Innovation Archives | Page 3 of 10 | Bristol Creative Industries

Having started the process in 2021, they join around 70 other companies in the region who are committed to making business a force for good.

B Corp Certification is holistic, not exclusively focused on a single social or environmental issue. To achieve certification, a company must:

saintnicks achieved a score of 88.9, but as with any company to gain the certification, they acknowledge that this is just the beginning of a commitment to do even more.

“We’re incredibly proud of the work we’ve done to become B Corp Certified, but we’re just getting started. We’re committed to continually reviewing our standards across the board, to not only maintain our efforts, but improve them.” said company Director, Chris Price.

“We’re very proud to be working with some brilliant clients, who are also committed to making positive changes to their business, so it’s a journey we’re going on together.” Price added.

When: Wednesday 19th July 2023.
What time: 6.30pm – 9pm
Location: Huboo, 41 Corn St, Bristol BS1 1HT
Drinks and pizza provided.

Join us for the first Bristol MotherBoard community event! This event will be a networking event, with a panel talk starting 7.30pm.

With 50% of women leaving the industry by the time they are 35, we will be asking the important question “how we can retain more women in tech”.

We will offer practical takeaways including how businesses can support their female talent and drive retention, how businesses can offer an inclusive environment for mums and what we as individuals can do to support our peers and be advocates for all women working in tech.

If you have not been to one of our events before, MotherBoard is a community, event series and charter for everyone who believes we need more support for women working in the tech industry. We encourage everybody to join who is interested in understanding more about how to drive inclusion in the workplace.

To tackle the visible lack of diversity within the UK design industry, Kinneir Dufort’s EDE Programme offers an opportunity for three students from minority ethnic and heritage communities entering their third year of university to take part in a funded 8-week internship.

Supported by an industry-wide EDE Council, with distinguished council members of minoritised ethnic backgrounds from AstraZeneca, LettUs Grow, No7 Company, FluoretiQ, Unilever and Reckitt, the programme offers three students in their final year an immersive opportunity to learn and develop within an industry environment. The successful applicants will also take part in school outreach programmes to help increase awareness of the design sector to help boost diversity in future generations of designers.

Along with 8 weeks of hands-on experience, mentoring and advice, the individuals will receive a £2,000 sponsorship along with £1,000 travel and accommodation expenses. This opportunity is open to all universities in the UK.

The driving force behind the programme, Sunny Panesar, Head of Portfolio Management at KD, is driven by the lack of ethnic diversity in the product development industry, and the need for change. Sunny says: “Having often been the only person of colour in the room throughout my career, the lack of ethnic diversity is striking, if we’re truly going to design a better world, we need to reflect the people we’re designing for.

“I understand how important it is for ethnic minority students to have this opportunity, firstly to make them aware of this incredible industry as a career option and then to help them overcome complex systemic barriers holding them back when trying to break into industry. Our goal is to level-up and give minoritised ethnic students an equal playing field. We want to offer interns a high-quality experience which is immersive and potentially life-changing; they will learn and develop within an exciting and unique environment with external mentoring from industry experts.

“The last two years have been a resounding success for KD, we have taken on full-time employees from the scheme and have a seen a vast improvement in all areas of diversity throughout the team. This year, we’re excited to launch the programme again and encourage students from around the UK to watch our webinar and submit their applications.”

Kinneir Dufort believe that they, and the wider innovation, design and product development industry need to do more to mirror the diversity of who we are designing for within the UK, and beyond.

Learn more about the application criteria, how to apply and the deadline here. If you would still like to learn more and see if this programme is for you, you can watch our recorded live Q&A with our EDE Council.

We’re delighted to share that Unfold have taken on organising the Smart Cookies meetup group, started by the wonderful Nic & Nat Alpi, previously of Cookies HQ.

Smart Cookies is a quarterly meetup group of over 1,000 entrepreneurs, involved in the Bristol creative and digital industries, passionate about design, development and marketing.

We want to continue the events in the same spirit and ethos as our predecessors, promoting collaboration between disciplines so we can devise better solutions for all aspects of the creative process.

Each meetup will feature either individual speakers or an expert panel, where discussion will centre around a set theme related to building and growing digital ventures.

Whether you’re a tech professional, an entrepreneur, freelancer or student, there will be something for you. It’s a great opportunity to meet new people, make connections and join a community of smart cookies.

Come along and be inspired or – if you’d like to share your own experiences – why not contact us about becoming a speaker?

HeyFlow is here to help businesses understand the female workforce better, equipping managers with the confidence, practical skills and knowledge that will reduce absenteeism and increase the retention and attraction of women, at all stages of their career.

It is widely recognised that women are leaving the workforce, absenteeism is increasing and there are significant skills shortages across multiple industries in the UK. The link between absenteeism, attraction and retention of women in the workplace directly links to the understanding the impact of female reproductive health in the workplace.

