Archive for the ‘Stuff’ Category
March 1st, 2010 by Michael
I’ve strayed onto local history once or twice before in these pages but in a week when the Evening News decided to launch it’s first paid for digital content to promote the Dream Factory (a celebration of 100 years of Old Trafford) one can’t help but think back to those magical days at the beginning of the 20th century. Nowhere more magical in fact than Little Italy right here in Ancoats.
Another unknown milestone we reach this year is 60 years since the passing of the remarkable Louis (Luigi) Rocca, the unsung hero and kingmaker of Old Trafford and an Ancoats Italian to boot, relevant to me three times over. While modern day football overlaps nonsensically into the world of business and celebrity, the more nostalgic aficionados cherish these stories and struggle to benchmark the 2010 vintage of association football with the romantic sport of yesteryear.
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Tags: Ancoats, brand naming, Evening News, football, Italian, Little Italy, Louis Rocca, Manchester United, Matt Busby
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February 2nd, 2010 by Steve
Having previously created their brand identity, we are now pleased to reveal our latest work for Lancaster Institute for the Contemporary Arts (LICA). The new course prospectus encompasses Lancaster’s teaching and research activities in art, design, music, theatre studies, media, film and cultural studies. The end product is an eighty four page uncoated reminder that print remains an extremely powerful medium with which to engage your audience.
Tags: LICA, Print, prospectus
Posted in Stuff, Work | No Comments »
January 28th, 2010 by Steve
Following the purchase of Agnes Jones House in Liverpool by our client GVA Grimley we were commissioned to create a new identity and marketing collateral. The challenge was to create a brand look and feel that would appeal to the student market whilst not betraying the historical heritage of the property. www.agnesjones.co.uk
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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 
Posted in News, People, Stuff | 1 Comment »
November 25th, 2009 by Michael
A totally irrelevant blog…
Growing up in Manchester is always going to bring you into direct contact with footballers past and present. Some of these experiences are extremely pleasant like sharing a flight from Schiphol to Milan with ex-United 60s/70s player Carlo Sartori back in 1999 to watch United play Inter (I had played Sunday league football with Sartori Jr as a boy and my dad also knew the family through the deli).
Brought up in Collyhurst, Carlo played 55 times for United but had now settled near myself in Wythenshawe. He’d come down and watch us play for Hazel Grove as kids but when I boarded the flight in Amsterdam I hadn’t seen the old man for donkeys years but still, someone who had shared changing rooms with the likes of Best, Law and Charlton, remembered his boy’s old teammate. I was honoured.
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September 2nd, 2009 by Michael
I recently enjoyed reading the rather excellent book ‘Innocent: Building a Brand from Nothing but Fruit’ by John Simmons which offers stunning insight into possibly THE brand phenomenon of the past decade.
The underlying theme throughout the book was how incredibly well the three co-founders had managed to drive the business based on their total and utter belief in the organisations brand values. So rather than a fabricated pretence of what they aspired to be, their natural values have permeated every nook and cranny since day one informing every decision and every action. The end result being a consistent brand experience, be it through communications, behaviour, product or even their environment at Fruit Towers. I’d like to believe everything in the book I read is true but despite the fluffiness and the niceness you sense that underneath this sugary coating there are some very intelligent and very hard-nosed businessmen playing a game of sorts. All Oxbridge educated you understand, and I suspect some stunning business acumen allowed them to surf the crest of the responsibility wave long before most people had put the letters S, C and R in the right order. That’s the cynic within me talking anyway. At least they have proved whatever your original motive, you can be nice, be responsible and still make a shed load of money. Good luck to them and it’s got me into their smoothies to be fair.
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Tags: brand values, deli, Di Paola, Innocent, Italian, Withington
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August 24th, 2009 by Andy
Those of you out there with a keen ear to the ground on all things ‘technology’ will no doubt by now have heard muffled whispers from California regarding a new Apple device, soon to be launched on the open market (in time for Christmas, sources reveal candidly): a tablet-style computer designed for swift, on-the-move web surfing, MP3 listening and movie watching that you can pop in your handbag (ladies) or school satchel (gents). With no keyboard (save for a virtual device on the screen when you need it) the whole surface area will apparently be one large touchpad, similar in operation to the current iPhone.
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Tags: allegedly, Apple, rumours, tablet, touch screen
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July 16th, 2009 by Jake
As my first glimpse of a working environment it was brilliant that I managed to come here. I am in year 10 and had already done one week of work experience in a gym before this but it didn’t compare to this. I have taken G.C.S.E graphics but it doesn’t compare to this. I was unsure about coming here because I was told that all I’d be doing would be making cups of tea, but my experience on the first day I was welcomed and everybody was really friendly and had a great sense of humour. As I am only in year 10, I have had no experience working with a Mac before but I was quickly shown the ropes. (more…)
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July 1st, 2009 by Michael
Interesting advert in the Manchester Evening News. They obviously don’t believe too much in the local PR talent do they?
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June 17th, 2009 by kaz
Admittedly, the lure of a free glass of wine and the suggestion of canapes was partly what tempted me to go to the MMU Graduate Fashion Show last night, but I have to say I was really impressed, not only by the quality of the designs that were paraded down the catwalk but also the professionalism of the show itself which was organised by some of the students.
I really liked Yaelle Caplan’s collection, in particular the dresses she had designed, absolutely stunning prints on flowing silks. Her gold strap dress was worn by Paul Weller’s daughter Leah in a photoshoot by Mary McCartney for a magazine article on the fashion darlings of tomorrow.
To see more of the students work click here.
Tags: Fashion, Mary McCartney, MMU Graduate Fashion Show, Yaelle Caplan
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