Rare Company

Wishing you all a very Happy New Year!

2012-01-06T03:51:00.000-08:00

2011 has been a wonderful year and we thank all our clients who have given us those briefs to let us do what we enjoy most. Thank you.
We decided to make the festive season a little more interactive when we sent out our unorthodox Christmas card.
Again thanks to all those who sent over your pics to share your Rare Santa pics. Feel free to send your pics if you haven't already.

Success at Print & Design Now!

2011-08-26T07:58:00.000-07:00

One of our co-founders has had her work selected for ‘Print & Design Now! 2011’ showing at Bearspace Gallery & SW1 Gallery before touring through to 2012. We have lots of good feedback and thought we would bring a small snippet of her work into our blog. Let us know what you think.

‘Photosynthesis’ Karen Grainger 2011, Limited edition, collaged, hand burned archival giclee prints on Hahnemuhle Photorag Baryta.

See more of Karen's work on her personal website www.karengrainger.co.uk

Wallpaper* Handmade - the launch!

2011-07-15T04:26:00.000-07:00

Fedrigoni and Wallpaper* magazine teamed up and gave designers the chance to design their own bespoke front cover to launch the 2011 August issue. Koo was one of the lucky designers asked to submit.

Last night Koo was invited to the launch event held in Fedrigoni's London showroom, where he was delighted to see two of the three covers exhibited.

"to walk into a room and to see my design on the front cover of Wallpaper* magazine on display is most definitely satisfying."

We are confident and proud to admit we love to see our design work being presented to audiences, doing the job it has been designed to do. After all as designers we should be satisfied with the work we produce while keeping a harmonious union between our clients and us.

Adobe promotional Video Added to Rare Company Website

2011-06-24T06:51:00.000-07:00

We have just finished working on a short promotional video created for Adobe's Technical Communication Suite, to promote their products during exhibitions and shows.
http://www.rarecompany.co.uk/recent-adobe-video

One flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

2011-06-10T06:30:00.000-07:00

When Alysha was here at Rare Company, we thought it would be a good idea for her to work on a image creation brief for a theatre production to learn and experience the whole process we would normally go through.

We gave her a production show 'One flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'. This brief required Alysha generate an idea, develop and create a face for the show, a brand in its own right to appeal to a broad target audience which needed to work in literature, outdoor advertising and online.

After drawing, and creating several mock ups, this was Alysha's final image.

We think she did very well.

Bye Bye Alysha

2011-06-03T08:44:00.000-07:00

Summary from Alysha. We helped her a little by asking her questions.

How do you think your 4 days at Rare went?

I really enjoyed it. It was really nice being round such creative people in such a creative atmosphere. I feel like I now have a good idea about what the graphic design world is about.

What did you learn in your 4 day work experience?

I learnt that the process of meeting a client's graphical design needs involves many more steps and processes than I originally thought. My eyes were also opened to how important graphic design is in the world; all the way over to the tiniest labels on a bottle. These have been painstakingly been worked on so it performs it's function aesthetically as best it can.

What did you enjoy?

Creating my own image for a brief, even if it wasn't actually for any real purpose, it was a great way to get to grips with the technology and to understand the kind of things you needed to think about when doing such a task. I also enjoyed trying to think out of the box in order to think of products which a client could use to promote their company.

What did you find difficult?

It was difficult using unfamiliar software. I'm definitely going to have to work on that!

Tips and hints for other students looking for work experience

Just keep trying to put yourself out there and eventually someone will offer you something. I'd take it even if it isn't exactly what you want to do because generally you can always gain something useful from it.

Introduction to Alysha Radia.

2011-06-01T05:05:00.000-07:00

Alysha is here in our studio this week on work experience. We thought we would introduce her below...

Current Education:

St Paul's Girls School, London

Where do you think you want to be in 5 years?

I will have almost finished my degree and will be preparing myself for the world of work. I'd love to be in a good position to get a job which is both inspiring and I can excel in.

What would you like to gain from your experience at Rare Company?

I just want a proper insight into the ins and outs of a design company so I can establish what kind of thing I want to do in the future.

