Took this picture in my garage using the Hipstamatic iPhone app and just love the colours and the retro 70’s look to it. Of course subject matter helps, ‘old things’ but it also works in adding a bit of atmosphere to landscapes, see the below image, lunchtime on the canal.

Here’s a great article for those of us that care about fonts, and those who don’t…
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-10689931

Charis and her footie-themed cupcakes (and girly ones for the ladies ofcourse)

Dylans new book: London in 3D- makes you go cross-eyed!

http://www.roseandcrownhawridge.co.uk

We are a friendly bunch with an impressive list of satisfied clients. We like our biscuits and tea (a little too much sometimes) and if you don’t like tea there’s always Costa Coffee just downstairs.

Want to join us or know someone who might be interested?
Find out more >

Upon reaching 13,000 feet I stuck my legs out the open door of a perfectly good airworthy aircraft and jumped. The freefall was best part, reaching 130mph for 55 seconds, then about 4 minutes drifting down with the parachute open, even being allowed to steer it on the way down…

Well at least the parachute opened, I had visions of the backpack being filled with pots and pans like in a cartoon.

There were no serious crashes however we did swallow a few bugs along the route, this gave us the excuse to stop at the pub afterwards to wash them down with a beer.

Dave, Mark and Lee.

Find out more >

Check out our high street window campaign posters:

Satellite also designed direct mail, inserts (which appeared in Woman’s Own and the TV Times), banners, flags, window stickers and various point of sale merchandise.

Read about the flapjack >

Satellite also use the Page Flip to show off their own Launch Pad newsletters. Check out the most recent here >

http://www.syracuse-consultancy.nl

Andy and Niook busily finalising the prototype packs.

The Satellite crew chomp on some celebratory scones with jam & cream (made up by  Charis) after it was dispatched to Denmark.

Later on in the  week Dave and V will be going on a whirlwind tour of 4 Costa Coffees around Herts, Bucks and outer London. Keep a lookout for the new website.

From top left: Dave, Mum Lisa, Charis, Ben.

The images will appear in ‘Taking Science into the Future’ a brochure we’ve designed to attract business partners for the Rickmansworth School science laboratory refurbishment initiative.

Satellite Creative are a key partner providing marketing expertise, ranging from staff mentoring to practical design solutions. If you would like to become a partner, call Tee on 01442 879712.

Click on the image to see a larger version.

Starting off, Andy identified key areas in which we all need to raise our game and work smarter, in order to get through the current financial climate. He summarised by leading us through goals set at the last review, and confirmed that we are on track and are indeed growing as planned, on target and within a set budget. The improved meeting room has been a huge success with our clients this year. If you have not seen it, check it out here>

Charis then followed with her update on New Business, detailing our key marketing tools as an agency and the continuing growth of our client database. She ended with a very positive outlook, summarising that over the last six months we have strengthened our brand and corporate identity, gained strong business partnerships, and have a steady growth of new clients which bodes well for a successful future.

Finally, Richard gave us a vision of prospects in the online sector for 2009. Over the past year the interactive department has redefined the way it pitches, presents and develops online projects and has gone from strength to strength. Current marketing budgets are leading the trend to more cost effective online solutions such as email marketing and content managed system (CMS) websites, which the interactive department is fully embracing.

Discover – See – Explore

Following the melting pot that ensued after the presentations, we had to tear ourselves away from debate and rush to catch a train into London city centre. There, we were set the mission: 3 hours, an abundant choice of Galleries, plus a task to take iconic images of London for a future project brainstorm.

[ Click on the image to view larger version ]

Time to Relax

After a hectic few hours of absorbing as much creative culture as possible, we reconvened at The Blackfriars pub for a well earned drink and an exchange of our day’s adventures. Following this we trooped along the Thames to the Northbank restaurant, and ate a delicious meal in view of the Tate Modern by night across the river. A perfect location for our creative brains to exchange ideas and generally have a bit of a socialise. A very successful day enjoyed by all!

From left to right: Dave, Andy, Ben, Veronica, Tee, Alison, Niook (above Alison), Lee, Lisa, Dylan. Front row: Charis, Richard.

[ Click picture to view large version. ]

Find out more about us! Read our personal profiles here >

Satellite sponsored the event saying that whatever was raised in a cardboard RNLI coin box in the studio, the ‘company’ would match. This afternoon I’ve counted up the cash and it came to £70! So as promised, Alison – holder of the purse strings here – has just written me a cheque for £70 and the £140 total amount will be winging it’s way to the RNLI next week.

