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We all love an underdog.

One of our Digital Designers, Mayumi Kurosawa, has overcome incredible odds to get to where she is today – a much-loved member of the Proctors’ team.

This is her story.‍

Act 1: A blessing in (deep, deep) disguise?

I may be happily settled in Bristol today, but the journey I took to get here started in Japan.

In 2018, I was working as a translator – my dream job back then. After five years in this role, my British-native husband told me he wanted to move back to the U.K. It wasn’t the best timing, but being the amazing wife I am, I agreed, making the decision to leave my job and challenge myself in a new country.

After along slog (another story in itself), I was finally granted permission to come and work in the UK. I landed an admin job working for a Japanese company dealing in imported car parts.

But bad timing struck again. The knock-on effects of Brexit were being felt in every industry, and within 8 months of starting my job, I was made redundant.

And to top it all off, my husband and I had just made the decision to move to a new city: Bristol. ‍

Act 2: Kintsugi – Repairing what’s broken, with gold‍

After coming to terms with what had happened, I came to a realisation. Yes, I’d been dealt a few poor hands. But now I had a brand-new opportunity to discover what I really wanted from the next stage of my career.

So, I doubled down and made a plan: I gave myself one year to study and find out exactly what it was I wanted to do. And I had an idea of what that might be…‍

Act 3: The impossible dream‍

Since childhood, I’d dreamt of working within the creative industries. But I’d never felt confident enough to even talk about it – never mind found the guts to try. Nevertheless, the dream had stayed with me. And without the excuse of ‘being too busy’ now redundant, it was time for me to take a chance.

I knew I was interested in design, in its broadest sense. But, of course, modern ‘design’ covers a wide range of occupations.‍

It took me a while to focus on one discipline. First, I started studying UX/UI design with an online course called Interaction Design Foundation. Then, I moved into front-end web development with Codecademy – an online platform offering coding classes for people interested in developing their skills within the digital design sector. Finally, I studied graphic design, learning even more about the principles of aesthetics and creativity.

Every discipline had its merits, making it difficult to choose which specialism I was going to focus on. And just one year of learning seemed too short to become skilled enough in all of these different areas if I wanted to secure a job.‍

Act 4: The Great Battle of Imposter Syndrome

The truth is, I spent a lot of time over the course of that year doubting whether I was making the right choice. However, I’m stubborn by nature, and after every moment of uncertainty I would rebound into bursts of productively, further pushing and developing my professional skills.

There’s a cliché for a reason: the only difference between the people who succeed and the people who don’t, is whether they give up on what they want. And I just didn’t let myself give up.

So, I started creating a portfolio. I turned my skills to a selection of different websites that I felt could be improved with a mixture of design and UX. Not only did the process help me use the skills I had learnt, it also helped me to test myself – and prove to myself that I really could become a designer.

When I had three websites redesigned and mocked up, I took a chance and started to apply to some roles.

‍Act 5: An ending – and a beginning
‍

To my surprise and delight, I received interest from some of the applications I sent, and managed to squeeze myself* into the creative industry. Now, I’m a digital designer for Proctor + Stevenson – and I got here without a relevant degree or industry experience.

Everyone is very warm, keen to help, and I genuinely enjoy working here. They are serious professionals, but at the same time they love to laugh and have fun.

I’ve just started my new career, so can’t give much industry insight yet. But I hope I can encourage people who want to learn something new, or want a career change, that if I could do it, you can do it too.

‍Post-credits‍

A quick comment from Proctors (and Mayumi’s manager, Dan Hardaker, Director of Digital Design).‍

*There was no squeezing necessary when it came to offering Mayumi a role with Proctors. Her portfolio – and her story – demonstrated so much potential and clear talent that we knew would make her a perfect fit for the role.

It’s important to us to look past a person’s work experience alone. Your drive and attitude are just as important as the places you’ve worked before. We believe in giving people the opportunity to develop their skills in a professional environment, and in supporting your goals with mentoring and training resources. So together, we can lay a career path just for you.

Why not take a look at our current career opportunities? There could be a new flagstone waiting for you…

Digital is the status quo 

We’re all doing our best to meet the ever-growing demand for organisations to ‘go digital’.

Whether we’re trying to reach more customers, more effectively market our products and services, minimise our carbon footprint or deliver more cost-effective business solutions, finding a digital – and in many ways more accessible – solution is pretty much today’s standard course of action.

The opportunities when we meet a new audience in a new space are obvious. But what about the pitfalls?