How a brief is processed into a final outcome, both to see how it happens and also to broaden my own creative horizons.

What personal qualities can you give to Rare?

I have quite a broad range of abilities and most of all I am passionate about creativity and the visual aims.

In terms of advertising which part of the business do yourself working within and why?

I'd probably work in any of the sectors because they all come across as engaging and suited to me.

How do you feel about branding and how do you feel it effects / role it plays in life?

Branding is really important in making a company be exactly what it wants to be, not just on what it offers but as a reflection of a character of the company and the people involved. The visual identity generally plays a huge part in life - often we do judge a book by its cover so why not make that cover the best it can be?

Sheffield Theaters exciting new season is launched

2011-05-27T05:57:00.000-07:00

We are thrilled Sheffield Theatre has unveiled its exciting new season celebrating the Crucible Theatre's 40th Birthday. We enjoyed working on the images and creating the crucible 40th anniversary mark.
Have a look and book online http://www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk/ or alternatively see some of the work we produced for Sheffield on our recently updated website http://www.rarecompany.co.uk/.

Welcome back Jas

2011-05-18T06:35:00.000-07:00

Happy one month wedding anniversary to our designer Jaskiran here at Rare Company! After an an amazing 3 week honeymoon jet-setting across Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Langkawi, Jas has made her return to the Rare Company Studio with a new surname and a new wardrobe!

While away on her honeymoon Jas couldn't help but cast a designers eye over the signage, leaflets and promotional goods that Kuala Lumpur has to offer. See her favourite shot below when she and her husband went out to eat where they had a prize draw on to win a bike.

I’m sure you can appreciate the importance of spell check.

Interactive Dining at inamo

2011-03-25T10:30:00.000-07:00

Jas loves pioneering technology and so has not been able to stop talking about her recent dining experience at ‘inamo’. Jas visited the cool, quirky Soho dining spot on her recent hen weekend in London. The interactive dining experience is a tech lovers dream enabling the diners to control every element of their meal from the table-top while playing games and even watching a live feed from the kitchen. The waiter-less dining experience was custom designed by Blacksheep an experiential interior design company responsible for the likes of Jamies Italian, Fifteen, Hilton Park Lane and Hermes. The actual technology behind the interactive tables was created by Prism Electronics who by creating a printed circuit board that transmits data from the table top to the pos system.

After hearing about Jas’s experience in the studio we were interested to find out more about how marketers and brands may look to use this technology in order to promote products and services to diners. It seems that the scope for this kind of technology in restaurants and other experiential environments is huge and whether to quirky or not, in marketing terms the table top provides a perfect captive audience. With many people already glued to an iphone or ipad it seems like table top ordering may not just be a one off gimmic.

It would be interesting to hear other people’s views on using this table top technology we’ve seen it being used a lot within bar and club culture which at times can provide a distraction with arcade type games or interactive pictures while waiting for drinks at the bar. However we feel that the scope for idea behind this concept could go so much further.

So if you want to see for yourself head over to inamo for some interactive dining and perhaps take Jas with you!

http://www.inamo-restaurant.com/

New website launched today!

2011-02-14T06:11:00.000-08:00

We are really excited to announce that our new website has been launched today! Please please take a look we would love to hear what you think www.rarecompany.co.uk

Happy Valentines Day from Rare Company!

2011-02-12T14:30:00.000-08:00

Have you managed to treat someone special with a Valentine gift this year? We have had a little look around online to pick out some of our favorites for some last minute Valentine's day inspiration.

Opticians reading card. View here www.stylehive.com

Beautiful die cut hearts by Essimar Papel cards. Available from
www.etsy.com/shop/essimar

Beautiful Red Butterfly Heart Print by One Little Bird, Available from www.papernstitch.com/product/printable-valentines-card-butterfly-heart

Quirky one color screen prints from Derek and Kim at RageHaus. View here; www.ragehaus.com?p=2048

Die Cut Valentines Day by Everett Ching. View here; www.culdesacsteez.wordpress.com

Rare wraps up christmas

2010-12-09T09:05:00.000-08:00

A chance to get creative and show your nearest and dearest your artistic side or a dreaded last minute choir, wrapping up presents is an important part of the festive season and one of the most closely kept Christmas traditions.

