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Studio North & Parasol scoop three UK branding awards


March 4th, 2010 by Michael

Well, we bloody did it! One gold and two silver awards against some mighty fine competition. A mixed agency and clientside northern contingent travelled down to London on Tuesday to attend the hotly contested Transform 2010 UK rebranding awards. The setting the rather grandoise Tabernacle in Notting Hill. With nominations in three categories, ordinarily we would have high hopes of winning something, but given the opposition, realism rather than optimism was the order of the day.

However, the judges begged to differ and took the accurate view that the quality and impact of the rebrand work deserved some appropriate recognition. The gold award was given for ‘Best use of copy/tone of voice’. A firm reminder that a brand’s verbal identity is as important as the visual, something many businesses don’t consider. The silvers were awarded for ‘Best corporate rebrand to reflect changed mission/values/positioning’ and ‘Best rebrand in financial services sector’. Citroen and Grant Thornton were the respective winners in these categories and Aviva and Rothschild took the bronze awards – a tremendous benchmark for us and the client. Click here to view all the award winners.

So a great night and a big thank you to the Parasol marketing team for being superb clients and copywriter Carol for her tremendous contribution. View the case study here.

Also worth a final mention is that jointly flying the flag for the region, the Co-operative Group won the Grand Prix award picking up several awards along the way for their exhaustive nationwide rebranding program. Agency-wise, the big London firms dominated the awards with Pentagram picking up seven themselves and as far as we can work out Studio North were the only consultancy to break the capital’s stranglehold.

Chuffed to bits and as drunk as lords.

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The Legend of Dick and Dom


February 12th, 2010 by Michael

Studio North’s evolution gathers pace as we welcome two more new starters in Account Managers Richard Lowe and Dominic McVeigh.

Richard previously spent three years at Aylesworth Fleming having graduated with a degree in Operations Management at Lancaster University Management School. Hailing from Wolverhampton, Richard excels at most sports notably a keen rower at University and the captain of both rugby and cricket college teams.

Dominic has worked both client and agencyside in previous roles, most recently at Finch in his native Liverpool. Again, a graduate in Politics and English at Loughborough University, Dom also holds a CIM Professional Diploma in Marketing and is currently working towards a Masters.

Both lads have got stuck right into the client base and we wish them well. They are pictured here letting their hair down for childrens television. From left to right, Richard & Dominic.

Dick-and-Dom

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Transform 2010 Awards recognise Parasol rebrand


January 29th, 2010 by Michael

Last year’s work for Parasol has been shortlisted in three categories in the UK rebranding awards Transform 2010. The awards which celebrate excellence in rebranding and brand transformation are due to take place at The Tabernacle in Powis Square, Notting Hill on 2 March 2010.

In the best corporate rebrand to reflect changed mission/values/positioning, we are being judged against Citroen and Aviva (Norwich Union).  Parasol’s verbal identity will be pitted against the Action for Children charity in the best use of copy/tone of voice category and finally global firms Grant Thornton and Rothschild provide the competition in the best rebrand in financial services sector. All of these companies have more offices than we have chairs but nevermind and never underestimate the underdog.

The Shortlist

The other designers & brand consultancies who have entered work read like a who’s who of the best on the planet. Interbrand, Landor, Pentagram, Siegel Gale and the like. All London and all with a global presence. We’re humble enough to admit we’re honoured to be rubbing shoulders with these hugely respected firms. In fact, from what we can tell, aside from flying the flag for the region we are pretty much flying it for everyone outside the M25 agency wise. The Co-operative Group will be there representing 0161 clientside but then again their rebrand typically went south to Pentagram.

So it’s David & Goliath and our first real effort in terms of entering client work for awards. And great awards at that, with outstanding criteria of measuring the effectiveness of branding as well as strategic input, process and creative execution.

In London, their backyard so to speak, against the creme de la creme. So expect some merriment, even if we walk away empty handed.shortlist

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New arrival at Studio North!


January 27th, 2010 by Steve

Everyone at Studio North would like to offer our congratulations to Anna and husband Bob on the healthy arrival of baby Freya Scott. Born at 3.15am on 19 Jan weighing 3.1 kgs :)

Freya Scott

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Nathan Taylor joins the team


December 8th, 2009 by Michael

Another warm Studio North welcome for our latest recruit, Nathan Taylor who joins us as Office Administrator. As part of his Apprenticeship, Nathan will be working towards his NVQ level 2 qualification in Business & Admin. At the interview stage, we were overwhelmed by Nathan’s strong work ethic and refreshing attitude both of which will guarantee an exciting career ahead of him. Nathan hopes to forge a career in the world of finance and we look forward to helping him on his way. Good luck.

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SN Gets pro.Manchester Thinking ABC….


November 10th, 2009 by matt

It was an early start for the Studio North crew this morning as we all headed to the felicini restaurant on Oxford Street for an event we staged with pro.Manchester – the corporate membership organisation that represents the 240,000 employed in the financial and professional service community in and around Greater Manchester. Allie Johns, our associate brand strategist, delivered a seminar on branding and having confidence as we emerge from Recession.

The audience was treated to Allie’s wisdom and heard brand hints under the theme ABC: Acceptable, Bolder, Comprehensive.

If you didn’t attend then fret not as a synopsis of the presentation is available – just email dan@studionorth.co.uk for a copy!

Allie doing her thing....

Allie doing her thing....



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Rachel passes mountains & exams


September 21st, 2009 by Michael

If you happen to have called into Waulk Mill these past few weeks you will have noticed that our effervescent Account Executive, Rachel Westwood is back in Manchester after a two month tour of China. I’m sure you will all hear about her epic adventure in the months to come, so less of that for now and more of something else. So to follow up from a previous blog where we mentioned Rachel was studying towards a CIM qualification, we can also reveal that Wiltshire’s finest export returned to a letter confirming she had  passed her exams with flying colours.

We warmly congratulate Rach on her fantastic effort throughout the past year and look forward to seeing these new skills and knowledge being applied to our client base in the coming months.

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Public Sector Wins…


August 5th, 2009 by matt

I’ve been having a bit of a PR push this week on a trio of major public sector new business briefs…..

For Cumbria Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, the team will be developing a new website that will be a 24 hour showcase for the Trust’s services – both for staff and the general public. A number of key aims and considerations are at the centre of the work including; the need for it to be an effective engagement tool for local people, for it to act as an interactive platform where staff can understand how their views can help to shape and reflect the Trust’s good governance and business processes, for it to support tender bids as well as create greater engagement with community GPs. This new project follows the work we’ve recently delievered around the Trust’s customer communications and service branding.

The second brief – for Halton Borough Council – will again see Studio North flexing its online credentials with a corporate website redesign. The new site will be aimed at both business and residential visitors across the Council’s reach which includes Runcorn and Widnes. The core aim is for the site to reflect the cultures and values of the Council as well as being focused on customers’ needs. This will vary from individuals looking to access specific council services to businesses looking to invest in the region.

The final brief – from Trafford Community Leisure Trust (TCLT) – comes hot on the heels of a long term relationship spanning some six years which has been focused on creating and developing the TCLT brand.  The new project will be based specifically around the redesign and development of its next generation website. A number of new technical functions will be added such as online booking for swimming and memberships with Studio North’s role being around creative development and implementation. The Trust’s strap-line, ‘More people, more active, more often’, will run as a central theme.

There’s some really exciting stuff going on so keep your eyes peeled for press coverage over the next week or so!

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