Launching a startup or innovation project can feel like stepping into the unknown. While there are countless success stories, the fact remains that 20% of UK startups don’t make it through the first year. However, by focusing on 3 key areas — Validation, Design and Funding — you can massively de-risk your project and be well-set for long-term success.
Hosted by Hugo Walker, Head of Marketing at Gravitywell, this interactive webinar will feature insight from:
If you’re an entrepreneur, startup founder, or a later-stage company looking to innovate, this is the event for you. Come ready to listen, learn and get involved in a Q&A!
Each year P+S hosts the South West Design + Digital Student Awards.
The Design Awards were launched by Roger Proctor MBE, Founder and Chairman of Proctor + Stevenson, as part of an ongoing campaign to tackle the way institutions approach design education. Roger wanted to give students the opportunity to stretch their creative talents beyond academia. He recognised the need for hands-on industry experience and commercial briefs. But he also noticed a frustrating lack of creative recognition outside of London, which is why he chose to celebrate talent specifically in the South West of England.
For final-year university students, the SWDDS Awards offer unparalleled opportunities – industry exposure, advice from an expert panel of judges, and valuable creative connections.
Last year Jessica Stiddard, a graphic design student from the University of Gloucestershire, was one of our top 10 finalists with 24 Karat Coffee – a sustainable and ethically sourced coffee branding project.
Jess has gone on to become Junior Creative at Dyson. We sat down with Jess to find out what she’s been up to since the South West Design + Digital Student Awards 2022.
So, how did you find out about the South West Design + Digital Student Awards?
As part of our course, one module included submitting our work to a design award. Our lecturer presented a selection of opportunities to choose from, and she had mentioned the South West Design + Digital Student Awards.
I had also heard about a previous graphic design student from the University of Gloucestershire who had won the SWDDS Awards and the opportunities that followed for her.
What project did you enter, and what category did that fall under?
I entered my third-year brand identity and packaging project for an ethical coffee brand 24 Karat Coffee, which was on a mission to make coffee better. The brief was set by Bulletproof – a design agency in London.
I entered it into the Graphic Design category, and the fact there is no brief meant I was able to enter work I had already completed, which made it a lot easier for me to enter the Design Awards alongside my university deadlines.
Since entering the Design Awards, what have you been up to?
After the awards, I graduated with a First Class Honours and had a one-month apprenticeship with Bristol agency Outlaw, where I worked alongside Emma Proven, winner of the 2019 South West Design + Digital Student Awards.
“…I have now been working at Dyson in Malmesbury for 4 months and I’m loving every minute…”
I then went on to work at Dyson as a Junior Creative. I had been in contact with Chris Roberts, Creative Director at Dyson and judge at the SWDDS Awards, who offered me the role. I have now been working at Dyson in Malmesbury for 4 months and I’m loving every minute.
That’s fantastic! Knowing what you know now, do you have any advice for people thinking about entering the South West Design + Digital Student Awards themselves?
My advice to someone entering the awards would be: just throw yourself into every opportunity you’re given. It can lead to amazing opportunities and achievements! If I hadn’t entered the awards, I wouldn’t be where I am today. It has opened many doors for me, including my internship with Outlaw and my full-time role at Dyson.
“…if I hadn’t entered the awards, I wouldn’t be where I am today…”
What was your overall experience with the Design Awards like?
My experience at the awards was great. I had an interview where I had to present my project and my portfolio to a judging panel, which meant my work was seen by some utterly amazing judges. Even though it could have been a nerve-wracking experience, they made me feel so comfortable.
The ceremony was also great. I got the opportunity to meet other creative students who had entered their work, as well as industry professionals that Proctor + Stevenson had invited. They gave me good advice for my first steps into the creative industry.
The South West Design + Digital Student Awards is back for 2023
Think you could be one of this year’s finalists?
If Jessica’s experience has inspired you to enter, what are you waiting for?
If you’re a third-year university student in the South West of England, get your best projects in Graphic Design, Digital Design and Motion and AR (Augmented Reality) ready.
