Our Content Apprentice Izzy headed over to Bath for this month’s Featured Member to talk with Sue Bush, Creative Director at Touchpoint Design, and find out more about what they’re up to. Here’s what we learned…

Hi Sue, tell us what you do?

We are a brand design agency, we design brand identities, primarily for arts and culture and not for profit clients. We work across all touchpoints, which is where we got our name. The touchpoints are: digital, printed materials and large-format visuals. Ensuring a consistent brand identity across all applications.

Who are your team?

There are 3 of us in the production team, myself (creative director), Georgia (designer) and Ian (technical director). We are a small team, but we collaborate with lots of talented associates that we bring in on a project by project basis.

How long have you been a Bristol Media member?

We’ve been a Bristol Media member for 4 years I believe. We became members because I moved to the South West from London, so it was a good way to get to know everyone and join the creative community.

What’s your favourite place in Bath and Bristol?

In Bath, Solsbury Hill, it’s really invigorating up there. It’s a steep hill but a great place to clear your mind. In Bristol, probably the harbourside, a great place for people watching.

What are you most proud of as a business?

I love that we punch above our weight. We’re only small but we take on some really big briefs, size is not an issue. Our rebrand of the American Museum & Gardens was a great example of where we demonstrated what we can achieve with a complex and demanding brief.

Our favourite projects to work on are those where we get involved right from the brand discovery stage, researching, unpacking client vision and values, positioning etc. Going in deep from the start gives us insight and helps us to maximise impact and spark really effective creative solutions.

What exciting plans have you got coming up this year?

We are working on a website with Taxi Studio for the West of England Design Forum to help women in design. There’s a big disparity between women reaching roles of seniority so it’s great to work for something we’re passionate about.

We’re also a part of a ‘mastermind’ group of 8 agency owners. We’re small giants, like the concept developed in the book Small Giants by Bo Burlingham. Based around the idea of sustainable agency growth, rather than expand for the sake of it, to make a wider positive impact beyond simply our own financial gain. So we’re excited to see where this takes us in the future!

Whose work do you admire and why?

Marina Willer from Pentagram. We love her, she’s very humble considering how successful she is, and she works in sectors we work in (charities and creative arts). Her work with Amnesty International and the Serpentine Gallery in particular. She creates clear solutions that are bold and impactful. She is a stand out influence for us.

If there’s one thing we need more of in this region, what is it?

In Bath, it would be great to see a big contemporary art centre. Bristol has Spike Island and the Arnolfini, and while Bath has great spaces, like The Edge and 44AD, it would be nice to have a permanent space that can pull in some of the bigger high-profile artists and act as a creative hub across disciplines.

If you could sum up Bristol in 3 words, what would they be?

Vibrant, refreshingly diverse and fiercely-independent.

What’s the best tip/trick you’ve learnt as a business?

For designers, use a notebook! Don’t go straight for the computer, sketch ideas before you start pushing pixels around, it’s so much easier and quicker. Leuchtturm notebooks are our favourite! Our greatest tip is to really listen. Ask questions, then actively listening to the answers. Prompt and facilitate those conversations to get insight.

Keen to feature your business? If you’d like to be part of our Featured Member series, email Kirsty or Izzy for more information. See you in September! 

This is the second edition in our featured members series, where we profile our members and showcase the amazing businesses and individuals within our network. In the last edition we interviewed AMBITIOUS PR, if you haven’t seen it, give it a read here.

This month we hung out with Kerry Harrison and Richard Norton from Tiny Giant, here’s what they had to say…

Tell us about Tiny Giant, who are you?

Tiny Giant are all about moving ideas with minds and machines. They’re a studio that wants to create and create and create. They’re a house of ideas, not just a house to inhabit, but to live in and I think that’s what separates them so much…because they’re so passionate about their ideas… it’s very much about feeling like you’re a part of something larger, a part of what’s important.

Well that’s what a neural network would say, but if you asked Kerry and Norts then…

So it’s us, Kerry Harrison, Richard Norton, plus our technical director Derek Ahmedzai. Fun fact, Ahmedzai means the tribe of Ahmeds. Do you notice that the last 2 letters of his name are AI? That’s why we asked him to join our merry jamboree. We also love to collaborate – so if anyone is keen to join forces, give us a call.

What do you do? 