That’s where HeyFlow comes in. An insight-driven data surveying and L&D tool that empowers businesses to build a truly inclusive company by understanding the impact of female reproductive health in the workplace, identifying and implementing management development opportunities and policy advancement.

With the combined expertise of the Founder of not-for-profit MotherBoard, Sophie Creese, Nick Dean, CEO of ADLIB / B Corp Ambassador, and Sabrina Walls, Marketing Director of ADLIB / Marketing Lead of MotherBoard, the Co-Founders of HeyFlow have intricate knowledge of how purpose, understanding and knowledge can drive positive change for businesses, driving significantly improved retention, attraction and absenteeism levels.

HeyFlow has been created to provide a solution for all businesses. From a management introduction to the female reproductive cycle and its potential impact in the workplace, through detailed employee surveying and coaching on periods, pregnancy, maternity and menopause (amongst much more).

HeyFlow provides unrivalled insight into a company’s female workforce and provides understanding of the gap between feeling and policy. Through our insight surveying we provide clear actionable solutions and offer consultancy and training to upskill employees to better support their teams.

Our starting product focuses on cisgender females, our roadmap progresses into a much wider employee community where there is an essential need to understand underrepresented people.

We’re looking forward to being part of a solution that is much needed by businesses and women alike.

Striving to make post-caesarean care more wonderful

Imagine if we could re-address how we care for women approaching and recovering from a C-section. What if it was more considered, or even more wonderful? Rather than expecting them to have a typical post-partum pattern, why not acknowledge the extraordinary, and at times, unwanted circumstances they’ve been through?

Image credit: Erin Patel http://www.erinpatel.com/

Whilst every 4th trimester comes with extreme challenges, the nature of recovering from major surgery whilst entering a new life chapter gives rise to a complex layering of physical and emotional effects, which have been underserved.

According to the WHO, **caesarean sections are rising globally**, now accounting for **21% of all childbirths** and is set to **increase to 29% by 2030**.(1) With those significant numbers and the clear gap in support, it’s time to start *seeing* these women.

**Uncovering more**

We explored this in more detail by sitting down with five women who gave birth via c-section, between 4 months and 8 years ago. Their experiences covered emergency intervention and planned surgery.

What we learned

Within our group, none of the mothers-to-be had spent significant time in the hospital setting, let alone faced the prospect of major surgery. They described feelings of shock, fear and helplessness, whether it was a planned or emergency C-section.

Birthing through caesarean section is not the ‘easy option’ and the road ahead is long. With every step afterwards, from 1 hour post operation to many months later, something else emerges: the need for self-administered stomach injections and a wound to care for, to potential unforeseen heavy bleeding, abdominal difficulties and deteriorating mental health.

The consequences are immediate and limiting. Our group described **an undignified sense of failure, as simple tasks become challenging**, and lifting, breast feeding or bonding with the baby can be tough.

With all childbirth, society has a tendency to focus on the new life. The baby’s condition is scrutinised, but the **women are often considered secondary**. The loss of identity many new mothers face can be exacerbated after such a procedure.

Whilst hospital procedures are for the most part out of our control, the period prior to admission and the time back home are rich in potential to serve mothers who go through a C-section.

The opportunity

Whilst there are plenty of services for women in pregnancy, general post-partum and some stand-alone C-section products, how can we create an empathetic, overall experience to ease post C-section mothers out of the professional but transactional experience they’ve just been through?

We think the key is a unique staggered experience – ‘the right thing, at the right time’ – reducing the complexity and overwhelm associated with the lengthy post-caesarean period.

What if there was a kit with physical and digital elements that are **revealed over time**?

It would address what might be needed prior to the C-section, on the first days back home, to many months later. By combining aspects of clear **information & guidance**, **dignified care**, a **supportive ‘village’** and **curated ‘me’moments** we could enable new mothers to control their care and feel seen.

Lead up (pre-planned C-section)

Medical advice or a previous procedure can mean a C-section is expected, allowing for some planning and preparation.

Imagine if there was a printed guide that honestly summarised what to expect at each hospital stage: waiting areas, the operating theatre, and a post-operation ward.

We’re aware that those who have emergency intervention will not necessarily gain from this section.

Subacute (1 – 5 days back home):

The first hours back home can be emotionally overwhelming, physically tentative but also tedious and sedentary.

Imagine if the next chapter of the guide **helped** **initiate light mobility around the home:** how to comfortably hold & feed the baby and navigate basic tasks simply and safely.

Imagine if an adjacent phone app **prompted women, or partners to administer the stomach injections** on the right schedule.

Imagine if the medical compression socks given post C-section **resembled lifestyle socks instead.**

Imagine if those first nights navigating sleep with an abdominal wound were **soothed with calming pillow spray and a personalised healing tea blend**.