Whether it is a bold new app, a dynamic branding campaign, or an artistic animation, we want to see it.
Find out more and enter now.
Gardens Illustrated magazine is celebrating its 30th birthday this year, and to mark the occasion, the team are holding a special evening of conversation hosted by Gardens Illustrated editor Stephanie Mahon.
Steph will be joined by landscape gardener Dan Pearson OBE; Claire Ratinon, author, speaker and radio presenter; and garden designer Tom Massey, as they discuss the ways our gardens and gardening have changed over the past three decades, the most pressing issues we face now, and what the future of horticulture may hold.
The event will be taking place on Thursday 23rd March, at 7pm.
Join in person here: https://bit.ly/GIOMlive
Join online here: https://bit.ly/GIOMonline
Along with being a great place to meet like-minded creatives, We’ll be screening the brilliant short ‘Swiped’ by Luke Collins & hosting guest speaker, Tom Brereton Downs!
This is an exclusive opportunity to:
February’s guest speaker is Screenology‘s Tom Brereton Downs. Tom dares you to take more risks, make more mistakes, do less of what you’re “supposed” to do, and more of what works! All within his purpose-built talk, “Ten Dangerous Ideas for Filmmakers”.
Find out more info and sign up here!
Event: The CMO’s Guide to Customer Acquisition
Microsoft will join a select panel of senior marketing professionals in Bristol this March to discuss how businesses can best drive more online customers through digital marketing.
Hosted by South West performance agency Launch, the breakfast event will be held on March 22nd at the Showcase Cinema de Lux in Bristol from 8:30 – 11am.
The CMO’s Guide to Customer Acquisition will provide a vital opportunity for like-minded marketers and brands to listen and debate with other CMOs about their successes, challenges and their strategies around data, conversion optimisation and paid media.
Marion Gould, Client Partner Lead at Microsoft, will be speaking on ‘Marketing with purpose: how to create a strong brand in digital marketing.’ Also on the schedule is the managing director of Launch, Jaye Cowle, who will chair a panel debate with senior marketing leaders to open the event, discussing the evolution of performance marketing.
Jaye Cowle says: “This is set to be a really insightful event for marketers, brands, and business owners. Together with our brilliant guests, and media partner Microsoft, you can learn how brands like yours are getting the most from their performance marketing activity.”
In addition to Microsoft, there will be panel discussion with Barney Bell, Head of Marketing for David Salisbury; Piers Tincknell from Atomic Smash and Harriet Barter, Account Director at Launch, on ‘Why channel diversification is key to converting and finding new audiences.’
Data Strategist, Michael Patten, will discuss the countdown to GA4 in ‘Leverage your data to target new customers.’ In addition, Launch’s Conversion Director Joe Johnston will be joined by Account Manager Josh Marinaro to discuss the customer experience: ‘How incremental website changes can bring big results.’
Find out more about the schedule and book a place at this event
Picture: Marion Gould, Client Partner Lead at Microsoft, will be speaking on Marketing with Purpose.
The Grand Appeal is gearing up for another fortnight of streaming fun in partnership with Jingle Jam, the world’s biggest charity gaming event.
From the 1st – 14th December, Bristol-based gaming company, Yogscast host Jingle Jam on Twitch – the popular gaming streaming platform – to raise funds for The Grand Appeal and other charitable causes. The event attracts more than 250,000 unique views annually for the live 14-day programme of Christmas festivities.
This is the sixth consecutive year The Grand Appeal and Jingle Jam have partnered up for the festive fundraising appeal, raising £1.4m to date, and this year there are multiple ways the public can support The Grand Appeal, the dedicated charity for Bristol Children’s Hospital.
Supporters of the charity can purchase the now iconic Jingle Jam Games Collection.
This year’s Jingle Jam Games Collection is the biggest yet: with almost 90 games worth over £1,000 and is available to anyone who donates over £35 (about $42).