We do quite a lot of different things, but I’d say there are 3 main things. We help our clients tell compelling stories with social media, websites and content, we’ve both been doing it for over 20 years. We’re also interested and excited by online bots and smart speakers like Alexa and Google, lately we’ve been playing around with chat bots and voice technology. Lastly, AI, we use it to supercharge our client’s creativity and make headlines with fun things like AI cocktails and cakes.

How long have you been a Bristol Media member?

We’ve both been with Bristol Media for a long time prior to Tiny Giant. Before we took the plunge and set up Tiny Giant, we both worked for other local agencies who were members of Bristol Media. It’s a long history!

What are you most proud of as a business?

In terms of what we’ve achieved so far, creating the first ever AI curator for the Cheltenham Science Festival is a huge highlight for us. It’s been really cool working with them because the person that came in as the coordinator wanted to create some noise and excitement, so she was open to everything. We’ve done some amazing things like live interview with Aida on BBC Radio Gloucester, featured in plenty of blogs, plus an animation is on the cards. It pushed us creatively because we’d never done anything like it before.

What’s your favourite office gadget?

Our Alexa, we can’t even remember a time before smart speakers. Tiny Giant even has its own Alexa skill, Tiny Giant Tales, so you can stay updated on what we’re up to.

Whose work do you admire and why?

In Bristol, we love Fiasco Design, they create beautiful work plus they do an event called Thread which always gets inspiring speakers. Outside of Bristol, a company called Lord Whitney, who create these otherworldly dreamlike sets for music videos and advertising.

What’s your favourite place in Bristol/this area?

[Kerry] The Watershed, I really like what they do there, plus I really love independent films and going to their cinema. A little place out of Bristol I love is the view from the top of Ashton Court, where you can look over the whole of Bristol, it’s gorgeous.

If you could sum up Bristol/this area in 3 words, what would they be?

Welcoming, chilled, collaborative.

What’s the best tip/trick you’ve learnt as a business?

Resilience and positivity. As a start-up it’s not always easy, but it’s much better to DO the thing and think about what could go right rather than what could go wrong. You need to have a positive mindset, keep going and always look on the sunny side.

What exciting plans have you got coming up this year?

We’ve got a few talks coming up, we’ve just finished Social Media Week and K In The Park with the BBC’s Hannah Fry. And there are lots more in the pipeline like the World of Work Conference at the Henley Business School. We’re going to build some storytelling bots, and generally doing a lot of festivals – look out for all kinds of things – bots, AR filters and lots of creative AI.

If you’re interested in collaborations (particularly if your name has an ‘AI’ in it!) get in touch with Kerry and Norts. Thanks to Tiny Giant for getting involved.

Keen to feature your business? If you’d like to be part of our Featured Member series, email Kirsty or Izzy for more information.  

See you next month! 

It’s just over two weeks until the next keynote event in our Vision series where we welcome Steve Chapman, artist, philosopher, TEDx speaker, and all-round supporter of the weird and wonky, to Bristol. 

Steve’s entertaining talk promises to explain how to nurture what makes us uniquely weird so that it becomes our creative super power, if you haven’t got your ticket yet then book HERE.  We spoke to Steve ahead of the event to find out more…

1. What can attendees at ‘You’re Beautiful Wonkiness’ expect from the event?

Some stories and conversations about what it really means to be a creative human being and the importance of weirdness (or as a minimum being just weird enough) if we want to make a difference in the world.

2. What do you hope attendees will take away from the event?

I hope that people will gain a re-kindled love for their natural born wonkiness: those unique talents, quirks, and ways of seeing the world that we consciously or unconsciously traded to fit in better and be more like everyone else.  I hope people will leave with a sense of creative mischief and a bold experiment to make a difference to something that’s important to them.

3. When we first spoke with you, you mentioned that your philosophy was “screwing around with normality.” How do you live by this?

The short answer is that I’ll share some examples of this at the session!  The rather longer answer is that I am constantly curious about how common sense and expertise stifles, rather than enables, change.  So, when I spot stuckness I’m intrigued by how I can create an experiment that is counter-intuitive or the opposite of what is “normal” simply to see what would happen.  And the important thing about an experiment is that you don’t know if it is going to work or not.  So learning to live with failure and rejection is as much part of this as the joy of seeing something take-off and have a life of its own.