Early recovery (2 – 8 weeks back home):

As new life patterns form and the body improves, previous freedoms start to be recalled and frustrations of feeling restricted start to emerge.

Imagine if the guide clearly explained **when and what exercise you can do.**

Imagine if the app initiated a C-section **community platform when the women was ready to share** and learn from her experience with others.

Imagine if we could provide **shaped scar strips, curated in different skin tones, to offer protection and reassurance** to a delicate area.

Imagine if we introduced **relaxing bath infusions, at the time it’s safer to take a bath,** or a melt in shower version for those without a bath.

Long term realisation (3 – 6+ months):

The reality of the physical and psychological trauma can be delayed and understanding how to come to terms with it can fall into focus much later.

Imagine if the guide concluded with focused pelvic floor AND abdominal exercises, to reintegrate the abdominal muscles and increase strength.
Imagine if the app sent a scheduled notification at 3 months to suggest women seek out specialised physio or talk therapy and provided relevant local contact details.
Imagine if there was a nourishing balm to encourage loving touch of the sensitive skin around their scar.
Imagine if we included a reflection journal, to encourage quiet moments to acknowledge and process what has happened.

Who could ‘own’ this opportunity and deliver the most impact?

We think an existing brand could credibly extend into this space to bring new value to those who need it. What space that brand comes from, is up for grabs.

Could it be a trusted skincare brand with the existing knowledge of women’s bodies? Or could it be a FemTech brand, that already has the digital infrastructure and client base to make huge impact? It could even be a menstrual tracking app, who wish to bridge their audience through a gap in usage?

How could this approach be available to as many as possible? There could be private / public model, where for every kit purchased or gifted, a kit is donated to a state healthcare service or insurance provider – making sure we ‘see’ more women after their caesarean.

References

(1) https://www.who.int/news/item/16-06-2021-caesarean-section-rates-continue-to-rise-amid-growing-inequalities-in-access

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:

Caroline van den Bergh, Co-founder at Lunos — Supporting businesses from early idea to scale up to get market confidence and demonstrable traction

Tom Foster, Head of Commercial at Gravitywell — Providing award-winning Digital Innovation that allows tech startups and scaleups to achieve their goals
Sara Palmer, Head of Partnerships at Granted Consultancy — Securing non-dilutive funding for innovative organisations making the world a better place

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!

Sign up here

From Midjourney to ChatGPT, AI tools are flooding the internet with exciting possibilities, imaginative new imagery and many a meme – from the inspiring and amusing to the downright gruesome.

Possibly the most accessible and widely tested AI tool yet, ChatGPT has got many marketers thinking about the power of this emerging technology. But AI advancement doesn’t come without its critics and controversies – often generating more questions than answers.

So how can marketers make the most of this powerful technology? And should we approach with caution? UX and UI designer Dan Marek explores.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has taken the world by storm recently, with one of the leading players being the natural language processing (NLP) model known as ChatGPT. In just two months, it set a new record for the fastest-growing user base ever to reach 100 million users.

Tools like ChatGPT have already begun transforming our lives. You can’t go more than five minutes without seeing a news article about it, or stumbling upon AI-generated imagery (albeit mostly more disturbing and amusing than beautiful). But make no mistake, this is the very beginning of a fast-moving revolution. So how can businesses make the most of this opportunity?

This article examines how businesses may leverage AI to solve problems more efficiently and gain a profitable advantage. We’ll also look at some of the limitations of AI tools like ChatGPT, so you can avoid making costly mistakes and stay ahead of the competition.

Imagine generating top-notch product descriptions, social media posts, and even entire search-optimised articles in a matter of minutes. How about 3000% returns on ad spend, automatic meeting notes and summaries, or asking AI to generate spreadsheet formulas? It may not all be possible yet – and it certainly won’t replace your copywriting and UX experts in the near future. But there’s certainly a big opportunity here.

“…It may not all be possible yet – and it certainly won’t replace your copywriting and UX experts in the near future. But there’s certainly a big opportunity here…”

With ChatGPT, businesses can streamline their processes, freeing up time and resources to focus on other areas of operations. It might sound cliché, but the opportunities for companies to leverage AI tools like ChatGPT in 2023 are endless.

Hold on a minute – does this mean we’re ready to replace humans with AI? Not yet. AI-powered tools like ChatGPT are not a quid pro quo for genuine creativity and expertise. For now, it’s far more likely that you’ll be replaced by a human using AI rather than the tools themselves.

Think of ChatGPT as the Iron Man suit to your marketing team’s Tony Stark. Iron Man enhances Tony’s abilities, and ChatGPT can enhance your team’s capabilities. But just as Tony still relies on his human expertise and creativity to save the world, your marketing team should continue to rely on their own skills to resonate with the right audiences and create truly effective campaigns.