The donation will go towards providing training as part of the RNLI’s ‘Train one, save many’ campaign. The title is pretty self-explanatory really – One person gets trained to save many lives as sea. Simple but it seems to work. Thanks everyone who donated, well done us!

The shots will be used in future marketing and promotional materials for Danalogic so keep an eye out.

]]> http://blog.satellitecreative.info/?feed=rss2&p=228 0 http://blog.satellitecreative.info/?p=213 http://blog.satellitecreative.info/?p=213#comments Thu, 09 Oct 2008 09:14:59 +0000 Veronica Smolka http://blog.satellitecreative.info/?p=213 Tee returned from her holiday in Thailand today and treated us all to a bizarre selection of snacks. A really fun way to start the day, thanks Tee!

Top left to right: Silky pork and sesame rolls, Woody “assorted wooden strip coated in chocolate”.

Bottom left to right: Siamese rice cracker with flossy pork, Sesame bar, Coconut toffee.

[ Click on the image to view a larger version. ]

*not much hammering action going on here…

Then last week Charis raised the bar pretty high, serving home made scones, jam and clotted cream, Bakewell tarts and Victoria sponge cake. We all agreed that she can have a birthday every week!

After procuring the obligatory beer and burger, we started to walk our way around the hundreds of classical beauties that were on display. We are talking: Porsche Speedsters, the famous E-Type, most of Aston Martin’s DB models, some very unique Jaguar racing cars and yes, there was a Delorean still completely rust-free! In the vintage category, there were Rolls Royce and Bentley models, and a stunning Oldsmobile which was ever so classy, even by today’s standards.

After a couple of hours browsing Veronica concluded that the mammoth American fifties offerings were most impressive. Some of us however were convinced that size doesn’t matter (certainly not engine size) and decided that a perfectly finished sixties black Karmann Cabriolet Beetle was definitely the car of the show.

Overall it was a great night out, with lots of fun and some great photo opportunities…

Veronica has posted a few more pics on her blog

Dave kicked off the afternoon with his presentation, giving us an idea of the growth of Satellite over the past 5 years and how we can continue our steady growth (Cue some lovely graphs which go up). Dylan then took over discussing ‘How can we continue to grow?’ and using the flip chart we brainstormed the idea ‘what are we good at?’.

Out of this came Satellite’s key strengths and brand values:
Creative / Friendly / Understanding / Adaptable / Versatile / Adding Value.

Andy then closed the afternoon asking the question ‘How can we make this (growth) happen? Which ended with the thought that: “we are confident about what we do and need to start shouting about it!”.

After discussing how we can ’sharpen our tools’, the directors proposed a challenge. Each Satellite member was given an empty box frame and £20 with which to buy an item/items which answer the question: “What inspires me and makes me creative?”. These will be displayed in the studio after the end of August.

The studio set up. Interestingly enough the shoot was based around an old manual medium format camera (with a very expensive digital back).

‘Mr A Photographer’ eventually allowed us to take his photograph. On one condition…

Sadly we were not wowed by any shiny new technology or new information but there were a few companies which provided useful to talk to. We also attended a talk covering Mobile Marketing which we may dabble in, in future, and also NetBooster’s seminar dealing with ‘Synergies between Pay Per Click Campaigns and Search Engine Optimisation’. We just managed to catch the tail end of ‘The Content is King’ presentation by MediaCo which proved as a good reminder on the best codes of practice in building quality content to achieve positive search engine rankings. Oh and there was also some nice cake & tea which always goes down well!

After many months of attending a local wine course she was very pleased to have passed and received her WSET Level 2 Intermediate Certificate in Wines and Spirits. As part of the course the class went to the Alentejo region of Portugal earlier this year to taste wines for a long weekend. It’s a tough job but someone’s got to do it! Well done!

This was followed by Tee’s home baking, strawberries and cream and then a game of ‘Crazy Catch’ to burn off the calories! There was even a water slide, a trampoline and cricket which kept the kids and adults entertained alike. A great afternoon enjoyed by all.

Ruth and our hostess, Tee.

Relaxing on the patio.

A hectic game of table football- kids v’s adults.

When we got there the wind was perfect with a bit of sunshine for nice pictures, so we were in our element. Quite quickly, we were racing on the beach, trying to avoid tipping over the blowkart. It is great fun and I can really recommend it for an afternoon. Be careful though!

Check out the updated Satellite website here >

As our Account Manager, Charis will ensure that all our clients maximise their business opportunities by taking time to understand their business and develop new concepts and ideas.

Not only was I allowed the freedom to photograph the makeup and hair activity behind the scenes, but I was also allowed to shoot the catwalk, showcasing his new range of clothes which have been recycled from other garments, in sometimes quite quirky ways.