4. How should organisations be embracing the idea of celebrating employee weirdness?

The first thing I would say is that there is no point in doing it unless a) you are serious about it, and b) everybody brings more of themselves to the workplace, be you a work experience person or the CEO.  I come across so many organisations that say “We want more creativity in the workplace” but are really saying to me “Can YOU get THEM to come up with more ideas for ME!”

This work is much more difficult than people appreciate as it requires a fundamental shift in the cultural permission to be more “mad, bad and wrong” in the workplace, to be counter-cultural in service of the change they are wanting to see.  This requires loosening the grip of what is regarded as “sane, good and right” around here, just enough to promote bold experimentation, creativity and innovation. I wrote a blog a few years back that I would send to organisations that wanted to speak to me, to check how up for it they really were: https://canscorpionssmoke.com/2016/11/05/want-creativity-workplace-serious/

5. If you could only offer people one piece of advice about their approach to creativity, what would it be and why?

Be more obvious and try much, much less.  Work on becoming more of what you already are rather than striving to become something you are not already. And if those around you reject you, humiliate you or shame you for doing this – find some different people to hang around with!

You’re Beautiful Wonkiness: The rise of the outsider is taking place from 12.30 – 2.15pm on Tuesday 16th July at Origin Workspace, Bristol. 

BOOK YOUR TICKET

On March 14th, Design/Build/Market is bringing together a panel of startup experts to discuss the most effective ways to build and launch an app.

The quarterly D/B/M event promotes collaboration between founders, designers, developers and marketers to devise better solutions in the tech industry. It’s run by CookiesHQ, an agency that turns innovative ideas into digital products.

Past events have focused on topics such as social media, VR and web performance – this D/B/M will feature specialists from the Bristol tech community tackling questions about research, development, release and everything in between.

The speakers will be TechSPARK’s Ben Shorrock, founder of Yena Ash Phillips, angel investor David Harris, technical director of CookiesHQ Nic Alpi, and a representative from startup hub We Are Growth. The event will be chaired by Briony Phillips, Associate Director and Scale-up Enabler at Engine Shed.

The CookiesHQ team will be giving away tips, tricks and insider knowledge – plus running a competition for aspiring founders to win a free discovery workshop.

Design/Build/Market: Building and Launching an App takes place on the 14th March, 6.30-9.30pm at Engine Shed, Bristol. It’s open to founders, developers, creatives, business owners, students – or anyone who’s curious.

Places are limited, so book your place now.

January is traditionally the busiest time of the year when it comes to looking for a new job and with the continued strength of the creative sector, there’s no reason for 2019 to be any different.  Why not get ahead and treat yourself to membership of Bristol Media?  If you’re a freelancer and you join before 5pm on Wednesday 9th January 2019 we will even give you 3 months FREE so you’ll get 15 months membership for the price of 12.

Creative companies regularly search our online directory and freelance database on SW Creative Jobs to find their next pair of hands for both freelance and permanent roles so give them a chance to find you with an online profile in our member directory.  Your online profile is just one of the many ways that Bristol Media can help you connect with creative employers across the region.  In addition we hold a variety of networking events and training workshops throughout the year to help inspire you and keep your knowledge and skills up-to-date.  And if your CV is looking a little tired and in need of a revamp we can point you in the direction of our recruitment partners who will be more than happy to advise and help get you that all-important interview.

Here’s what some of our freelance members have to say…

“As an independent creative, membership of Bristol Media is a ‘no-brainer’ for me. A valuable asset in terms of the events and support they facilitate, but also a number of clients have found me through the website directory” ~ Carys Tait

“Sometimes being a freelancer can feel a little isolating, Bristol Media does a great job at connecting creative freelancers in the city, it’s a great platform to meet like-minded people” ~ Mark Sharman

“A number of businesses have contacted me after finding my freelance profile through Bristol Media. Happily, most of them are now regular clients” ~ Sam Tarbuck

At just £40+VAT, freelance membership will make you part of one of the UK’s biggest creative networks and could potentially open up limitless opportunities.  It could be the best £40 you’ll spend this year!  If you’d like to take advantage of this offer just sign up online here and we’ll add on your additional 3 free months and email you confirmation.

Find out more about the many benefits of membership here.

Mastering The Value Conversation: Making Value-Based Pricing Real

We’re delighted that Blair Enns will be back in Bristol in January 2019 to deliver a one-day workshop.