The potential for being misunderstood, taken out of context, or having your brand diluted across multiple platforms becomes more likely – especially when considering the speed at which online content is delivered.

And it’s for this reason that our brand identity becomes even more important.

What are brand guidelines?

‍
Your brand guidelines are the rules which determine how your brand is presented to the world. It usually contains information about your brand name and how it’s used, your corporate logo, brand colours, fonts, tone of voice etc.

Your brand guidelines should clearly illustrate how your brand identity is portrayed and communicated to consumers, providing a reference point for employees and clients alike.

And we need them, because when your brand remains consistent, it remains recognisable. 

Research has shown 86% of consumers say that authenticity is a key factor when deciding what brands they like and support. And when we think about it, it makes complete sense.

Imagine you nip into your local corner shop to buy a bottle of Coca Cola. Only, the label on the bottle looks strange. In fact, it’s not the typical Coca Cola red at all – it’s bright orange.

And, come to think of it, the font looks different too: It’s narrower than you remember. And not as cursive. Plus, the bottle’s neck is slightly longer. But the drink is still claiming to be authentic, traditional Coca Cola – what’s the likelihood this is a fake?

Maybe you risk it. Or maybe you pick the more familiar-looking bottle of Pepsi, instead.

According to PwC’s consumer insights survey, customers selected trust as their number one reason for choosing a retailer. And how can you expect customers to trust your brand if you don’t remain consistent?

The need for maintaining brand consistency across platforms is critical, because it promotes authenticity and trust. In fact, ensuring a consistent representation of your brand can increase revenue by as much as 33%.

With 80% of consumers agreeing that a signature colour increases brand association and recognition, the importance of sticking to your guidelines – is hard to overstate.

 What about having a refresh? 

There’s nothing wrong with intentionally refreshing your brand. In fact, updating your branding every few years ensures you stay modern, and reflects your company’s ability to evolve with the times.

But with any brand refresh, your guidelines need to be refreshed too.

Many organisations keep their brand guidelines in a PDF or printed format, meaning you’ll need to factor in time-consuming tasks: updating your documents, checking and proofing them, making amends, artworking them and having them signed off – all this on top of your rebranding process.

But there is a better way.

Digitising your brand guidelines allows for quick and resource-light updates to guidelines, that are quick to roll out and distribute to all relevant stakeholders.

Creating digital brand guidelines

A digital brand guideline ‘book’ can be accessed from anywhere, at any time, and on any device – without the trouble of having to locate a physical copy, or share a long-lost PDF that’s buried on your desktop. Simply share the link, and go.

At Proctors, we use Webflow to create and update our clients’ digital brand guidelines. Whether they’re used by your colleagues, your customers, media or external business partners, making your guidelines accessible on Webflow gives everyone clear direction on presenting your brand consistently.

Even better, with Webflow, elements such as your logos, fonts and colours can be downloaded by anyone you share the link with. So in today’s digital first world, your media partners or social media managers can remain responsive when it comes to pushing out branded content.

Plus, with digital-first increasingly the norm, companies who use motion graphics in their brand elements can demonstrate real, live examples in their digital brand guidelines book too – something which isn’t possible in other formats.

Even large organisations with lots of different sub-brands can benefit from Webflow’s flexibility. It’s a quick and efficient process to create and update your guidelines, whether you need to edit just one page or to build and deploy several branding ‘chapters’. Plus, any changes or updates can be highlighted on the landing page, so all employees are made aware of them.

With Webflow’s no-code format, any brand refresh updates can be easily executed by your marketing team, meaning you’ll save masses of time on updates. Not to mention avoiding the need to print – and that’s one big environmental benefit.

Scaling up with Webflow

If you want your brand to remain trusted in the digital era, you need to practice consistency.

With easily accessible guidelines, you’ll be able to ensure you’re presenting an authentic brand. So you can reach more customers, and more effectively market your businesses.

If you’d like to find out more about our digital brand guideline services, or any of the other services we offer, talk to us today at [email protected].

Bristol-based digital design and development agency, Unfold celebrated success on 14th October 2021, taking home the title of “Best Digital Design” at The SPARKies 2021. This was awarded for the transformational work they completed for their clients Sherpr.

The SPARKies is one of the year’s most hotly anticipated tech awards ceremonies in the South West. Since Managing Director, Harry Cobbold won ‘FutureSPARK’ back in 2019, Unfold has been nominated for several other categories (including ‘Tech Leader of the Year’ this year). The ceremony was held at The Showroom on Bath Road and was joint hosted by the TechSpark team and comedian Stephen Bailey (who had everyone in stitches).

