We’re very proud that one of the publications we design and produce has just won the coveted CIPR Gold Awards 2009 for Best newspaper or magazine!

Crawley Borough Council’s primary publication “Crawley Live” is distributed every 2 months to all residents in the town. Tileywoodman totally re-designed the 24pp publication in October 2008, which has since seen a large rise in readership as a result. The design is visually striking and engages with audiences across all ages’ range. The format combines strong visuals with straightforward articles about the town’s council, its services, events and partnership projects and is printed on recycled paper. The bold graphics and bespoke size make the publication stand out and provide a professional communication platform for the council.

A survey completed in July 2009 showed that an impressive 94 per cent of respondents said they were satisfied or very satisfied with the magazine. The survey also showed that he challenge of engaging both older and younger audiences has been successfully met with the new design. It is an achievement that we’re rather proud of at Tileywoodman.
To discuss any of your publication requirements, please contact us.

Commerce – no matter what the sector – is in crisis at present. Green shoots notwithstanding, I doubt that any of us will deny that businesses now need to work harder than they have in decades to cement some seriously competition-busting credibility. Which leads us to the mainstay of most major business’s credibility: the annual report and accounts.  

Financial Directors and Marketing Directors have traditionally approached these from different angles. Their primary function as accurate reporting tools must of course be met, but the added value from using them to position your business at the forefront of its field must be particularly high during times when investors and the general public alike are looking for information they can be sure to trust.  
 
We believe that a winning annual report combines providing all basic financial information to stakeholders in an engaging and easy to use way with promoting your brand and your values.  
At a time when the trust in some big names have been seriously shaken, producing a solid annual report that effectively combines accurate reporting with strong marketing messaging is well worth considering.  
What do you think? Let me know your views by emailing me at marine.k@tileywoodman.com

As a French national working in England, I know a fair bit about how easily translation can go wrong. Not so long ago, I mentioned I had gooseberries on my arms (aka goose bumps) and the way I used to pronounce ‘focus’ would have made you laugh in hysterics (rectified since then). It’s probably why I just love to see brochures and company magazines translated into several languages, transcending borders and cultures.

It’s something we see regularly in our studio, since many of our clients operate with at least a European audience if not a global one. The key is always to bear in mind that translation applies to words and meaning. In fact, knowing if a document will need translation even affects the creative thought process. It has a bearing on everything from creating visuals and searching images that will engage a European or global audience, to allowing for extra space for ‘copy swell’ between the languages. It means our editorial team bears translation issues in mind when creating headlines and straplines, making sure the meaning behind them can be translated into multiple languages. No point having a very strong English strapline if it needs four lines in German to make sense. It might appear restrictive but trust me, taking it into consideration right from the start will avoid future disappointments.

I often get asked the question: what makes us unique? At the end of the day, there are many agencies out there from all different shapes and sizes who offer creative and editorial services. So why Tileywoodman?
The reality is….. that great things come in small packages. Taking a good look around, very few agencies our size offer the scope of services we offer. They’ll often specialise in an area, such as digital, publishing, DMs, etc, selecting a specific field and sticking to it. That’s where the Tileywoodman spirit kicks in: we’re different! And proudly so.
We refuse to get pigeon-holed and offer an incredible range of communications services, from publishing to digital media, and everything in between. Not in a Jack-of-all-trade way – our clients would never allow us to be average – but in a very professional, knowledgeable way.
The breadth of our creative work is quite astonishing, and the bluechip clients it attracts are a testimonial to the quality we deliver. Yes, it is possible to find a small agency who can deliver big results, and makes the whole communication process easy, friendly and flexible. And that small agency is us.

Watching how digital media are evolving is fascinating. I receive a lot of online newsletters/ magazines, but one that recently caught my eyes was the new NSPCC online newsletter. With good animations without looking crowded, a clean look & feel and smart usage of the digital media, it was a very good experience from beginning to end which compelled me to read, watch and listen to the entire issue. An online newsletter shouldn’t be a downloadable PDF of a printed version. It deserves to live in its own right, designed and delivered to provide a good experience to its readers. It’s a powerful tool to communicate with employees globally, interact with consumers and businesses, and reinforce your brand image. Used on its own or in conjunction with other digital and printed elements, take a look at your own communication tools and ask yourself if they’re really delivering the best they can. If not, it might be time to review all your strategic items and talk to us about ways to optimise their results.

There’s nothing like a long break in Cornwall to come back to work fully recharged and ready to go. And judging by the way things are in our studio, the next few months are going to be rather busy in the countdown to Q4… just the way we like it!
We’ve just won a great pitch for a September conference (no time to waste!) and the work covers everything from developing a new brand ID to sourcing giveaways and looking for entertainment ideas. We’re also finalising the storyboards for a digital video commercial, writing the copy for and designing the next issue of You Can magazine, and developing the second phase of a campaign for RBS, amongst other things. And we’re busy upgrading our internal management system and building up for what is usually the busiest quarter of the year, so we’ll be ready for more work as it comes in. If you have a project coming up soon, get in touch now!

While the vast majority of us are busy packing our suitcase for your summer holiday, can I just say that the last quarter of the year (and Christmas) are literally just around the corner? By the time we all get back from our various holiday destinations (Cornwall for me), September will be upon us, with its usual load of urgently needed activities. If you know you’re going to have a busy time ahead, let us know now. The more we know the projects that are coming our way, the more we can organise our time, and the more efficient we will be at turning projects around quickly to hit all your deadlines. Until then, have a fabulous holiday!

I was astonished to find out recently that it’s now possible to print on seeded paper. How brilliant is that? I love the idea of sending a letter or direct mailshot to employees or customers who can pot it, water it, and wait for the plant to grow instead of binning it. Micro-sustainability. What a way to demonstrate your commitment to green issues. Interested or want to know more? Get in touch.

Everyone I’m talking to at the moment has a common problem: marketing and communications budgets have been slashed thanks to the recession, but the need to communicate remains. Smaller budgets can be a good thing – in a weird kind of way. Making every penny work harder forces us all to be even more creative. Messages have to be stronger, campaigns bolder, magazines more engaging. Basically, we have to focus on what’s really important. It also means that clients and agencies need to work closer together to deliver outstanding results, which is both refreshing and rewarding. More than ever, I get a buzz knowing that every project we deliver contributes to our clients’ successes.

If you need a new approach and an agency that works with you to deliver results affordably, talk to us. Who knows, you might also find out we’re a nice bunch of people to deal with, too!