Here at Rare Company we love all things print and so wrapping paper is something to get excited about. This year we have taken time out to get into the Christmas spirit and create some of our own wrapping paper designs.

The Rare Times

Jumper Pattern

Our favourite creation is this 3D Reindeer print. We thought it would be nice to send some of our wrapping paper rather than a card this year so we have got a load made and will be sending them out over the festive season (3D Glasses included!)

We have 20 of these Reindeer prints to give away, So if you would like to get your hands some original Rare Company wrapping paper this Christmas please drop us a line

studio@rarecompany.co.uk

Get them before they're gone (or before Christmas!)

Getting a job in design

2010-09-14T08:42:00.000-07:00

Getting on in design is no easy feat, each one of us has been through this hard process in the past and we are always being asked on how to land that design job. We thought what better way to help out any future employees or aspiring designers is to put together a list of do's and dont's.

CV:

The first thing you should do is put together a really good CV, this may seem obvious but this is a great chance to show off your design skills right from the start. Make sure it stands out and is well formatted, this may get the attention of your future employers.

Portfolio:

If you want to send examples of your work out to companies then do so with confidence. Make sure your work is good quality, not just in terms of design, but the small details such as clean edges and the quality of paper.

Contact:

Contacting your potential employer is usually done by finding an email or phone number on their main website. However, researching a bit further will produce other means of communication such as Twitter or the company blog. This will show that you are aware of the industry as a whole and will make it a little more personal.

Example:

Our youngest designer Jas tells us about her experience getting a job after University. Jas 'branded' herself amusingly as a teabag in order to win her job here at Rare. ‘I wanted to make a impact that was individual and unique as well as showing a bit of my personality, I know how designers love tea so made my own branded packaging and sent teabags in the post. I was already in employment at the time but had come across Rare Company’s website and really liked the work. I then got a call asking me to come in for an interview and have been here ever since!’

Jas’ advice for anyone looking for their first design job;

-Be your own brand. With hundreds of online platforms at your disposal; Twitter, Linked in and Wordpress there is no excuse not to build up your own personal image both on and offline. Be wary of potential employers being able to research you before an interview so make sure everything you do online gives off the right message.

-Money. Be realistic about how much you will be paid in your first 1-2 years as a designer but don’t let a company take advantage of you. If you are not developing your skills it is time to move. If you are constantly allowed to push yourself and develop your skills the low wage maybe worth it.

Here are some extra links for further advice and help:

Intern/ Work Experience
Advice from Chris Arnold
Becoming a Junior Designer

From Plan B to Renaissance Classics

2010-09-03T12:24:00.001-07:00

As we work, we are always buzzing with the sound of great music, and our tastes range from Plan B to Renaissance Classics. Each one of us has specific styles of music we love, but there is one thing we all have in common, we love to watch and listen.

Because we're graphic designers, it's in our nature to see the beauty in album artwork. One of our favourites is the cover of All is Full of Love by Bjork.
The video for this song was directed by Academy Award-winning screenwriter Michel Gondry. Gondry is known for his unique visual style and has directed many more music videos for artists that include; Kylie Minogue and Radiohead.

Many great music videos use wonderful graphic design not just on their album covers, but in their videos. One such video is N.A.S.A “Spacious Thoughts” by Tom Waits + Kool Keith. This video looks like it has popped right out of a graphic design studio and we love it.

Although not all videos have an aspect of graphic design within them, there are still some that surprise us by how creative they really are. Her Morning Elegance by Oren Lavie won a 2010 Grammy award nomination for “Best Short Form Music Video” and deservedly so! The stop motion itself would have taken countless hours to go through step by step, and the creativity used throughout the whole video is astonishing.

Augmented reality, really...

2010-08-26T10:58:00.000-07:00

This is Augmented Reality, and this could quite possibly be the future of advertising. But what exactly is it?