Sherpr came to Unfold with two problems;

• Their back office operations were not sustainable. Many of the tasks required to process customer orders were still manual, and man-hour intensive meaning they had very little room to scale-up.
• Their content-management system was also difficult for their back office team to manage, forcing them to resort to developer support to even make the smallest content updates.

Unfold built a custom web app, admin portal and marketing site for Sherpr in just 10 weeks. This completely transformed their business. As well as automating all of the time-intensive back office tasks, Unfold also created an editable CMS through which the Sherpr team could update and manage their products without constant developer support.

As well as immediate savings in overheads, Sherpr were also able to process far more clients with their new reliable and automated booking system.

Following the work Unfold completed for them, Sherpr achieved their first ever 6-figure month and hit an annual run-rate of £1.2m.

“From beginning to end, the team at Unfold have been great to work with. Communication has been easy and any changes we needed to make during the build process were welcomed and perfectly executed.” – Andy Watson, CEO of Sherpr

Read more in-depth info on exactly how Unfold helped Sherpr achieve this remarkable step-change in their full case study.

If you have a project or digital platform you’d like advice on, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with the Unfold team.

Mr B & Friends has created a vibrant brand transformation for two South West hospital charities as they merge into one.

The agency developed a brand positioning to strengthen the appeal of two charities as they combine under the new name of Bristol & Weston Hospitals Charity. Formerly separated as Above & Beyond and Weston Area Charitable Trust, the charity will now support all 10 sites within University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust (UHBW) beyond what the NHS is able to provide.

The distinctive new identity will provide a platform to launch the unified charity, engaging both new and existing supporters. Built from an organising thought of ‘Do great things’, the new brand shows the huge potential of the merger. The logo’s sunburst acts as a visual metaphor for the work the charity does. It’s the joy they deliver, the mark they make and the spark they ignite. It radiates the positivity synonymous with the team’s approach to fundraising, creating a truly single-minded beacon for their brand. A playful, punchy tone of voice instils a dynamic sense of personality, resulting in an identity that’s hard to ignore.

In addition to the strategy and identity work, full brand guidelines have been provided for ongoing consistency, while Mr B & Friends has worked with the charity team to develop a range of assets, from on-site shop posters to website visuals.

The charity funds the little things that make a big difference and work with the Trust to provide healing environments and spaces which provide dignity, privacy and empathy. They also fund world-class technology, treatments, knowledge and medical research and champion equitable access for all patients.

Simon Barbato, CEO of Mr B & Friends said: “From the first conversation we had with the team at Bristol & Weston Hospitals Charity we could see the passion and dedication they brought to the organisation. We’re delighted that we’ve been able to use our brand expertise to translate their vision into a striking new identity that will raise awareness of the charity and enable them to further its fundraising abilities.”

Paul Kearney, chief executive of Bristol & Weston Hospitals Charity, said: “This is a really exciting opportunity and we wanted a new identity that radiates positivity and has a clear name to represent and reflect this partnership as we move forward.

“Mr B & Friends has really embraced our cause and this new look and we’re looking forward to being a bold, positive and energetic force across Bristol and Weston.”

For more information about Bristol & Weston Hospitals Charity, visit bwhospitalscharity.org.uk

Life has changed immeasurably in the past fifteen months. Social distancing, self-isolation, and WFH are now part of our everyday vocabulary. Physical barriers were put up between us and our friends and family members. The same is true between brands and consumers.

However, as restrictions are loosened, these physical barriers will eventually come down. In a Post-Pandemic world, what legacy will COVID-19 leave for brands, and what newly adopted trends and ways of communicating should stay with us?

Physical Connection – a balancing act

Research suggests that over the course of the pandemic we have leapt 10 years into the future in terms of e-commerce penetration. This has accelerated a decrease in personal interaction with retailers and experiences. Physical connections have been slowly diminishing for decades, as tech-led startups compete with high street brands. From banking to beds, consumers have benefited from the increased choice and embraced the added online convenience. The suggestion being that the death of the high street is inevitable. 

However, the jury is still out on the right balance between virtual and physical connections. Just as the pandemic enters its second year in the UK, Amazon launched its first physical UK store (cashless and packed with technology). Tesla – arguably the most future-forward car brand in the world – also places value in physical shopping centre outlets in the heart of towns and cities. Brands venturing offline have one thing in common – they see the move offline as establishing a new touchpoint for the brand as part of an overall ecosystem and to create memorable brand experiences.

