International Women’s Day is often filled with stories of achievement. We celebrate milestones, leadership, progress and the women who appear to have navigated it all with confidence and clarity.

But the longer I’ve worked in business, the more I’ve realised that what we celebrate publicly is only ever part of the story.

We see the outcomes. We rarely see what it took. Because behind every milestone we celebrate lie countless unseen moments of courage and persistence.

And that’s why I decided to write this, even though I very nearly didn’t.

When my team asked me to contribute something inspiring for International Women’s Day, my first reaction wasn’t pride. It was hesitation. An old internal narrative resurfaced almost instantly: Is it good enough? Am I inspiring enough? What if it falls short?

It’s a familiar voice. As a woman in business, both in my employed career and now as a founder, I’ve often felt I needed to work harder than everyone else. Say yes more readily. Stay later. Be better prepared. Deliver more. Strike the perfect balance between warmth and decisiveness. Be ambitious but not intimidating. Be human, but not emotional.

That constant calibration can be exhausting. And over time, it creates a quiet pressure to prove yourself again and again.

So, when I questioned whether I had something inspiring enough to say, I recognised the pattern. But this time, instead of listening to it, I paused.

That pause, the ability to notice the doubt without being ruled by it, is resilience.

And resilience, I believe, is what International Women’s Day should give more space to.

Because while we rightly celebrate visible success, we don’t talk nearly enough about the inner strength that sustains it. Resilience isn’t dramatic or loud. It doesn’t always look like a comeback story. More often, it’s the steady decision to continue. It’s showing up when you feel uncertain. It’s speaking even when your voice shakes. It’s trying again after something hasn’t worked.

It’s also something we can learn.

We often talk about resilience as if it’s a personality trait, something you either have or you don’t. But my experience has taught me that it’s built gradually, through setbacks, reflection, responsibility and sometimes pain. It grows each time you face something difficult and realise you are still standing.

Last year, my resilience was tested in a way no professional challenge had ever prepared me for. I lost my beloved dad.

Grief has a way of unravelling you. It shifts your perspective overnight. The person who had always been my steady presence, my voice of reason and unconditional support, was suddenly gone. There is no leadership training that equips you for that kind of loss. No business framework for navigating the days that follow.

And yet, life does not pause. Work continues, responsibilities continue. Teams rely on you. Decisions still need to be made.

I had to draw on a different kind of resilience. Not the polished, capable version we often present at work, but something much more human. It meant accepting that I wouldn’t be operating at full capacity. It meant leaning on my team in ways I hadn’t before. It meant allowing myself to feel the depth of the loss without interpreting that emotion as weakness.

What I learned is that resilience is not about being unaffected. It is about continuing even when you are.

Throughout my career, I’ve been fortunate to have strong female role models, women who have led with intelligence, fairness and humour, who have spoken up when it was uncomfortable, and who have balanced ambition with compassion.

I’ll be forever grateful to these women, who have supported me and shown me so much. By way of thanks, I hope I can pay that forward to the next generation of women in comms and marketing.

I’ve always admired women in the public eye who have navigated scrutiny and challenge and yet remained unapologetically themselves. Not that women and their bodies should be scrutinised in the way they are in the press! I’ve particularly followed the careers of Kate Winslet, Jo Brand, Kathy Burke, Dawn French and Skin from Skunk Anansie – to me, they epitomise female power and impact.

But the most powerful example of resilience in my life is much closer to home.

After losing her life partner of more than 50 years, my mum has faced a reality she never expected to navigate alone. I have watched her grieve, and I have also watched her rebuild. She is finding new routines, new friendships, a new rhythm to life. Not because it’s easy, and not because she isn’t hurting, but because she is choosing to keep living fully despite that hurt.

There is nothing performative about that strength. It is quiet, steady, and extraordinarily brave.

And perhaps that’s the point.

On International Women’s Day, we should absolutely celebrate achievement. But we should also honour the resilience that makes those achievements possible, the unseen strength behind the visible success.

The post Why I’m writing this (and why I almost didn’t) appeared first on Recognition Creative.

Whenever a client asks for vehicle livery, we ask where will the vehicles be seen and by whom? Will they be passing through residential areas, building sites, industrial estates, remaining in the locality or driving long distances?

As for key messaging, what does the client want to achieve with the vehicle livery?

Sometimes we’re asked to simply supply a logo and contact details to a printer, in which case they have control over colours, positioning, size of graphics and ultimately the finished look of the vehicle.

