend to go the extra mile for those who appreciate what we do so here are just two quick tips for getting more from your service providers be they in PR, design, plumbing – whatever!
Be Friendly
So maybe you’re just having a bad day and you didn’t mean to sound abrupt on that call or come across short on the last email. Perhaps you’re in a hurry or you’re having a particularly crappy day – does that mean you can skimp on the niceties to those that are providing you with a service? Some people think that by being tough and/or ungrateful will make their provider work harder for them or by not giving praise means that you are happy enough with what they are doing – I suppose we can all be guilty of this.
However, it is proven that being nice doesn’t cost you anything and encourages people to try harder and go that extra step to make you even happier. Give praise, say thank you, write a card or even cheaper, an email – it won’t take long and you’ll see a marked difference in how you are treated in return. It’s karma!
Give: Friendliness and Gratitude
Get: The extra mile
Take ideas on Board – dare to be different
Don’t shoot down ideas because you’ve never done “that” in the past. This isn’t the past – it’s always a good time to step up your image and new ideas which may seem a little bit crazy are often the ones that take you to higher ground and help you stand out from your competition. I know that I am extra motivated when working on creative campaigns for clients who just get it and want to break the mould. So don’t be afraid to test the waters and trust your provider.
Yesterday I was lucky enough to catch the most beautiful sunset in Baltimore – some things are naturally perfect and this was certainly one of them. When something is this good it doesn’t require help with design or PR…luckily for DM, there aren’t many places or things in the world like this!!
The Clarion Hotel Cork are in early preparations for this year’s Cork International Jazz Festival with an amazing line up for the ever popular weekend 22nd – 25th October. The main acts this year are The Jive Aces and The Slammers Maximum Jive Band on the Saturday night in the hotel’s Pegasus Suite. The Jive Aces are described as the UK’s Number 1 Jive Band and have performed on numerous occasions on TV in the UK and across Europe. They also performed in the world renowned Royal Albert Hall earlier this year. The Slammers Maximum Jive Band are a high energy group that will keep revelers rocking until the small hours of the morning. So get your dancing shoes on and grab your ticket from the Clarion for just €20. A night not to be missed!
It’s a joy when you meet a client that is willing to see beyond the normal run of the mill design options and is open to trying something a little different. This opportunity emerged recently with Bowe Property, a very progressive property agency based in Bandon and Ballincollig. Managing Director Brendan Bowe appreciates the real difference good creative design can bring to a business. The brief was to create a series of strip adverts for Bowe Property to run in the front page property section of the Irish Examiner throughout 2010. In a time where everybody in the property world are experiencing challenging times what was most encouraging about working with Brendan and his team is they refuse to bury their heads in the sand. It is obvious when working with Bowe Property how passionate they are about their business. Their positivity is infectious and this positivity is reflected in the advertising campaign DMdesign created.
Procrastination – we’re all guilty of it, in particular when it comes to business. The thought of doing something new or different to what’s been done in the past can be an unnerving experience. What if it won’t work out? Will people see us differently? Will we get a return on investment? The list of questions can be never ending – and so procrastination sets in. “Next week” becomes the word of the day and tomorrow is always too close! True, times are tough and it can be difficult to take the plunge and try something different. But isn’t that just the point? If a business doesn’t do something different then you can be sure that your competition will, leaving you even further behind. It’s a never ending spiral of time and opportunities just flying by while you are scratching your head and your business is laying dormant. Now is the time to do something different to stand out from the crowd. As the saying goes – If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten – and it’s definitely fair to say that everybody wants their business to be the best that it can be.
Today, do something different. Run a promotion, set up a twitter account, update your website, hold an event…or hire creative and unique PR and design consultants (ahem!) Whatever it is, do something today that can make a change to your bottom line – it will make you feel good and your business will thank you for it!
These Gift Guru’s were a pleasure to work with. They knew exactly who their target market was and believed in the power of a strong corporate identity to get their customers attention. When choosing a final logo design they didn’t fall into the trap of choosing the safe option, such as an emblem with a bow or a gift box. They chose the most unique emblem which will serve them well. www.giftguru.ie
