tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-180768382008-08-15T08:49:55.099-07:00Davidnoreply@blogger.comBlogger72125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18076838.post-59556498386682458622008-08-12T06:43:00.000-07:002008-08-12T06:44:44.190-07:00

This is really very gratifying indeed. David has posted his own piece about the mailer, with some more lovely pictures. I am thrilled.

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01254406764366639916noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18076838.post-68037690876377108752008-08-11T04:00:00.001-07:002008-08-11T04:21:37.708-07:00

I've enjoyed the AceJet170 blog for a long time, with its mixture of found type images, vintage design and, latterly, chickens. So it's a special pleasure for me that Richard, who writes the blog, has posted about my little ol' mailer. As well as some kind words (and a splendid verbal flourish that suggests he has little need for my services), Richard has included a set of lovely photos.

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01254406764366639916noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18076838.post-22978938416519570222008-08-08T04:57:00.001-07:002008-08-08T05:06:28.182-07:00

Just had another nice email about the mailer: "I thought it was wondrous... an example of what you can do when you wake up," says Michael Wolff. (Formerly of Wolff Olins, just in case you're not in the biz.) You may consider me chuffed.

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01254406764366639916noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18076838.post-86526012154238886522008-08-07T10:09:00.001-07:002008-08-08T04:58:53.199-07:00

My mailer seems to be going down well, I'm happy to say. Latest responses include: "Thanks for sending me your mailer, I LOVE it. Love it soooo much. LOVE IT.I'm gushing, but I loooove it. It's lovely." And: "Just a quick note to say thanks for the booklet. Very clever and very beautiful." And: "I've had a glorious day with my new friend, taking it out and about and indeed showing it off to

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01254406764366639916noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18076838.post-77076593865132885262008-08-01T12:21:00.000-07:002008-08-01T12:39:43.701-07:00

It's here. It's actually here. My Christmas 2007 mailshot - all pretence at a New Year deadline long discarded - has finally arrived from the extraordinarily diligent presses of Gavin Martin, via the admirably ambitious design heads of 300million. It's become an all-round self-promotional doohickey by now - and is all the better for it, I reckon. My initial idea - a riposte to the dozens, if

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01254406764366639916noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18076838.post-18283534927994043972008-07-18T03:35:00.000-07:002008-07-18T03:43:00.406-07:00

And as many of you know, that's Christmas '07, not '08. Still, it's turned out beautifully, thanks to the very generous hard work of 300million (design) and Gavin Martin (print). Naturally, I'm not going to spoil what I hope will be a very nice surprise, which is why you're only getting this sneak peek through the packaging. It's not really a Christmas mailer any more, of course. By force of

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01254406764366639916noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18076838.post-43673621977082311272008-06-09T13:14:00.000-07:002008-06-09T13:22:25.512-07:00

I popped up to Birmingham last week to see my work for the world's first Climate Change Festival in action. It was quite a thrill to see my words plastered all over the city centre, mainly on the big, pink and orange benches (designed by Mark Garside and Violetta Boxill, who also did the identity). The benches point you to key views of the city - or, as left, in the direction of the Festival's

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01254406764366639916noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18076838.post-25779794253846880262008-05-29T12:49:00.000-07:002008-06-25T11:07:35.298-07:00

I've had a nice email from Sightsavers, with whom I've been working on some major donor fundraising materials for the Bangladesh Childhood Cataract Campaign. Their latest appeal pack recently hit expensive doormats up and down the land, and the results are very satisfying. Sophie from Sightsavers writes: "We've done a quick tally and to date the latest BCCC appeal has raised £-------, which

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01254406764366639916noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18076838.post-13247292651015962152008-05-27T02:32:00.000-07:002008-05-27T03:23:03.440-07:00

A very welcome addition to the client list this month, in the form of celebrated design consultancy johnson banks, creators of brilliant branding and graphics and home to one of the most engaging design blogs around. Johnson Banks' recent splendid stamps celebrating 50 years since Lennon met McCartney. I'd love to be able to add to this news with details of the branding project Michael Johnson

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01254406764366639916noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18076838.post-13241343930055790572008-04-10T15:02:00.000-07:002008-05-27T03:18:18.248-07:00

I'm delighted to say that I've started working directly with CABE - the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment - on a couple of projects. The first is CABE's own corporate leaflet, which is being designed by my old friends at 300million. And the second is a very exciting event: the world's first Climate Change Festival. Climate Change Festival identity by Violetta Boxill I've

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01254406764366639916noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18076838.post-20174447797713917652008-03-15T16:17:00.000-07:002008-03-26T03:57:02.065-07:00

Some great news about the presentation materials I did with 300million for property developers Cathedral: we won! This was Cathedral's bid to develop a new library, leisure centre and residential accommodation in the heart of Clapham - where I spent much of my London life before upping sticks for Surrey family life. I wrote and edited the (pretty extensive) documents in double-fast time, and

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01254406764366639916noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18076838.post-20415595619676087472007-11-21T10:20:00.001-08:002008-03-26T03:44:51.586-07:00

The website I wrote for Cardiff Waterside, a major business property development in the Welsh capital, is now live. The designers were Brownjohn (their debut on my client list) and my old friends at Bounce. A lovely job they both made of it, too.