The capabilities of these tools are quite difficult to comprehend as they are only really limited by our potential to ask the right questions.

“…the emergence of “prompt engineers” indicates the importance of creating the right prompts to unlock the full potential of AI tools…”

Just like calculators, they can only provide the correct answer with the right input, called prompts. The emergence of “prompt engineers” indicates the importance of creating the right prompts to unlock the full potential of AI tools.

AI tools present real risks of biases, such as generating discriminatory content and spreading misinformation. As responsible users of these tools, we must be aware of this and be sure to evaluate any responses provided. The CEO of OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, recently acknowledged inherent bias in the tool and assured users that they’re working to improve the default settings to be more neutral.

AI tools pose a risk of plagiarism and factual inaccuracy. An astronomer recently called out Google’s AI chatbot Bard for making a factual error in its demo. But everyday users may not realise that the output generated by the tool is not original, leading to unintentional plagiarism. You can take measures to avoid this, for example, by including a request for sources of any facts and figures as part of your prompt.

“…everyday users may not realise that the output generated by the tool is not original, leading to unintentional plagiarism…”

The relevancy of information can also be brought into question. While writing this, ChatGPT has only been trained on data from September 2021.

Google’s guidelines favour genuine, relevant, and reliable content. AI-generated content may struggle to meet these guidelines. This means that sole reliance on AI-generated content might negatively impact your website’s ranking on Google.

Using AI tools raises ethical concerns around data privacy, bias, and deception. These tools collect vast data through web scraping – sometimes without explicit consent. So regulations and policies must be implemented to ensure AI tools are used ethically and responsibly.

It’s worth remembering that AI tools are an emerging technology, so there are plenty of limitations to consider. But by using them as a starting point to generate ideas and assist workflows, businesses can largely mitigate these drawbacks.

AI is not the enemy. It’s the opportunity of a lifetime. As AI technology continues to advance, it’s becoming increasingly clear that tools like ChatGPT will play a crucial role in the future of business, with those early movers able to leverage an unfair advantage over their competitors.

We all know that the shorter working week has had proven success in other countries. 86% of Iceland’s workforce, for example, have either moved to a shorter working week or have the right to request shorter hours. So as Bristol tentatively dips its toe into the sea of change with a pilot scheme rolling out across businesses in the city, here we are five years into our four-day working week with some (hopefully) helpful reflections.

Life is short and we want it to be excellent. Every bit of it. We’ve found that since allowing more space for our brains to process, stray, absorb and even rest (what a thought, we know) this has enabled better ideas to flow, calmer attitudes to influence the team and ultimately a higher level of productivity during the time spent at our desks. Don’t get us wrong, we believe in working hard to deliver excellent, refined work – the only difference is that we think it can be achieved successfully within four days. No extra hours, just four normal days.

From a client’s perspective, you wouldn’t know any different. At the start of every project we create a timeline that our clients are happy with and that’s the timeline that we work to. Emails are answered from Monday to Thursday and we’re here to chat over the phone on any of those days too!

Every team member works the same four days which allows for collaboration and efficiency. What each team member does on Fridays is completely up to them. And then after a year of working for Studio Floc, all staff get paid the equivalent of a five-day working week for just four days. It’s our way of saying thank you for the hard work that everyone puts in.

Excellence can be achieved in so many ways. For us, a four-day working week helps us accomplish this – and we don’t just mean in the workplace – but in every aspect of our lives. we would consider that a win-win.

‬Driven by purpose‭, ‬we use creativity to enable the makers‭, ‬equip the innovators and empower the world-changers‭. ‬We specialise in branding‭, ‬print and digital design‭.‬

Have questions about our four-day working week? Looking for help with branding, print or digital design work? Let’s chat! Get in touch at [email protected]

We care about the ordinary products and services that are woven into everyday routines and patterns: they deserve to be extraordinary, for everyone!

We believe that what might seem as simply everyday products, are in fact the heroes in and out of the home. What’s more, we feel they should be accessible and affordable to everyone.

The ordinary products and services that are woven into everyday routines and patterns.

Remove any of these products or services and their impact would be felt. Better still, if they’re elevated, then it can be meaningful for the people who use them and the brands and organisations that provide the them.

Well, everyone. The girls, the guys, the gays, the straights and theys. The young, the old, the middle-aged. The global majority, any minority. The middle-income earner, the lower-income earner. Those of all abilities.

Too many people have been excluded for too long. We want to ensure that businesses recognise the power of inclusion.

We’re here to tackle the complex challenges of intersectional inclusion, along with sustainable futures, for all. With the power of creativity and a strong dose of positivity, we believe we can drive change and decipher the way ahead.