About the Workshop

‘Mastering The Value Conversation: Making Value-Based Pricing Real’ is a one-day workshop designed to help creative professionals increase their prices and their impact on their clients’ businesses through a shift to value-based engagements and pricing. The hands-on, exercise-driven workshop combines pricing theory with facilitator Blair Enns’ Win Without Pitching approach to new business development to deliver a unique learning experience designed to lead to immediate pricing wins.

“You cannot be an effective pricer if you study pricing alone and eschew some of the complementary skills of selling and negotiating,” says Enns, author of Pricing Creativity: A Guide to Profit Beyond the Billable Hour. The barrier to pricing success in the creative professions, he says, is not knowledge but skill. “You can intake most of what you need to know about pricing in about 90 minutes,” says Enns. “Then you need to apply it firsthand and practice having the conversations.”

Pricing Knowledge + Selling Skills = Value-Based Pricing Success

This workshop is relevant to any creative or marketing firm professional with P&L responsibility or the authority to set or negotiate price.

You will learn:

What better way to kick off 2019 than by mastering the value conversation within the first couple of weeks of the year!

This workshop will take place on Tuesday 15th January in the beautiful new offices of one of our Approved Legal Suppliers, Foot Anstey, 2 Glass Wharf, Bristol BS2 0FR and is priced at £595+VAT for Bristol Media members and £795+VAT for non-members.  Email [email protected] to book your place.  A 50% deposit will be taken at the time of booking with the balance payable by 8th January 2019.  

About Blair Enns

Blair Enns is on a mission to change the way creative services are bought and sold the world over. He is the founder and CEO of Win Without Pitching, the sales training and coaching organisation for creative professionals, and the author of two books on selling and pricing for creative professionals. He is the cohost, along with David C. Baker, of 2Bobs, the podcast on creative entrepreneurship.

Blair lives in Kaslo, British Columbia, Canada and lectures throughout the world. He has spoken to dozens of conferences and organisations on five continents.

winwithoutpitching.com | pricingcreativity.com | 2bobs.com

Bristol based communications agency Wonderland has collaborated with letterpress design god Anthony Burrill to produce a limited edition set of prints in time for the festive season, with 100% of proceeds going to Kindly Collective, a charity set up by Wonderland’s founder Alison.

Kindly’s mission is to help create a kinder world. The charity funds and supports grassroots projects with huge hearts, but little voices, focusing on three areas: women, kids, and creatures.

The Wonderland X Anthony Burrill collaboration – done in his signature bold letterpress style – aims to encourage a wave of kindness to sweep across the country, both in its message and its fundraising.

Anthony says: “There’s always room for people to be kinder to each other in the world. I hope this print helps people recognise the power of kindness, while raising money for Kindly and all the incredible grassroots charitable projects it supports.”

Wonderland founder Alison says: “We’re massive fans of Anthony’s work so we’re humbled and beyond happy to be collaborating with him on this piece – and supporting Kindly in the process. We hope that the print serves a beautiful reminder that it’s cool to be kind to your fellow humans and creatures, and it also makes the perfect present for people who want to do some good with their giving this Christmas.”

The Wonderland X Anthony Burrill prints cost £100 + P&P (UK only) and are available from www.wonderlandcomms.com/shop

Only 200 are available in total. And when they’re gone, they’re gone.

All profits raised from the partnership will go to fund grassroots projects via The Kindly Collective, helping vulnerable women, kinds and creatures across the globe. For more information please go to www.kindlycollective.co

#LIVEKINDLY

#WONDERLANDXAB

Digital Cities is returning to Bristol with a week-long programme of free, inspirational learning and networking opportunities aimed at developing the skills of both the current and next generation of staff working in the creative industries. The project has run successfully in Bristol for five years, bringing industry partners together to boost their region’s digital and production skills and acting as a catalyst for exciting collaborations within the creative sector.

Starting on Monday 26 November, Skills West, a project delivered by Business West and Bristol Media are coordinating a series of free events designed to help your business face a competitive digital future, called Open Doors.

Open Doors

Open Doors is a brilliant opportunity to see behind the scenes of this buzzing industry. Companies from around Bristol will be opening their doors to small groups of guests and sharing an insight into their business which is not normally on show.

This year we have 20 businesses on board who are offering various opportunities, from tours of their workspace and career advice workshops, to question and answer sessions with experts in their field.

All of the Open Doors events are listed here: https://www.businesswest.co.uk/grow/digital-cities-bristol-2018