However, for just a few hours work and a bit of careful thought, a designer will make sure:

• your logo doesn’t touch the windows
• we use colours that are legible against the vehicle colour
• logo, strapline and contact details aren’t split across door frames and therefore become illegible once doors are opened
• colours and fonts are consistent with your website, promotional material, shop front branding etc
• positioning of logo, strapline and contact details are positioned around doors, indicators and the overall shape of the vehicle, so they’re fully legible

We always use the latest vehicle manufacturer’s line drawings and design your branding and messaging to fit. After all, your vehicle is representing your brand, your company and the customer experience.

There are 3 types of vehicle livery:

1. Basic Cut Vinyls – typically logo, website, contact details.

Aqua Plumbing & Heating Ltd – Fleet of New Forest Plumbing Engineers

BRIEF: To build brand awareness locally, offering reassurance, level of expected professionalism and key contact details.

RESULT: We used the van outline to design the logo placement taking into account van panels, door frames, lights, wheel arches, resulting in a smart, professional, well balanced design.

2. Half Wrap – either top, bottom, front or back is wrapped.

Pennington Pharmacy & Mobility – local pharmacy delivery

BRIEF: To build brand awareness locally for the combined pharmacy and mobility service, including contact details for both.

RESULT: We wrapped the bottom half of the vehicle, so it was instantly recognisable, fitted with the existing brand style and offered customers immediate reassurance.

3. Full Wrap – the entire vehicle can be wrapped including the roof, a great way to protect new vehicles from damaging stone chips.

Rubicon Recruitment – small fleet of super cool vehicles for a professional recruitment team.

BRIEF: To build brand awareness and create a depth of commitment from a dynamic, young team with personality.

RESULT: The cool vehicle fleet warranted clear, distinct branding which fitted with their high street presence. Rubicon were thrilled with the result, their vehicles became instantly recognisable, eye catching and memorable amongst the target audience.

Shallowmead Nursery – Delivery truck for local wholesale and retail nursery.

BRIEF: To raise local awareness for retail nursery.

RESULT:  A striking, instantly recognisable delivery truck.

What’s the best vehicle livery you’ve ever seen?

Tell us and find out how we can design a memorable vehicle livery for your brand, call 01590 677064 or email ideas@recognitioncreative.com

The post Your brand on the move appeared first on Recognition Creative.

.. we appreciate that your brand is something you live and breathe, aligned to your core values, filtering down through every aspect of your business, every customer interaction.  To ensure those values resonate in everything you do, we help by creating a brand guideline … the “tool-kit.”

The toolkit …

.. is an easy to use set of tools which demonstrate how the brand should be applied across any media; from banner ads, website, brochures, packaging, uniform, to vehicle livery, building signage and beyond.  Comprising not just the logo, the toolkit outlines a clear set of brand rules; the logo positioning, exclusion areas, colour palettes, fonts, strapline, style and positioning of imagery.

Consistency, consistency, consistency …

… demonstrated via a set of guidelines ensures the brand isn’t left open to misinterpretation.  That way the brand can build recognition and retain consistency, endorsing a customer’s trust in the brand and those hard-earned core values. Subconsciously if you spotted the Tesco logo with Every Little Helps in a different colourway or font style you would question the authenticity of the brand origins, your trust might be shaken, your purchase decision affected.

Size doesn’t matter ….

… you don’t have to be a big corporate to benefit from a set of brand guidelines.  Whilst larger corporates might require a fully comprehensive brand guideline, smaller start-ups might only need an easy reference guide a few pages long.

New or existing …

… whether it’s new branding or collating established brand elements into an easy to use guide for third party suppliers, we will create a brand guideline that suits your business. With years of branding experience, we have learnt that clients find it so much easier to have a pre-determined brand tool-kit to follow, with full suite of logos to use in varying formats, sizes and colours and comprehensive instructions suitable for any application.

As Innovation Director of SETsquared explained “Recognition Creative developed our most recent brand refresh and brand guidelines which were extremely well received by our management and executive board.”

For your brand guidelines get in touch either call 01590 677064 or email ideas@recognitioncreative.com

The post The Beauty of Brand Guidelines appeared first on Recognition Creative.

1. CATER FOR YOUR AUDIENCE
   Whether they’re prospects, customers, staff or an internal team, the e-newsletter gives you the opportunity to share up-to-date information, new product launches, latest news, upcoming events, special offers, competitions, podcasts, customer testimonials etc.  So, craft the content to suit the audience, give them what they want to hear.