Augmented Reality is a type of virtual reality where a computer aims to duplicate and enhance the existing environment the user is in. Previously this technology has been used for military training and engineering design, but many advertising companies have started using this technology to gain an advantage, and it is fast becoming an exciting trend. See the clip above.

Another example of Augmented Reality is a concept video by an architectural student based in London. It is a great portrayal of the possible uses of AR in a living environment.

For us, AR means a new medium to work with, and an exciting one at that. If it were to really become the future of design and advertising, we would be able to work within a 3D environment to create immersive marketing for our clients.

Though this may seem like an exciting prospect, AR is said in some camps to be no more than a gimic. There are issues about privacy and safety in local environments. For example, if you were to tweet that you were going away for two weeks then that tweet would pop up right outside your house (as seen by others via AR), it would invite any burglers right in!

Whatever the postives and negatives, augmented reallity is developing and we can only wait to see what it comes up with next.

Design quotes

2010-08-19T11:37:00.000-07:00

Sometimes the voice of somebody else is all you need to pick yourself up and keep on going. Designers take their inspiration from many things; architecture, websites, fonts, and even quotes. There is something about the wise voice of another person you admire that will give you that little spark to create a wonderful piece of design.

We have grouped together some quotes that have inspired us, or just made us laugh for your entertainment.

Computers are to design as microwaves are to cooking.
-Milton Glaser (Founder of New York Magazine and creator of the I love New York logo)

For me, design is like choosing what I’m going to wear for the day - only much more complicated and not really the same at all.
-Robynne Raye (Award winning US designer)

The problem is never how to get new, innovative thoughts into your mind, but how to get old ones out. Every mind is a building filled with archaic furniture. Clean out a corner of your mind and creativity will instantly fill it.
-Dee Hock (Founder of the VISA credit card association)

The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science.
-Albert Einstein

Good design is obvious. Great design is transparent.
-Joe Sparano (Member of Oxide Design Co and inventor of the Sparano System)

Vintage at Goodwood festival

2010-08-02T08:54:00.000-07:00

We love festivals and there is one in particular we're looking forward to. Vintage at Goodwood is a new art,design, music and fashion festival focusing on British culture from the 40s to the 80s. It is a unique mix not to be missed.

The festival is organised by Wayne and Gerardine Hemmingway who founded the fashion label Red or Dead. Rare Company worked with Red or Dead to design prints for t-shirts and dresses over ten years ago, so this is one of our Vintage Clients!

The festival runs over three days, and this year it is starting on the 13th of August. With acts such as The Buzzcocks and Faces, as well as cheese toasties and food to fit the era, Vintage is set to be the best yet.

To find out more on Vintage festival, view their website, and to see more of Red or Dead clothing, visit their online store.

Designer sketches

2010-07-16T07:21:00.001-07:00

Every designer keeps a pad of paper with them, whether this is to jot down ideas, write lists, or just doodle. Designer Koo Bhangra is no different. Since he started designing, he has kept a sketch pad by his side filled with little doodles and big ideas.

For your viewing pleasure, he let us have a peak into some recent sketches.

World cup fonts

2010-07-04T10:36:00.000-07:00

Football and typography seem like an odd match, but they have fast become a must have for any team's kit. The world cup is coming to an end, so we have taken a look at a few of the type faces in use.

Argentina, Denmark, Spain, France, Germany, Greece, Japan, Mexico, Nigeria, South Africa, Slovakia and Paraguay's typeface for their world cup kit was designed by Yomar Augusto. The custom built alphabet named Unity was designed while the Yomar was working for Adidas.

The font for Algeria, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, and Ghana's kits was designed by Paul Barnes for Puma. The typeface was named Olembe while deliberating with his co-workers.

Our congratulations

2010-06-24T09:32:00.000-07:00

We would like to say a big congratulations to Koo Bhangra and Chris Denner for the success with their Fables exhibition.

The fairytale themed display looked magical. There were branches draping the room, tree stumps for sitting and glossy red apples waiting to be plucked. Each image hung from the ceiling, contrasting against the white walls of the LCB Depot gallery.