‘Phygital’ is a term gaining traction meaning that consumers may be able to have it both ways — online and offline can live together to create more holistic brand experiences. UK-based furniture company Made.com continues to open physical shops that have the look, feel, and product assortment of their online persona. 

Some sensory experiences just can’t be duplicated online, such as smelling the coffee, being able to browse to feel a fabric and see quality, or even engaging with a salesperson. Retailers should be thinking of ways to highlight the sensory and personal aspects of offline shopping even after lockdowns are eased.

Brands should remember that once consumers are offered convenience, there’s no going back. If last week they were able to shop online and pick up their order, then they might be unsatisfied if they have to resort to the old method of simply browsing the aisles. 

Togetherness – tapping into consumers’ needs

Togetherness and inclusivity have become themes for consumer engagement during the Pandemic. Brands that successfully communicated, “We’re With You,” were able to tap into consumers’ need for comfort in a time of stress. Brands that reinforced this message with positive actions were the most successful. 

Aldi developed an ad campaign designed to curb “panic buying.” Their reassuring tone of voice emphasising high quality, low prices and a focus on supporting their own workers as well as local charities has earned them a 10% increase in sales.

Deliveroo made positive gains when they provided 500,000 free meals to NHS workers and those most vulnerable who were unable to leave their homes. They also partnered with VISA to offer financial packages and advice to new restaurants looking to convert to delivery-only.

According to YouGov Plc, 79% of people say that they are more likely to buy from companies that have responded well to the crisis. Brands’ handling of the pandemic will affect how consumers see them and ultimately where they spend their money. 

Realness – being refreshingly honest

During the pandemic we all had to adapt to new ways of communicating with each other via digital screens. Seeing our friends and colleagues’ kitchens or spare rooms; being interrupted by kids and cats all helped establish a new level of intimacy to our daily interactions. This also manifested itself in brand communications. 

If you didn’t have your Ad ‘in the can’ you had to look for new ways to communicate your message in an ad-hoc way. The result was often lo-fi, socially-distanced campaigns that embraced the realness of the situation – both a practical response but also a human one to which we could all relate. Good examples are: “Nan’s Long Distance Roast Lamb,” from Tesco’s’ Food Love Stories campaign (via BBH) or, “We’ll get through this,” from Maltesers’ Isolation Life (from BBDO). 

This blurred the lines even further between brand-generated content and influencer content, opening up opportunities for communication concepts that used hashtags and visual mnemonics to strengthen brand recognition and attribution. Zoom-style ads may get tired. But the fact remains, that the pandemic taught us that brands can embrace a more intimate and real style to tell refreshingly honest and compelling stories. 

Convenience – a point of entry for survival

Through lockdown many of our freedoms and conveniences have been curbed. It’s not as easy to simply pop to the shop and grab ingredients for dinner. With this in mind many retailers were forced to reappraise how to provide more convenience and alternative ways to shop.

An Adobe and YouGov study found that 74% of retailers have changed their products and services in 2020 as a result of the pandemic – and that many of the changes would be permanent. 26% of retailers had introduced new digital and e-commerce services in response to demand.  

Retailers have extended delivery slots, added click and collect services, or made temporary shifts to full online retailing. Brands that have adapted to support changing consumer needs and habits during this time of uncertainty have strengthened both their relationships and their reputations. 

As we begin to relax strict lockdowns (hopefully for good), brands will need to consider how to re-establish physical connections with consumers. How do we embrace the convenience we have grown accustomed to and carry forward a more authentic and inclusive tone to messaging that helped carry us through this last year? Each of these things present strong future opportunities for those nimble and visionary enough to embrace new models.

By Shannon Osment, Director of Accounts and Pete Hawkins, Creative Director Chase Design Group UK 

Chase Design Group ( www.chasedesigngroup.com) is a creative agency with offices in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and the UK handling brand strategy, identity development, package design and retail environments for clients including Procter & Gamble, PepsiCo, Nestlé, Campbell Soup Company and Pfizer.