People can also support The Grand Appeal by tuning into live streams and donating. There are many live streams happening during Jingle Jam 2022. But highlights include a live model making session, with Aardman veteran Jim Parkyn on Friday 9 December. Joining Jingle Jam streamers, Briony, Osie and Boba, Jim will present a live Christmas crafts stream where they’ll re-create some of Yogscast’s iconic characters.
This year, fundraisers can also run their own live streams, but it doesn’t have to be related to gaming.
Fundraisers can stream anything they like. It could be painting, a sing-along, cooking, baking or even a quiz. Anything you love, or have a talent for, can be turned into a stream, and for those needing a little help to get one started, can do so with the support of The Grand Appeal and Jingle Jam.
Fundraising for The Grand Appeal through Jingle Jam will fund the creation of a unique facility in the city. With the help of the incredible Jingle Jam community, The Grand Appeal plan to build Jingle Jam Building. This ground-breaking project will allow patients who require long-term rehabilitation and therapy, following an accident or major surgery, and who are not quite yet ready to go home, to stay free of charge and receive the further rehabilitation they need while being able to stay with their family. Jingle Jam Building will be the first of its kind in the UK.
“Choosing to support The Grand Appeal through Jingle Jam helps build a better future for sick children from across the South West”, says Sarah McBride, Head of Philanthropy, at The Grand Appeal.
“Many families from outside Bristol arrive at the children’s hospital with nowhere to stay in an unfamiliar city. Some stay for days, but many stay for weeks or even months while their child receives specialist care. This proposed facility will mean parents can be together with their child during the last steps of their recovery.”
“Whether you tune into a stream, start one of your own, or just pick up the Jingle Jam Games Collection, it all goes to support the young patients of Bristol Children’s Hospital and their families.”
Lewis Brindley, co-founder, The Yogscast and Jingle Jam Trustee said: “Once again, we are humbled by the generosity and passion of the global games industry. Jingle Jam is always the highlight of the year for us here, and with this collection of games we’re confident we’ll top last year’s enormous figure.
“This year’s charities span a range of diverse, important issues – we urge you to find out more about each and every one of them. We know times are tough right now for a lot of people, so if you are not in a position to donate this year, please don’t worry about it, come and watch the live streams online and join in the fun. But if you are in a position to donate and can find it in your heart to donate generously, you’ll be raising funds for some hugely important causes.”
Since 1995, The Grand Appeal has raised over £70m to ensure that the young patients and their families at the children’s hospital receive the very best care by funding life-saving medical equipment, specialist staff, accommodation for families, and a programme of art, music and play therapies.
To join the official Jingle Jam live streams from Thursday 1 December on Twitch visit www.twitch.tv/yogscast and to donate and or purchase the games bundle visit jinglejam.co.uk.
For more information about The Grand Appeal and JingleJam visit www.grandappeal.org.uk/jinglejam
This article first appeared on LinkedIn.
As Elon Musk, Twitter’s new owner slashes thousands of intelligent, hard-working, committed and highly-rewarded employees from its payroll in order to save losses reported to be $4 million per day, now might be a sensible time to ask yourself what you would do if something similar happened at your organisation? In reality, most employees don’t have a Plan B.
From his book Vital Lies, Simple Truths: The Psychology of Self-Deception” Daniel Goleman writes: “..people seem to anaesthetise themselves as though the danger was too vast to arouse concern.”
With a global recession looming, what is currently happening at Twitter, is perhaps an early warning sign that we can (or even ‘should’) expect far more mass redundancies in 2023 and beyond.
UPDATE: Just a few days after this article was first published on LinkedIn, BBC BREAKING NEWS: “Facebook-owner Meta to cut 13% of its workforce… In total 11,000 employees are to be laid off from its worldwide headcount of 87,000 people.
Yes. Dust off your CV. Give it a polish. But in a global downturn, what if decent jobs simply don’t exist for a while? And as we’ve all discovered from the pandemic, if you can work from home – so can every other highly-educated and equally experienced applicant. In whatever country they live in.