The exhibition was a roaring success, with many of the attendees praising the pair. We talked to Chris after the opening show: 'I'm so pleased with the response that Fables has received, not only from people at the private view, but also from my peers within the industry. Even if nobody liked it, I’d have been pleased with it, but the fact that so many people are raving about it is brilliant. Frankly I was worried people wouldn’t get it.'

To see what Koo and Chris are up to now, and what they have done in the past, visit: www.unlovedvjericho1.com

Unusual fonts - leaf it to the designers!

2010-06-21T08:34:00.000-07:00

All designers have a love for typography, there is no doubt about it. Without it, any design would lack in aesthetics; but there are some type faces that stand out from the rest.

For example, some fonts are created by grouping small objects together in the shape of letters; these are then transferred to the computer and enhanced for use. Many examples we've seen include: teabags, sticks, flowers, paper clips and even soil.

One such type face is 'Green Leaves Type'. This font uses the bright green colour to create a font that just grows on you!

Top five exhibitions

2010-06-11T12:32:00.001-07:00

We love exhibitions; whether they are in a large gallery, a small coffee shop, or even if someone just throws open their own doors for the day. Going to see shows is not just a great cultural experience; it is also a chance to be surprised by something new.

We have put together a top five list of exhibitions we want to see this month:

5. Quad, Future Focus (9th May – 20th June 2010). Future Focus is an exhibition for emerging talent in the East Midlands area. The theme for the exhibition is utopia and possible futures, we think this is very apt for new artists. Pieces range from 2D, to 3D giving the viewer an all round experience.

4. The Brit Insurance Design of the Year 2010 (17 February – 31 October). For the third year running, the BID- situated in London's Design Museum is a showcase of the worlds most innovative and forward thinking designs. The list includes a foldable plug and an electric plane.

3. The Royal Academy of Arts Summer Exhibition (14 June 2010 to 22 August). This exhibition is one of London's longest running shows, it's currently showcasing such work from Craigie Aitchison and Jim Cadbury-Brown. All the work is on sale, so if you are in need of something to make your room unique, then this is the place to be.

2. Rude Britannia: British Comic Art (9 June 2010 to 5 September). Just opened at Tate Britian, this exhibition is a bit of fun. Great British comic artists and comedians join together to create a exhibition that will make your day.

1. Tate Modern's Exposed (28 May- 3 October 2010). Exposed is a unique exhibition presenting photographs from the present day, way back to the nineteenth century. Each photograph was taken without the subject knowing and presents the idea of the 'unseen photographer.' The exhibit includes photographs of exposed celebrities and even photos from surveillance cameras. For a nation that's obsessed with gossip, what could be better?

Stuff we like #6

2010-05-24T08:51:00.000-07:00

We all know that designers love chairs, we have an obsession that can't be matched. So why is this? Why do we love to find and design the most colourful, the most unusual things that you put your rear on?

We have no idea, but we have grouped together a couple of chairs we love the look of.

The Rocking Wheel Chair is the prefect example of an old design re-vamped. The chair has perfect support and a reading light overhead.

The Burst Chair is a design by Oliver Tilbury, we love the bright green upholstery, contrasting with the wooden legs.

Studio peek...

2010-05-22T04:06:00.000-07:00

Here at Rare Company, we take pride in our creative places -here's a peek inside the Leicester studio.

We have favourite work posted on the walls, coffee cups crammed into shelves amongst tons of good books and magazines. It is a great place to meet, and we love it!

Dancing gorillas

2010-05-22T03:48:00.000-07:00

Just last weekend our Company Director Paul Windridge filmed the newest music video for the Eastern Indie band Satsangi. The video is in progress but it will soon be available to watch on their website. We don't want to give anything away, but it will definitely make you want to dance like a fool.

Best in Print Production finalists

2010-05-02T05:16:00.001-07:00

Here at Rare Company we take pride in our work, after 20 years of focusing on our clients and keeping our heads down, we've recently found a minute or two to gain some recognition.

We always take the time out to make a client's experience the best it can possibly be, and we love to give our transactions a personal touch. After all, we want our clients to come back as much as possible.