Check out my other photographs of the event at eyecatch.co.uk/gallery

| Veronica | Web Services

Steve knew what he wanted, and had an idea of how the ‘game’ should work, but needed to know if it was something we could build in house. I’d played about with electronics projects a lot when I was younger and studied electronic engineering at college 10 years ago so we decided that we should have a go. Out came the old reference books, soldering irons, fresh new copies of the RS and Maplin catalogs and we got to work. The photo montage shown here gives an idea of what was involved – if you click to view the larger version you’ll see some image descriptions. The game is based on four separate circuits and the large seven segment display shows a count depending on the combination of leads plugged in by the player.

To finish the project off nicely we had a box produced by a cabinet maker, and a local Acrylics company cut a top to a template we provided. Using smoked transparrent Acrylic for the top – and making sure no ambient light escaped from behind – allowed us to achieve a really nice effect when the large numeric display and six smaller green LEDs were lit.

In all I reckon it was a successful project, probably my favourite to date! How often does someone get to ‘play’ for a couple of weeks and get paid for it?

| Ben | Web Services

We were just two of 800 women, dressed in hot-pink T-shirts, who paced along the streets of Dacorum on the 7th July raising a record £104,000 for the Hospice of St Francis. Organisers of the walk set themselves the target of raising £50,000 to go towards the £85,000 needed to open a new bed at the state-of-the-art hospice in Berkhamsted, but totals on the night were up to £104,000, and with sponsorship money still pouring in, they have far surpassed their goal.

Walking into the main hall of the sports centre when first arriving almost took my breath away. A sea of 800 women dressed in hot-pink T-shirts all ready and raring to go. It was quite a humbling moment. On the dot of midnight, after warming up with a personal trainer and a talk from the organisers, we all set off.

The atmosphere was amazing, funny at some points as it was kicking out time at the pubs. There were loads of toots and egging-on from passing cars. There was a stream of walkers going one way and drunk kebab eaters going the other!

We completed the walk in 3hrs 50 mins. and were greeted with hots drinks, bacon sarnies and a goody bag from Debenhams.

I noticed my achy back, legs and ankles for a few days after, but it was the feeling of jet-lag after missing out on a night’s sleep that was worse! Despite that, I would do it again. It was really good fun and was all for good cause.

| Lisa | Designer

The course was held at the Euston Thistle Hotel with a fantastic group of around 15 people. Some where old experts moving over from manual SLRs, others were brushing up skills before trips to Kenya or Sri Lanka. The tutor himself had an amazing depth of knowledge as well a portfolio of stunning images from around the world.

In the eight or so hours I absorbed some very valuable knowledge about how my Canon actually ’sees’, how to use its advanced funtions, and lighting to name a few topics. It was a great day- good banter with different photographers, a jolly tutor and a three course lunch thrown it too!

If you would like to find out about Experience Seminars go to
http://www.experience-seminars.co.uk

Here are a few images I have taken so far since the course.

| Veronica | Web Services

‘Another Place’ by Antony Gormley (sculptor of the ‘Angel of the North’) I found to be a strange, almost primeval experience, awakening emotions of both longing and loneliness in conjuction with a feeling of aspirational hope. Looking out along 3km of shoreline and seeing a scattering of singular, what at first appear to be androgenous figures, facing silently towards the open sea is profoundly moving on a very primitive level. And I can imagine that being there to witness the figures facing a new dawn or a fiery sunset would be incredibly haunting.

Read more about this unique piece of artistic expression, here at Wikipedia.

| Steve | Web Manager

While I was ‘in the area’ I also made time to see the Deutsche Borse Photography Prize at the Photographers Gallery. Four living photographers who have made the most contribution to European photography are selected annually. I was most impressed by the work of Philippe Chancel. His show provided a look into the rarely seen politically influenced life in North Korea. Philippe provides a neutral view on the subject, simply documenting the environment without passing judgment.

The images themselves impress on a large scale as their serene crispness and detail are powerful and haunting. This exhibition provided the perfect contrast to the familiar and somewhat clichéd wildlife images I viewed earlier that day, and opened my eyes to an environment I had not seen before.

View more images of the DPRK exhibition here
| Veronica | Web Services

I found the exhibition to be enthralling on three levels. Firstly, my avid interest in aviation was deepened by viewing some of our planet’s most ancient monuments, landmarks and natural features from a bird’s eye view. Secondly the history behind many of these remote locations was both fascinating and intriguing and thirdly the simple beauty of the photography revealed Georg Gerster to be a competant and imaginative photographic artist.