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01254406764366639916noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18076838.post-42911420689876025652007-10-15T03:46:00.000-07:002007-12-17T13:26:40.366-08:00

The very nice news of today is that Ben Terrett of The Design Conspiracy has just invited me to be a guest writer on his popular design blog, Noisy Decent Graphics. I'm very chuffed. NDG is a pretty well-known organ these days, always full of interesting news and opinions. The only thing that worries me is living up to its reputation. (Especially as Ben recently recruited another guest writer,

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01254406764366639916noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18076838.post-45974892388495116882007-10-11T04:50:00.000-07:002007-11-16T03:32:15.052-08:00

Ruskin Square is a huge new development in the heart of Croydon, designed by Foster + Partners and FaulkerBrowns. Design consultancy Figtree created the identity and communications for the development, and asked me to work on the copy. I was delighted to accept, of course, especially as this was my first job with Figtree. It all went very well, and I ended up writing a teaser brochure, the

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01254406764366639916noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18076838.post-87160363774735382492007-10-08T18:36:00.000-07:002007-11-16T03:37:38.364-08:00

This was a slightly mad project. The good people at 300million asked me to help them put together materials for a major property development bid by Cathedral. Cathedral wanted a presentation that showed their commitment to quality and innovation. So they hired 300million to create an inspiring identity for the project (which, true to form, they did), and asked me to write a brochure to sum up

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01254406764366639916noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18076838.post-18223172813984055932007-10-02T08:04:00.000-07:002008-03-26T03:57:02.068-07:00

You may remember that I was the first UK business to sign up as a member of 1% For The Planet, the rapidly expanding association of businesses donating at least 1% of their income (not profits, income) to environmental causes. Well, the latest beneficiary of my green largesse is Rainforest Concern: a charity devoted to an issue that seems, bizarrely, to be rather out of the limelight these days:

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01254406764366639916noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18076838.post-91241054643701859752007-10-02T07:41:00.000-07:002007-11-16T03:49:53.070-08:00

This month saw the posters in the 26/JC Decaux 48-sheet project finally appear at their various sites. Here's mine, on a suitably grotty corner of the Purley Way, shot on a suitably grey day. (If you know Purley Way, it's just by the big Pets At Home store.) It was nice to see the project sparking some spiky opinions in Design Week from Quentin Newark (subscribers read it here) (followed by an

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01254406764366639916noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18076838.post-91152820604263602252007-08-29T04:13:00.000-07:002007-11-16T03:54:10.263-08:00

Yet another new client this month, thanks to a kind referral from The Partners. Airwave is the company - until recently part of O2 - that runs the emergency services' dedicated communications network. As tragic experience has shown, public networks are often overloaded in the wake of major emergencies like 7/7 or the recent floods. And even in the normal day-to-day, emergency teams need a

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01254406764366639916noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18076838.post-86560496348155404162007-08-24T15:39:00.000-07:002007-11-16T04:09:35.481-08:00

"I can't seem to escape from Croydon." No doubt this cry has been raised before, but never by me. And yet, in the past weeks, Croydon has become a looming presence in my life, thanks to one of those bizarre work synchronicities that come along now and then. The first project came from writers' association 26. They'd wangled a deal with media owners JC Decaux, allowing a bunch of writers and

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01254406764366639916noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18076838.post-9932464396311472992007-08-24T03:47:00.000-07:002007-11-16T04:18:18.592-08:00

This month brought the exciting news that I'll be working with Sightsavers over the coming year, on fundraising communications with their high-level donors. I pitched for the work as part of a team with the International Fundraising Consultancy and freelance designer Piers Rutterford. And Sightsavers reckon we've got what it takes to bring in thousands of pounds from a very select group of rich

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01254406764366639916noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18076838.post-42390470001925645762007-07-24T02:23:00.001-07:002007-11-16T04:22:58.230-08:00

As you may recall, I had a small hand in the films made for the London 2012 Olympic bid. And as you can imagine, that success has brought a slew of business for my client New Moon, the production company behind the films. In amongst this slew was, of all things, another Olympic project: the Russian bid for the 2014 Winter Games. It was a tough job. Sochi, the Black Sea resort chosen as the

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01254406764366639916noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18076838.post-83234915981753004452007-06-07T01:34:00.000-07:002007-11-16T04:25:45.949-08:00

The launch of Wolff Olins' enormously controversial new London 2012 logo (left) has created a welcome flurry of interest in my site. I usually get around 60 to 80 hits a day. Occasionally 100 or so. But yesterday (6 June), I got almost 400 hits, almost all of them on the page showing my entry for the 2012 London Olympic bid logo competition (shown below). Vast numbers of Europeans, mainly

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01254406764366639916noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18076838.post-89580917448322572182007-03-15T18:00:00.000-07:002007-11-16T04:28:03.862-08:00

We were only going about a mile. How hard can that be? But geography is perhaps the least important element in deciding the stress quotient of any move. Especially when your moving day begins at 3am, with a seven month-old baby vomiting all over the bed. Which, of course, includes the only clean linen that hasn't been sealed inside a cardboard box and stowed onto a van. That little upset

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01254406764366639916noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18076838.post-82931442582867460572007-02-27T02:47:00.000-08:002007-11-16T04:29:57.439-08:00

It's a pleasure to announce my first little job for D&AD. I'm currently working with Hat-trick on promoting D&AD Xchange - the two-day event for lecturers and tutors in design and advertising. Naturally I'm very chuffed to be working with such a prestigious name. I've even found it in myself to forgive all those overlooked awards entries. Look out for the new Xchange stuff appearing soon...

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01254406764366639916noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18076838.post-66520011801226825152007-02-27T02:41:00.000-08:002007-11-16T04:35:17.670-08:00

One of this month's nicest surprises was a referral from designer Thomas Manss to his client Bowers & Wilkins, makers of probably the finest loudspeakers in the world. Their astonishing Nautilus speaker (shown here), the result of five years' research and development, is certainly the most amazing-looking speaker I've ever seen. The company, which has been going since the mid-60s, is one of

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01254406764366639916noreply@blogger.com