So here it is, Rare Company has become the finalist for the Best in Print Production for up to 30 employees in the RAR awards (The Recommended Agency Register), after getting some of the highest scores from our clients who recommended us in 2009.

Design in Wonderland

2010-04-28T05:48:00.000-07:00

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland was first written by Lewis Carroll, since then has been re-made into thousands of adaptations, and we think we know why...

Wonderland is an interesting and surreal place, so vast it has not all been explored. Fantasy means that anything goes for theatre and film designers. The World allows us to think in the extreme, sampling the bright and strange imagery of Wonderland.

At Rare we are always working to a brief; this can be a short brief that only gives us the basics, or it can be something very specific.

Previously, we were asked to completely re-brand Sheffield Theatres for their 2010 re-opening. This included re-designing branding, brochures, leaflets, and production marketing image/designs. One of the latter was 'Alice', a design for Sheffield Theatres' take on the well known story of Alice in Wonderland.

Graffiti as inspiration

2010-04-18T07:21:00.001-07:00

For as long as we can remember graffiti has been the source of many debates. Is graffiti really art? Our answer to this, we think, is a big resounding yes!

Many designers have been inspired by the bold colours and exciting font styles that comes with graffiti.

Graffiti art has not always been celebrated, many see it as vandalism. Sometimes it is, if a person tags or covers a wall without permission or on private property, then that person is committing a crime.

However, there have been many people that create space specifically for graffiti. An example of this is situated in Leicester. Down by the canal in Leicester, Elvis Hughes purchased a warehouse with the sole purpose of creating a graffiti art space. For more information visit: www.ukurbanculture.org

Murals are a great example of how graffiti can be turned into a communal piece of art. The only difference is that the mural is usually commissioned. One of our clients recently created a free graffiti project young people. Rich Mix's Make Your Mark! project consisted of professional graffiti artists working with young people to create a 90-metre hoarding. The project is now on display at Bethnal Green Road in London.

Never the less, the art of graffiti can be done in such a way that makes everyone stop and stare. A great example of a graffiti artist is the infamous Banksy. Banksy's identity remains largely unknown, yet his art is spread across the world. He paints mostly political and cultural images in a unique stencil and graffiti writing style. At London Zoo Banksy climbed into the penguin enclosure and wrote 'We're bored of fish.' in huge lettering.

For design inspiration, graffiti is usually referenced for its original style and content. Graffiti fonts are unique because they are hand drawn, each one is different. The bright colours and interesting characters present in most graffiti art brings great inspiration to designers and artists everywhere.

From top left: Graffiti Girl- Amsterdam, Rare Company- Mad UK, Rich Mix, Banksy, DIY graffiti- Washington DC.

Stuff we like #5

2010-04-14T03:54:00.000-07:00

Here at Rare Company we sometimes work night and day for our clients and every now and then we need to soak our wrists in ice! Budding designer Mizanur Rahman, has come up with an ingenious concept to fix achy wrists.

Alien Mouse is a futuristic device that supports your hand and wrist to relieve stress. Controlled by a joystick, Alien Mouse works without movement of the mouse itself. Not only that, the central core of the mouse vibrates, soothing your wrist. Yes please! This is one concept we think we will back.

The Design Leicestershire book launch... takes off!

2009-06-24T09:28:00.000-07:00

We were pleased to be invited along to the Design Leicestershire book launch last night. There was a real buzz at Athena, Leicester with a room full of the county’s talent.

The Design Leicestershire book is a beautiful and impressive record of the creative capacity of designers and architects practicing in Leicestershire and Rutland, and of the world-class research at our three universities. We are proud to be one of the companies featured in the book with 2 feature pages of our work inside; our Igniting Ambition branding for the Cultural Olympiad, East Midlands (p205) and the community project the 'Fabulous' book for People Express (p222).

Design Leicestershire isn’t just a book though - it’s a movement! It aims to document and promote the innovative and creative skills Leicestershire has to offer to local, national and international markets - maximising potential all round.

