A lovely email

I've been neglecting this blog, so apologies for that. There are exciting developments in the wings re. the website, and I've mentally put the whole thing on the back burner while those developments... develop.

But I can't resist quoting this email I've just had from Phil Power, my client at Crisis. I started working with Crisis last year, when 300million got me involved in the charity's rebrand. And I'm happy to say the relationship has blossomed. I've since worked on their Impact Report for 2008, and a recent brochure. Phil has now asked me to work on 2009's Impact Report, along with the following blush-inducing words:

'Can't say how great it is to have you working with us. You absolute get what we are about and how we need to articulate things, so a big thank you.'

For my part, I'm thrilled to be working with such an important and fascinating organisation. So it's all good.

And again.

It's been a good week for my ego, and it's ending on a bit of a high.

I've been doing my first job for Manchester designers True North (thanks to a very kind referral from Michael Johnson, since we're in trumpet-blowing mode), and it's going pretty well. In fact, I just had an email from Claire there, and she says:

'Mike I haven't spoken to the others but for what it's worth I think this is bloody great. Exactly what I was looking for.'

'Bloody great': that'll do me. Have a good weekend, all.

Shameless again.

It's always nice to hear that one of your clients has recommended you to someone else. Is there a more genuine or valuable recognition of your work?

Recently I had an email from a potential new client, who'd been given my name by James Backhurst, a designer at Elmwood whom I've worked with a few times over the years.

It was lovely to know that James was confident enough to recommend me, and even better to hear what he'd said. Apparently his exact words were:

"Mike is kick-ass, very funny and uber-smart!"

Goodness. Thanks very much to James, I've never been described as "kick-ass" before. Or "uber-smart", come to that. I like the sound of both very much.

(If you can stomach it, there's more about how wonderful I am here, here, here and here.)

I'm in the new Comic Relief book

If you've trawled around this website, you may have come across my little poem, Hippoparadox.

You may also know I'm on Twitter, and have in fact become seriously addicted to it.

Now, these two facts have collided, as Hippoparadox has been selected to appear in TwitterTitters, a book created for Comic Relief through Twitter.



The creators, Linda Jones and Louise Bolotin, put the word out on Twitter for submissions to the book, and also to recruit others beyond the 'Twitterverse'. And it worked. (Read more about how the book came about here.)

They had over 70 submissions, apparently, and chose 12, of which mine was one. I am, as you'd expect, thrilled.

The book is available now, as a download or a printed copy, from Lulu. Please invest in a copy, partly for my ego's sake but more importantly to have a laugh and raise some more money for Comic Relief.

You know you want to.

Go on.

Further shamelessness

Here are some more nice words, this time in an email from Jane at Tayburn, for whom I recently wrote my first piece. Jane wrote to say,

"Thanks so much for your hard work on this. You came highly recommended to me from the guys at my previous company The Partners and my friends at The Chase. So thanks again."

Which was very kind, and good to hear. Thanks, Jane.

(Previous self-trumpeting here, here and here.)

More shameless trumpeting

Following on from this post and this one, here's another in my occasional series, 'E-pats on the Back'. This time , I've had a very nice email from Phil at Gavin Martin, the brilliant printers who did my folding mailer, and for whom I have now written a brochure.

The brochure was designed by the also-brilliant Magpie, one of the most exciting new design consultancies around. I'm waiting with bated breath for my file copies to arrive, as it's obviously come out really well. Just listen to Phil:

"Brochure looks spectacular. Thanks for all your hard work, copy really makes it."

Thanks, Phil.

You can download a PDF of the brochure by clicking here (4.7MB)

London Vision Clinic shortlisted

Great to see that the new identity scheme for the London Vision Clinic has been shortlisted for a 2009 Design Week Award.

Hopefully Hat-trick, who designed the elegant 'iris' identity, and I (who wrote the copy and had my eyes zapped) will have something to celebrate in March. Bating breath now...