Setting up your own business, or running a ‘side-hustle’ alongside your existing job is an option worth considering. And so is ‘freelancing’. That’s the area in which I have most experience.
I’ve been a full-time freelancer since 1978 – my entire working life (except for a 4 year period when I was under contract to the BBC as an announcer – but even then, I had my own ‘side-hustle’ as a voice-over and corporate video presenter). I’ve been self-employed through two recessions. To describe those times as ‘challenging’ would be a gross under-statement.
In the mid-90s a freelance journalist wrote an article in the Sunday Times about a seminar I delivered to help freelancers generate more business.
As a direct result of that article, I received more than 3,000 letters (it was before email) from struggling freelancers asking for help. Since then, the ‘gig’ economy has exploded. And it’s highly likely to expand even further. After delivering countless freelancer seminars, way back in 1998, I commissioned some detailed research about freelancing – this was part of the introduction to the report:
“The majority continue to dismiss or under-estimate the impact the changing employment market is having and will have. Self-employment, and freelance self-employment is likely to play an increasing role in the new employment landscape. For a society dominated by the employee mind-set, this raises profound questions, and a deal of apprehension. When the freelance experience is viewed through corporate eyes and with an employee mind-set, a different picture emerges from the one which unfolded during the survey.”
You can download the original report here.
At 90+ pages, you might not want to read every page – but even from light skimming, you’ll see that some aspects of freelancing could have been written last week, not 24 years ago.
Because it was the first research of its type, it was referenced in the House of Commons at that time. No government action was taken. However, I was invited to submit a proposal to provide up-to-date, practical training for freelancers to be offered by a government agency. I presented what I thought was a strong business case; freelancers can be well paid, so if you help them generate more business, they earn more and ultimately contribute more tax. This would therefore self-fund the government supported training. Sadly nothing came of it. I was later informed by someone within government procurement, that you have to be a company, not ‘just’ a freelancer to be accepted as a supplier to UK government. Oh, the irony!
As someone who has since trained thousands of freelancers face-to-face and online, they learn how to structure their businesses in such a way that they can have MORE job security than a mere employee – who, if you think about it in this way, have only one ‘client’. The most savvy, forward-thinking b2b freelancers consciously decide to work with a variety of clients in different industry sectors which operate at different stages in the economic cycle. Developing this type of ‘work-portfolio’ is not fool proof. But it beats crossing your fingers and hoping for the best.
I’m holding a free evening seminar for Bristol freelancers at the Square Club on 15th November – for pre-registered attendees only. Register here.
Successful freelancers know that you dig a well BEFORE you’re thirsty.
Now is the time for employees and the self-employed alike to pick up a shovel and start digging for new clients and opportunities.
Design a work future that gives you more options. Only you can do that. Don’t expect your employer or your government to bail you out. They will have bigger problems to deal with.
And if one morning you discover, as happened to those thousands of unfortunate workers at Twitter that you’ve been locked out of your laptop or your pass key doesn’t work anymore, please don’t say “This came out of nowhere. We had no idea.”
Every worker (employed or self-employed) really does need a Plan B.
I’m a semi-retired veteran freelancer who produces and presents professional online TV shows and facilitates/emcees large-scale international congresses. I’m also the founder of the FreelancerSupport.Online community.
Our creative and digital industries are facing a critical shortage of developer skills right now, particularly when it comes to Web3 developers, with Web3 developers only representing 1% of worldwide devs. Yet there’s so much potential for positive, disruptive change. Collectively we need to up-skill our teams to realise that huge potential.
But WTF is Web3 and why should we care?
Simpleweb is hosting a month-long virtual festival throughout October to help to demystify Web3 and see past the nonsense. The goal is to onboard the next generation of Web3 talent across the UK. Similar to a hackathon format, they’ll be helping agencies, developers and UX teams learn the fundamentals and begin their Web3 journey, using a range of Web3 tools and best choice blockchains.