The event itself was kicked off with a glass of bubbles to celebrate the launch and followed by an impressive line up of speakers including Sir George Cox and ending with some delicious canapés and an opportunity to network. We all left with an air of excitement, armed with our own copy of the book (it’s heavy!), a goody bag including one of the companies featured - Fiona Cairnes' fairy cake (very yummy), and not to forget the Design Leicestershire branded yellow umbrella.

Whether you get your hands on the book, visit the website (www.designleicestershire.com), or get involved, you’ll notice a very yellow theme throughout – we love it!

Rare Company would like to thank all those involved who have made this book and its aspirations possible.

Colour schemes and themes

2009-06-20T09:52:00.000-07:00

We've recently found a website that is a useful design resource when researching colour schemes for projects. If you find one that fits the bill, you can download the colour tables for Photoshop, Illustrator, HTML cascading stylesheets and so on.

One called 'Mountain Dawn' is taken from a holiday photograph, "The dark from above in the high sky becomes the warm orange when hitting the mountain tops, warming the earth in the early morning." Ah!

Arabian belly dancing colour scheme anyone?

http://beta.dailycolorscheme.com

Rare Company selected for the Recommended Agency Register

2009-06-17T03:33:00.000-07:00

We're really pleased to announce we have passed through the recommendation process and been selected to feature in the Recommended Agency Register.

RAR (!) independently reviews design agencies' skills, capabilities and financial status and asks their clients to complete surveys and provide ratings in the areas of Account Handling, Creativity, Value for Money, Strategic Thinking and Overall Professionalism.

Many thanks to our clients who have contributed to our success.

Stuff we like #4

2009-05-31T11:18:00.000-07:00

Heat sensitive wallpaper.

Recently when devising a concept for a new client, we thought of using heat sensitive inks (top secret project at the moment). During our research, we came across a notable use that has been made of this 'technology', in the field of interior design.

Designer Shi Yuan's wallpaper seen below literally blossoms into life from the warmth of a radiator. As the name suggests, the heat sensitive inks reacts to the warmth and trigger a colour change making red blooms appear. Wow!

Iodine exposure

2009-05-07T02:32:00.000-07:00

Bombay Mix asked if they could use a still from our "iodine" video which we made for Satsangi for their website front page. We said "yes"! www.bombaymix.org

Iodine has been shown on MTV World, on BBC Big Screens nationwide and in other film and video festivals. To view the video go to: www.rarecompany.co.uk/iodine

We continue to work with Satsangi who have recently been interviewed by Rolling Stone Magazine India. A five city tour of India is in the planning stage and an album is being recorded. Each track of the album will be accompanied by a Rare Company film as will their major live performances.

Bombay Mix is based in south east London and stages various screenings and events, presenting films and arts concerning the entire Indian subcontinent and South Asian people worldwide.

Rare Company wins rebranding of National Centre for Citizenship and Law.

2009-04-30T02:38:00.000-07:00

We're delighted to have been selected to re-brand NCCL after a successful credentials pitch undertaken last week.

Currently housed alongside The Galleries of Justice in Nottingham, the NCCL works at a national level with young people and their schools, families and communities, providing them with good citizenship models to prevent and divert crime and anti-social behaviour.

Rare Company will work closely with the organisation over the coming weeks to re-develop its identity and its ongoing application, being also tasked with the production of a new website. The website will follow the new brand guidelines and incorporate a wealth of improved features and useability, including a content management system, and young people's zone.

Rich Mix's Fresh Cuts.

2009-04-14T11:40:00.000-07:00

After firmly establishing this East London-based cultural centre's branding over the last 18 months, here's the latest season brochure for Spring/Summer 09.

See the brochure as a pdf here.

Stuff We Like #3

2009-04-14T04:12:00.000-07:00

The LEGO generation finally goes digital and we love it! Apparently the Danish firm will be launching this and a range of other digital products for kids this summer - we can't wait! Does anyone ever really grow out of LEGO?

Stuff We Like #2

2009-04-10T09:09:00.000-07:00

Blackpool! On a recent photo mission to capture the place in all its kitschy splendor, we thought we'd share a couple as a sneak preview.

