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Studio North achieve ISO 9001:2008 certification


June 7th, 2010 by Michael

The Studio North management team is proud to announce that we have achieved BS EN ISO 9001:2008 certification after an external audit. Due to valuable contracts gained with high profile public and private sector clients we wanted to prove our absolute commitment to quality by undertaking an external process. Fully embracing the ISO mantra of continual improvement we are confident that the methodology behind the accreditation will ultimately benefit both colleagues and clients in the years to come.

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Welcome Gareth Poole


April 15th, 2010 by Michael

We extend a warm welcome to Gareth Poole who joined the team recently as our new Web Developer. We won’t bore you with the can dos and cannots of his PHP, CSS, XHTML and MySQL skills  but he does come packaged with a First Class degree in Internet Computing from the University of Salford. And as well as bucketloads of cutting edge technical knowledge on all things CMS, e-commerce, mobile and social media, Gareth becomes the first ever Studio North employee to own a didgeridoo. Clearly, we wish him well.

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Studio North enjoy How-Do and RAR success


March 24th, 2010 by Michael

The last 24 hours have seen Studio North enjoy a double slice of industry recognition.  We are proud to announce we have been shortlisted by the judging panel for the How-Do 2010 Design Consultancy of the Year award alongside seven of the regions other leading firms.  The awards are due to take place at the Palace Hotel in Manchester on 29 April.

We’ve also made the official Recommended Agency Register which is a unique online resource that enables marketing professionals to choose proven creative suppliers. This recognition is based on client feedback alone.

A good couple of days.

UPDATE - We’ve also been shortlisted for Best Integrated Agency at their annual awards.

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SN Cup: The Inside Story


March 23rd, 2010 by Michael

20 March 2010. 1000hrs Ardwick, Manchester, England.

Cometh the hour, cometh the SN Cup. As promised, liquid football, in the name of a great cause, AuKids Magazine.

Ronaldo, Messi and Rooney take a backseat. Step forward Buckley, Butterworth and Lowe. This is your time. Use it wisely.

Manchizzle was the only weather on the menu, setting the atmosphere up nicely and getting the adrenaline going. As the crowds gathering at Powerleague Ardwick reached fever pitch, approaching half past the hour, it was evident what a tremendous turnout we had on our hands. Every single player had turned up. Not one cry off, not one dodgy excuse.  Unheard of in my football organising lifetime. I was then faced with the almighty task of keeping a huge squad of ‘insurance’ players happy. Tricky this rotation management style lark. Thanks to Mick Greer for agreeing to his last minute transfer!

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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.

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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 :)

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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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