Participants will learn about Web3 and its benefits to help build expertise and extend product & service offerings, and agencies can enter individuals or teams who will be able to work together and bring their collective knowledge back to share with others. They’ll also receive an NFT certificate of completion, as well as get the chance to win a number of prizes across different categories. It’s free to join, and could contribute to agencies’ CPD efforts as well as innovation endeavours.
Another opportunity for us to pull together to put Bristol on the map, supporting our creative and tech talent and building an even stronger community. Why wouldn’t you?
https://www.meetup.com/simpleweb/events/287735158/
Founded in 1990, The Square is Bristol’s Private Members Club for the creative industries, located on Berkeley Square. Members of The Square are part of a unique community of like-minded creative professionals. The Square provides an arena of original thought and discussion, and members enjoy a range of personal and professional benefits.
Along with a vibrant events programme and an award-winning restaurant, The Square provides a dynamic social environment and a flexible workspace. Equipped with a boutique lounge, the Square Kitchen restaurant, the Lower Deck Cocktail Bar and hidden city-centre Terrace, The Square is ideal for working, socialising, holding events and meeting new people.
The Square Club connects creatives across the world, and has reciprocal arrangements with clubs in the following locations:
BCI members can apply for discounted membership at a rate of £60 per quarter. This not only gives members access to The Square Club, but to all of the reciprocal venues around the world.
For an additional fee, membership can be upgraded to include access to Square Works, The Square’s high-end, part and full time serviced offices and co-working space.
Square Member Benefits include:
To apply for discounted membership, please email [email protected].
Would you and your team benefit from learning about and committing to experimenting with new ways of working? If so, join my online course in July – BCI members receive a 10% discount 🤗
In a nutshell, we’ll focus on the common challenges and tensions felt by teams (the perfect inspiration for your experiments); what Harvard, MIT and Google research tells us about great teams; healthy meeting structures; helpful mindsets; power; encouraging a culture of feedback; and techniques for better decision-making.
I love delivering this course. The first seven have been full houses, the feedback has been fantastic, and I can’t wait to go again!
100% of participants “feel more comfortable experimenting with new ways of working” & “would recommend the course to colleagues” 💯
The course objectives are for you to enjoy your job more and to be an even better member of your team. You’ll learn collaboration and leadership skills, how to facilitate meetings that don’t feel like a chore, and how to make better decisions by quickly seeking and integrating the wisdom of the group. You’ll learn how to give ‘brain-friendly’ feedback, recognise what’s getting in the way of being a great team (tensions), and understand the mindset and power dynamics that help or hinder change.
To do this we’ll borrow from the best sources. These include agile, self-management, organisational psychology, and the most progressive companies on the planet. There’s more detail below in the ‘Course overview’ section of the course page, including who’s been attending, eligibility, and course feedback scores.
– By far one of the most useful, practical, engaging, interesting courses I’ve been on. Hats off to you, super well thought out, from a practical, mental and emotional perspective.
– The experimenting methodology gives me the opportunity to not only “take a course” but actually practising in the “real world”.
– The benefits to the business have been tangible and resulted in me thinking about work in a very different way.
– I loved having another colleague on the course and would totally recommend others try to do the same… I loved the organisation of the course, it all felt incredibly “slick.” … I loved Marks humble approach, he listened to us all intently and was patient with us when we needed more time on certain things.
– The experiments each week really helped me grow my comfort towards experimenting further. They gave me the perspective of how much needs to be a done, and an eye for what might be ‘bite-size’.
– I loved Marks generosity, he clearly spends a lot of time preparing and introduced me to very cool tools that we are now using in the organisation.
– The depth of experience and further research Mark has done to curate bite sized resource for us to cover weekly, in a number of mediums, was incredibly satisfying to absorb and kept me engaged over the 5 weeks.
– As a facilitator, you do add quite a bit of magic sauce to holding the space, and your curation of materials is unbeatable.
Your New Ways of Working journey will be more impactful if you have colleagues along for the ride, so you are advised (and incentivised) to bring one or two along.
To secure your place please double-check the eligibility criteria on the course page then send a note to confirm ([email protected]) and that’s it, you’re enrolled!
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