2. CONSISTENCY IN BESPOKE
   We design bespoke e-newsletter templates, with the dual benefit of being easy to populate (you don’t have to design from scratch with every new edition!) and subscribers come to recognise, trust and feel at home with the brand – great for building ongoing brand awareness.

3. HEADERS & SUB-HEADERS
   Keeping content digestible, simple, impactful and clear just like this sample e-newsletter directing readers to a specific website for full articles: https://mailchi.mp/setsquared/all-the-latest-news-and-opportunities-from-setsquared-2183541?e=68b42b9208

4. CONTENT IS KING
   We work hard to engage audiences with content that adds value or keeps them updated.  Telling them something new, something they wouldn’t have otherwise known, the more value we add, the better the e-newsletter (and by association brand) perception.  With digestible and bitesize snippets, the reader finds more meaning than simply a sales message and as long as the e-newsletter is useful and/or entertaining they’ll keep subscribing.

5. WRITING VOICE
   Choose a writing style and tone of voice that suits your brand and audience, whether it’s friendly, quirky, short and sweet, packed with personality or a more formal, corporate approach.  We find when we talk to customers or staff in a way they expect, they’re far more likely to engage.

6. IMAGERY & VIDEO
   A great balance of images, text, blogs, podcasts, infographics and animated GIFs will bring the content to life, making it easy to navigate, easy to read, shareable and mobile friendly. Here at Recognition we have access to extensive stock image libraries and work with photographers and videographers to ensure the visuals are dynamic and engaging.

7. TIMING & REGULARITY
   E-newsletters delivered straight to an inbox allow you to get the timing just right, react quickly and maintain a year-round dialogue and relationship with subscribers.

8. HARD OR SOFT COPY
   Some e-newsletters are designed for staff who might be out on the road rather than in front of their emails, in which case we’ll mail out hard copies too.

9. MEASURE & MONITOR
   By using e-marketing tools such as Mailchimp (screenshot below) we can easily monitor e-newsletter delivery success, open rates (vs industry average), click throughs, bounced, forwarded and unsubscribed, providing a full overview for clients.  We also use a fabulous platform (https://www.thisisbeacon.com) which enables us to manage and measure digital campaigns in far more detail. By reviewing what generates most engagement, we can better tailor future content and marketing campaigns to maximise marketing spend and improve results.

10. CALL TO ACTION
    Whatever the objective, whether it’s to drive traffic to a website or generate more leads, canvas opinion or traction via social media we can use clever call to action prompts to generate responses. Whatever the frequency; fortnightly, monthly or quarterly, we will happily take care of your e-newsletters. From first inception, to designing the template style, interviewing, copywriting content, sourcing imagery, collating and populating the content, obtain approvals, mail out and monitor results.

What’s your favourite e-newsletter?

Tell us…..call 01590 677064 or email ideas@recognitioncreative.com

The post Keeping your E-newsletter Engaging appeared first on Recognition Creative.

The reality… capturing your readers’ attention is a challenge. A recent study found that 55 percent of visitors spend 15 seconds or less on a webpage. Imagine if you had only 15 seconds face to face with a customer to sell what you do. What would you say? You’d want to plan it in advance, so you didn’t waste a single word. The same goes for the content on your website or printed collateral.

The good news… with well-written content you can keep readers on your website and rise up the Google rankings by including the keywords your customers use to seek out your product or service. Here’s a tip though… double-check if the search terms your customers use are actually the same ones you think they use!

Here at Recognition we offer just that. We recognise how busy our clients are running their own businesses, they don’t have the time to write content and sometimes don’t know where to start. That’s where we can help.

Before we start writing, we help identify the key messages and product or service features, draw out customer benefits, get under the skin of the essence of the business and ultimately tell their story.

We deliver compelling campaigns because we put just as much focus on the content as the visual look and feel, whether it’s for brochures, leaflets, websites or blog posts.

Don’t let the content hold up your project. Contact us here or call us on 01590 677064 and we’ll get started.

The post Your website content should work harder appeared first on Recognition Creative.

We’re all consuming videos daily, but if you’re not convinced, here’s the proof: (Source: www.wyzowl.com)

• 87% of businesses use video as a marketing tool
• 83% of marketers believe video gives them a good ROI
• 72% prefer video over text when learning about a product/ service
• 53% of customers engage with a brand after watching a video on social media. (66% for millennials)

Whether it’s a training film, event coverage or promotional video, we manage the entire video production process.  Identifying your objective, target audience, key messaging, proposing storyboard, scripts, organising locations, participants, relevant permissions through to filming, edit, post-production and publishing online.  We’ll even work out a timing schedule, so your video is ready to go live on time and on budget.