Cytel, the world’s largest provider of statistical software and advanced analytics for clinical trial design, has appointed AgencyUK to lead the strategy and roll-out of Solara, the next generation in statistical and predictive trial design and selection software. This trial strategy platform combines massive cloud computing with Cytel algorithms to dramatically expand available design options for confident selection of the optimal design. Unifying statistical design and clinical strategy to improve clinical development productivity, Solara helps teams control uncertainty by simulating millions of design options in minutes; minimizes costs by ensuring teams find opportunities to shorten trial duration; accelerates speed to market (10-20% faster) and benefits the patients sooner. 

The technology is such an advancement for the sector, that the Cytel board are investing heavily in its rollout, which includes a significant marketing effort led by Rebecca Grimm (Vice President, Marketing), Cytel and the team at AgencyUK.

“Solara is a real first for our industry, and we’re already active with live customers and their  case studies which are starting to emerge. We appointed AgencyUK based on their sector experience, proven test and learn methodology as well as their passionately creative team. In partnership with AgencyUK, we’re looking forward to seeing the rollout expand globally over the coming months” says Rebecca Grimm, VP Marketing, Cytel.

“Our team has been working with pharma, biotech and clinical research organisations since 2008,  and it’s always exciting to be at the forefront of new technology that can change how an industry operates forever. We’ve been developing the Solara brand and proposition alongside the go-to-market strategy. Digital media plays a vital role in its successful adoption by big pharma teams and biotech leaders alike, and we’re looking forward to its global roll-out over the coming months” says Sammy Mansourpour, Managing Director, AgencyUK.

Bath-based brand design agency, Touchpoint Design has relaunched with a new name, The Co-Foundry, and a new offering – geared towards helping creative and tech, founder-led businesses with their branding.

The rebrand that sees the agency, originally founded in 2014, become The Co-Foundry, reflects its mission to work collaboratively with founders, bringing in specialist co-creators such as designers, photographers, animators and copywriters, according to specific project needs.

Owner, Sue Bush has developed a process that empowers client teams to be part of the strategic discovery phase, as well as the creative process. She is a firm believer in co-creation, “Ideas can come from anyone, and are not just the preserve of the design team. Brand identity design can, to a large degree, be democratic – not ‘design by committee’ but more, ‘winning ideas by group spark’.”

Having been at the helm of two agencies, Sue feels well placed to help solve the brand challenges tech and creative firms face. She co-owned a Shoreditch design agency when the internet was still in its infancy and then went on to establish her own brand design agency, Touchpoint Design, which harnessed design to the opportunities afforded by tech, “The challenge for tech and creative founders is the same, you strive to make a positive impact but are often too close to your business with too few hours in the day to find the best and most appropriate direction for your branding.”

“I set up The Co-Foundry because I believe there’s a better, more personal and inclusive way to approach branding. We work together with creative and tech founders and their teams to forge unique, purposeful brands, using co-creation and interactive discovery sessions to bring everyone in on the journey.”

The Co-Foundry sees Sue acting as an independent consultant with a team of specialists supporting her. When client needs dictate, she builds out and brings in this bigger team of co-creators to support her, creating a lean, agile and expert offer that’s especially designed to serve the creative and tech sectors.

To launch the new brand, The Co-Foundry has put together a series of short practical guides on how to start building a compelling brand, especially designed for small teams. Download the first instalment here.

This was a really exciting web development project for a record label with a whole lot of history.

Blue Raincoat Music have been representing musicians and releasing music for decades and their back catalogue is a variety of genres and disciplines.

That mix of artists was part of the enjoyment of this project as I ended up listening to a huge range of music – from Laura Marling to Phoebe Bridgers …via Chesney Hawkes.

The Build

The build of this website involved a custom WordPress theme built to display all of their artists from decades past, to the present day.

I used Advanced Custom Fields in order to make the site completely customisable by the client.

The site gives each artist their own page where their videos, music and contact details are all displayed. This required integration with the YouTube and Spotify APIs to deliver the video and audio content.

Animation is subtle throughout the site and includes small transitions on content to make the site feel alive. I also added some animations on the page load so that each page transition feels smooth.

Accessibility

This site also has a particular emphasis on accessibility. Google have increased the importance of accessibility in their algorithm, and rightly so, and this site scores in the mid-to-high nineties on Lighthouse in regards to accessibility.

This means that it is user-friendly and easy to use for site users with any kind of impairment.

In particular, for users with visual impairment, the site is easily navigable using a screen reader. I stuck to some of the base principles of accessible web design, some of which are laid out by the The Accessibility Project, including:

– Titles for navigation and <a> tags

– Image alt tags

– Labelling of Primary and Mobile navigation

– Using appropriate page headers