All in all, it was time well spent and truly a rewarding insight into our Earth and the variety of cultures that make up its diverse human family.

| Steve | Web Manager

In the past he has been famed for some pretty violent movies, but in this latest offering he has produced something on the other end of the scale. “I am a Cyborg” is a romantic comedy about a young woman in a mental hospital who thinks she is a cyborg who falls in love with a non-cyborg guy.

The website is set up as a 3D diary which the user can flick trough. The animation of the ‘pop-up book’ pages is pretty flawless and the cut out style of the objects inside is both intriguing and slightly comical. Take a look at the website: http://www.cyborg2006.co.kr

| Veronica | Web Services

As a big fan of Nicholas Crane, having read Two Degrees North several summers back, I have followed his venture into TV with Coast with great interest. His new series recently featured the refurbished De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill – a 1930 masterpiece of concrete and steel. This I had to see, and so last weekend an opportunity arose to drive 250 miles for lunch, a stroll along the promenade and tea all in the company of this amazing building. One can only assume that if this had been built in any other town on the south coast it would have been destroyed in the post war purge of our architectural heritage. It’s simplicity belies the fact that this building survives not as a relic of our glorious past but as a vibrant, living space accessible by all to enjoy for free.

I highly recommend a visit – here are a few photos to whet your appetite – also the £10 lunch menu! For more info go to delawarrpavilion.com

| Andy | Creative Director

More about the documentary can be read at:
http://www.dfi.dk/tidsskriftetfilm/32/boyscout.htm

| Steve | Web Manager

http://www.cgsphere.com/

| Steve | Web Manager

Last week the banners were all successfully approved and we wait to see them in action on the web. My personal favourite of the set is the banner titled ‘Fishing for a great deal?’. View the banner

| Veronica | Web Services

“Own Your C” is a media campaign aimed at informing young people about tobacco. The site is based around the idea of ‘choice’ and the user can collect points depending on which choices he or she makes. These point’s can then be cashed in for downloads. A really entertaining and unusual way of promoting a serious topic. I really like the mix of styles and the use of little video-clip characters which perform different actions on rollover.

‘C’ the website for yourself

| Veronica | Web Services

This week we have picked the quirky Sketch Restaurant website. Having sampled their amazingly bizzare food we found they have a pretty cool website too! Visit the Sketch website and check out it’s bizzare world for yourself

| Veronica | Web Services

When Rand and Robyn Miller began work on the original MYST game in 1991, I doubt they had any idea that it would become the iconic milestone in the fantasy/sci fi genre that it has. Since it’s release in 1993, there have been five ‘chapters’ in the unfolding story and one spin-off title – not to mention fan literature, fan games, online communities, real-world meets, an MMO, a trilogy of novels and even music CD’s.

What stands out more than anything with the MYST series is it’s powerful imagery and original visual style of beautiful worlds filled with intricate machinery and mind-bending puzzles. This evocative style has often been a source of personal inspiration for me and has set a standard of design throughout the gaming industry and illustration community that is now referred to as ‘MYST-like’. The distinctive look and feel that the series created has often be replicated, but in my opinion, never bettered and perhaps is epitomised in the stunning, and at the time groundbreaking, visuals of ‘Riven: The Sequel to Myst’

| Steve | Web Manager

I’ve had an old 1967 GT6 [pictured above at John O'Groats] for a while and thought it would be a laugh… although it has to be said that some wondered whether it would get 20 miles, let alone 2000! We started the event along with 94 other Triumphs at 7pm on Friday the 6th, and finished 48 hours and 11 minutes later on the Sunday evening, the 7th car to return. We’d ‘checked in’ at 14 stops along the route, and besides the odd fuel crisis, didn’t have any mechanical problems which was great. [My Blog]

“ye of little faith” I say to the doubters!
(oh and thanks again to Satellite for the sponsorship!)

| Ben | Web Services

| Veronica | Web Services

Why Are We Starting a Blog?
Well, we’re always keen to improve our website and investigate new ways of communication with both existing and potential clients and therefore felt that a webblog, focused around the things that make us tick, would provide an informal introduction to the way we think about design. Like an online extension of the sketchpads on our desks, it’s a freestyle opportunity for us to talk more in detail about some of the things that affect our thought processes and influence our creativity.

With postings by all members of the team, we also aim to bring a well rounded-out flavour of the different skills and abilities we have on offer and how they are being used for both clients and personal development alike.

Naturally, like any good blog, we welcome everyone’s comments and thoughts on what we post and hope that what you read here will, like us, both interest and inspire you.

| Steve |