Whilst designing Aqua Plumbing & Heating’s new website, we suggested that video would add a dynamic, shareable dimension, improve Google rankings, set them apart from the competition and enable them to engage with customers.  For them, the customer experience is crucial, so video was the ideal way to demonstrate that as well as reinforcing their focus on the New Forest market.

As for SETsquared they wanted to cover their Accelerating Growth Investment Showcase 2018.  What we produced was a 3-minute video incorporating interviews with key figures, panning shots to demonstrate the scale of the event and venue, time-lapse photography plus graphics and music overlaid.

Clients find it straightforward and immensely satisfying to see their business showcased in a professional and compelling format. It gives them something dynamic that prospects can engage with and share.

Just tell us what you want to achieve, and we’ll recommend a video marketing strategy and present the storyboard concept that answers your brief.
Call us on: 01590 677064 or email: ideas@recognitioncreative.com

The post Video brings your story to life appeared first on Recognition Creative.

Where budget and time allows, commissioning a professional photo shoot is always preferable, to create bespoke imagery with a consistent theme and style. Professional images or illustrations capture authenticity and photographs show the potential customer what you are offering and the quality of your products or services.

Making careers an adventure at the University of Southampton

A recent example of this is a project we undertook for the University of Southampton. We were approached by their Careers and Employability Service to create a consistent look and feel to their marketing materials. Recognition came up with the concept of using ‘adventure’ as the theme for all of the imagery, with each image featuring a person engaged in an active pursuit which when combined with an impactful headline, created some striking and recognisable marketing materials for all of their upcoming events and programmes.

Some things to consider when choosing an image:

• Does the image resonate with your target audience?
• Does your image have a consistent look and feel to that of your brand?
• Will the image work across all web devices?
• Does it stand out from the competition?
• Is it the correct size and high-resolution?

Good imagery also assists with enhancing your SEO value, providing a better ranking in Google results pages. Whilst many companies climb the search engine mountain through the use of keywords and internal links, simply associating the small amount of text with a well-chosen image, can increase the likelihood that search engines will place your page near the top of its links.

Imagery plays a huge role when it comes to online content, humans are generally considered visual creatures, with at least 65% of people being “visual learners”. In a study it was found that people can remember more than 2000 pictures with at least 90 % accuracy, this consistently exceeds our ability to remember words. Just think about how often we scroll past text posts online but pause at photographs, graphics or videos! This is why incorporating images when producing business content is a fundamental element to success.

Showcasing the people at the heart of Martin’s Rubber

Martin’s Rubber, a manufacturing company based in Southampton, wanted to update their website with some fresh, professional imagery. Enlisting the help of Recognitions Creative Director, Martin and incredible photographer Robin Kitchin, they spent the day in and around the factory setting up some fantastic shots which really capture the company’s values of integrity, quality and professionalism.

The post A good picture paints a thousand words appeared first on Recognition Creative.

However, as they become more popular, infographics can lose their impact if overused or used in the wrong context. Here’s our quick guide to using infographic effectively in marketing materials:

Do:

• Tell the story – usually, an infographic piece would contain up to 10 stats and icons as opposed to one individual icon/stat. By bringing this information together in one place you can visually tell a story.
• Keep it simple – the most effective infographics are the simplest designs, they communicate information efficiently and clearly to the target audience. We recommend that each infographic should be made up from one statistic and one icon. Any more and the message gets lost.
• Colours – use of colour enables messages to stand out if you stick to two colours maximum, you ensure the information remains as legible as possible.
• Engage the reader – by using a combination of graphic and statistics you can communicate so much more, at a glance.
• Cherry-pick the surroundings – carefully consider where the infographic is going to be used, whatever surrounds it may detract from it. Surroundings can determine how effectively the information is communicated. For example; text-heavy documents such as annual reports can be a good place to feature infographics as they stand out and can convey a message in a fraction of the time.
• Social media sites – a great place to use infographics, you can display statistics to an audience who can interpret the information quickly.

Don’t:

• Waste an opportunity – steer clear of using infographics on large scale formats eg: billboard adverts where the distance from the audience will make them too hard to read.
• Simply replace an image with an infographic – infographics are much better placed to communicate statistics and data, they shouldn’t take the place of an image. An image can give context and conveys emotions, values and embodies the personality of the piece – all of which an infographic cannot do.
• Go overboard – we would recommend no more than 10 infographics to make up one piece. Anymore and its information overload.
• Overclutter – if you place an infographic on a cluttered background or busy promo piece, your infographic will be illegible and lost. Always use them on a white or one-colour background.