The first is a shot of the classic tower seen with the roof line of the delightful 1960s block of attractions to its right. They're fading a bit, but we really love those disco curves - baby! (hope they're listed...)

The second is one of the original park rides 'Flying Machines' at the fantastic 'Pleasure Beach' at the Southern end of the newly reinvigorated prom (think trams - sculpture - installations - trams - wind turbines - trams - tidal organ - sea - sand - piers - trams - giant spinning mirror ball - oh! and loads of lights of course). Other great classic rides mixed in with the new whizzy ones include the original wooden built roller coasters (even the original 'Big Dipper') and sit on horse rides like 'Derby Racer'.

There's a hard drive or three of cracking images amassed so far and the photographs have actually been shot in stereo 3D (by Company Director Karen Grainger). Once we've processed them, they will be viewable with those retro red and cyan glasses. If any one's got them already let us know and we'll post a few up.

Fingers crossed for the team at Leicester Creative Business Depot.

2009-04-08T08:30:00.001-07:00

We'd just like to wish the LCB Depot team the very best of luck with their bid to win the Places for All Award. They are up for the "Strengthening Communities through Culture and Heritage" award - much deserved we think.

There is a committed and dedicated team working hard behind the scenes to create the supportive, dynamic environment that we as tenants enjoy everyday at the LCB. Today, Phil Cave of the Arts Council and Mihir Warty of Sport England, came to judge the venue and tomorrow the team is off to London to present their case.

We've had a space at the LCB Depot, in the heart of Leicester's new Cultural Quarter for nearly two years now, in which time we've realised how important creative clusters such as the LCB are to the the region's cultural/creative landscape.

Best of Luck Depot Team!

Stuff We Like #1

2009-04-02T04:13:00.000-07:00

This is a superb Flash-based interactive 'story' - a little bit bonkers in parts, but very engaging:

Sins Exhibition - Go See!

2009-04-01T03:52:00.000-07:00

The much anticipated second exhibition by design guru Koo Bhangra and his accomplice photographer Chris Denner, will be gracing the walls of the City Gallery, Granby Street, Leicester, this month.

Get along and see it if you can! See more of their work at www.unlovedvjericho1.com

New websites launched this week!

2009-03-27T07:12:00.000-07:00

This week will see the Launch of two lovely websites Rare Company has been working on over the past few weeks. Check them out and we welcome your feedback:

www.holliebrown.co.uk

www.edgedance.co.uk

Both clients appointed Rare Company directly following successfully securing Creative Leicestershire Bursaries. For Edge Dance, this also incorporated producing the company identity. We've had a great time supporting them and look forward to working with them again soon.

Rare Company talent nurtured by D&AD

2009-03-26T09:04:00.000-07:00

Hello, Jas here, part of the design team at Rare Company. Wow, what a couple of months it has been! Now I've finally got the chance, I thought I'd tell you a bit about my recent D&AD adventure!

So far I have completed 5 weeks of the D&AD workshop having visited advertising agencies in London such as Saatchi and Saatchi, Wieden + Kennedy, Dare Digital, DDB and MCBD. Each week I received a brief to work up 2-3 campaign ideas as scamps before pitching to some inspiring creatives. A typical brief for example was to pick a brand that only sells carpets and create a campaign to make carpets fashionable again. My initial reaction was "How do I sell carpets, and how do I get people to think about carpets in a new way? Who buys carpets and who could potentially want a carpet over other flooring options in their homes?" After researching the wildly exciting world of carpets, I picked Brinton's as the brand. Did you know our Queen and the White House have carpets from Brinton? Well that's why I picked them - if its fit for the Queen, then its good enough for the likes of you and me. Next bit was the campaign. I would say more but I think the work should speak for itself without an explanation. I will post up the scamps as soon as I get them back. On the whole, each week required lots of thinking and ideas.

I originally won the place on the D&AD course after entering a competition. I didn't have much of a social life as it took up most evenings and weekends, but its been worth it - I've gained so much knowledge that I can continue to put into my work. Its really helped to develop me as a designer and most importantly it was great fun. JK

www.dandad.org