Why not get in touch today for more information on how great infographics can work well for you?
Call us on: 01590 677064 or email: ideas@recognitioncreative.com

The post Making infographics work for you appeared first on Recognition Creative.

Living locally ourselves, and being regular users of the Forest, we felt that this charity strongly encourages those who previously felt like this was not an option, to join their sessions and benefit from the associated mental and physical wellbeing that cycling provides. It also provides a fun and friendly environment for people with similar barriers to meet and all activities are run by specially trained, experienced staff and volunteers.

Recognition has been involved with PEDALL for a number of years, having designed PEDALL’s branding, website and promotional materials in 2015

Read our PEDALL case study to find out more

Director, Martin Blunt who has a real passion for cycling and the outdoors, wanted to further extend his involvement with the charity and we are proud to announce that Martin is now a Trustee for ‘Friends of PEDALL’.

Martin will combine his experience and enthusiasm for cycling with his experience and knowledge in design and marketing to provide advice and support to the team. He will also help to promote their services and volunteer his time to deliver high quality, fun sessions around the Forest.

Donna Neseyif, from PEDALL commented:

“We’ve had a long relationship with the team at Recognition Creative, they are our go to design agency for our website and promotional materials. To be able to expand our service, invest in our equipment and facilities and in turn support more people to enjoy cycling in the New Forest, we need the support of local businesses – so it’s great to receive this donation from Recognition. Having Martin on our board of trustees is also a fantastic step. He brings a wealth of industry experience which will help us raise our profile and present ourselves in a professional an engaging way.”

If you would like to find out more about this fantastic charity, then please visit:

https://www.pedall.org.uk/

The post Helping PEDALL to provide all access cycling within the New Forest appeared first on Recognition Creative.

Typography can, in an instant, give someone a sense for your business and who you are catering for. It has the power to control the tone of voice and meaning of what you, or more importantly your brand, are trying to convey to the other people.

When it comes to developing a brand the decisions and considerations that are made when it comes typography have lasting effects on how your brand will be perceived. Your typography can be simple and ‘invisible’ acting as a way to get information across, whilst giving you service or product centre stage. Or it can boost your message and add value by enhancing your message in a visual way.

“It’s just picking the interesting font, right?”

The Collins English Dictionary defines typography as “the art, craft, or process of composing type” ideally making written language legible, readable and appealing when displayed, this is achieved through the use of appropriate fonts and typefaces.

“But, font and typefaces are the same things aren’t they?”

Yes and no, typefaces are the names for the complete family, e.g. Bodoni, whereas fonts are a choice from that family, e.g. Bodoni Bold. The reason this is important is it can vary wildly as to how many fonts a typeface may contain, an example would be if you asked me to use Helvetica Neue, I would have 51 fonts to choose from.

Every typeface has a personality, which can be leveraged to envoke an emotional response or spark an interest in the viewer that can do wonders for a brand. However, ignoring the characteristics of a typeface or making bad choices on their use can really turn a person off from a visual perspective and taint the message you are trying to express. A font in all caps and bold is arguably going to shout louder than a light font in lowercase (although this is all relative to situation and context within a design). For example:

When we, as designers, choose a font for a logo or a typeface for a brand we have done so for a reason, feel free to ask about the choice, we love to chat!

So I’ve told about how a font can make you ‘feel’, but at the end of the day does it really matter? Do people really care about the font on a design? The short answer is YES!

For example, back at the end of 2010 GAP launched a new logo, along with a whole new brand. They went for the crowbar method and completely changed their 24-year old brand without warning, seemingly over overnight.

The old logo was a highly recognised, mostly typographic, mark and when it changed quickly gained a lot of attention for all the wrong reasons. People on the whole slated the design with it often being compared to a template in Microsoft Word. Due to the public backlash, the new logo lasted a whole 6 days before GAP switched it back. Most of this dislike for the logo came from people on social media, from a wide variety of backgrounds. It’s not certain but the GAP rebrand was estimated to have cost $100 million. Which is a lot of money to be globally panned and revert to what they had in the first place.

Don’t let bad typography ruin your companies brand, let us help you create a voice that helps sell your company and further your business goals.

Get in touch today by visiting our contact page, by phone 01590 677064 or by email idea@recognitioncreative.com

The post Don’t use Comic Sans… appeared first on Recognition Creative.