REVOLVER REVOLVER - We're a young, creative, award-winning, graphic & web design studio

Oviso – Best Protection Intermediary in the UK

Posted on 27.04.12 by Alan

A well deserved congratulations to Oviso… who’ve just been named as Best Protection Intermediary in the UK. The award (from the Financial Times Adviser Magazine) is added to their ‘Highly Commended’ nomination at the Health Insurance Awards and their title of ‘Most Promising New Business’ at the Derbyshire Chamber of Commerce Awards. Something tells me Sarah, Lee, Matt & the team may need a new shelf!

British Design 1948–2012: Innovation in the Modern Age at the V&A

Posted on 25.04.12 by Alan

A couple of Sundays back, I headed over to the V&A in London to have a look at their latest exhibition; British Design: 1948–2012. The exhibition showcases some of the most exciting and cutting edge creative work from across the design spectrum throughout the past 60 years.

The exhibition takes a rather general look at all creative disciplines, from a room filled with how computer game design has developed since the 1970s (that includes Derby’s very own Lara Croft), video footage from the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953, to Damien Hirst’s Pharmacy Restaurant from Notting Hill (which for saying how short-lived the venture was, it got allocated a great deal of floor space!)

For those more drawn to the graphic design element, Design Research Unit and their impact of transport design in the early 1960s and Peter Saville/Factory Records iconic music sleeve design in the late early 1980s are notable inclusions.

Whether you’re professionally engaged in the design community or not, I’d recommend this exhibition to anybody. There is plenty to inspire, excite and question – though It does get particularly busy at weekends. Get yourself along… you’ve got until the 12th August!

Revolver Revolver in The Drum Magazine

Posted on 10.02.12 by Chris

National marketing magazine The Drum has featured our project for Nestle UK.  The project completed in 2011 featured a set of materials including brochure, invites and mini site to attract developers to bid for the site.

We were really happy with this project and it’s great to have it featured in such a well recognised industry magazine.

We’ve been recommended again!

Posted on 31.10.11 by Chris

We’re pleased to announce that we have been recommended by the Recommended Agency Registar (RAR- http://www.recommendedagencies.com/) once again.  We are now recommended until October 2012.  As a creative agency it’s vital that our clients see the benefit of our input and this is just one of the ways that we show it.

Our report shows that we have also been recommended for more categories than last year and these now include Branding Design, Print Design, Web Design, Presentation Design, Advertising, and Direct Mail. You can view our profile on the RAR site at www.recommendedagencies.com/revolverrevolver/.

Hiring a creative agency

Posted on 26.10.11 by Chris

Appointing a creative agency or design team to work with you on developing your brand can be difficult, with so many options it can be a daunting prospect.  I’ve been working in the design industry for nearly ten years and have seen a huge variety of approaches that marketing teams take, some more successful than others. There is also much written on the traditional ‘pitch process’ where agencies are asked to show all their ideas and hope they get picked. Here is my opinion on how I think it should be done.

1. Write a brief. If you don’t have one already get a brief together that details everything you expect your creative partner to work on.  Outline the aims of your company and what your marketing strategy is over the coming months or years, how much market share you have and expect to take in that time and any particular challenges your organisation or industry faces.  All this information will help each agency decide if it’s the kind of work they want to take on or are comfortable with, and give you a clear picture of what type of agency will work for you.

2.  Do your research. As with any major decision, always do your research.  There are thousands of agencies nationally who offer a range of services, most of the smaller ones however have a particular talent they lead with, be it design, web design, packaging etc.

Ask around, see who people in your sector are using, who is getting the best results and who is doing something different.  Ask your own contacts who they use and who they would recommend and what they do for their organisation.

Use google to find talent both locally and nationally, most agencies are more than happy to show their portfolios online and will have an array of projects for you to look through.  See what kind of work they have produced in the past and if it fits with your plans.

Use http://www.recommendedagencies.com/. They have anonymous reports on hundreds of agencies nationwide with examples of the sectors they have worked in and a scoring system that lets you compare specific agency skill sets as rated by their clients.

3.  Narrow your list. Once you have a list of people you want to talk to, get a list of questions together to try and establish which partners will work best for you.  Try to consider agency size and ability to complete the amount of work you need doing, where they are based, how often will you need to visit and discuss with your team.  Aim for a list of three agencies to approach and get credentials from, usually a document which talks through the company, it’s set up, values and a case study or two.  This will give you a really good idea of how each agency would respond to your brief.

4.  Keep it equal. Ask your chosen agencies to read through your brief and arrange a meeting to discuss their thoughts and how they would approach the project and what advice they can add.  Be prepared to have an open mind regarding their thoughts and suggested plan of action.  Make sure you give all the agencies the same information and stick to the same response methods, be it written or verbal ideas to keep the process equal.  Try and avoid asking agencies to do all the work and present it to you.  Your creative partner should be chosen on track record, ability and your judgement.

5.  The final test. Once you’ve met your shortlist and have a good idea of personalities and the standard of their work, pick one and run with it.  If you need one more test give them a project or part of a project, agree a fee and let them get on with it.  This means you only have to make a small commitment up front until you have seen some finished work.

We are three

Posted on 26.09.11 by Chris

It’s three years almost to the day when Revolver Revolver was born (1.10.08).  We continue to grow since we started in 2008, it’s hard to believe it has been three years, it feels like just yesterday we got our letter from companies house.  The advice, help and support of many of you has been invaluable, there are too many to name but you know who you are!  Of course none of this is possible without our clients, so thank you to everyone who has trusted us with working on their brands.

There are tons of facts and figures on the web showing how long a small business survives, the average seems to be about half of all small businesses crumble within 3 years.  How accurate that is, is open for debate, either way it feels like a significant milestone at Revolver Revolver.  We look forward to the next three years.

Creative collaboration starts here…

Posted on 13.04.11 by Chris

Over the last few months we’ve been working with our fellow tenants at Friar Gate Studios to develop the idea of collaboration within the building.  For us at Revolver Revolver this is a process that happens naturally, pulling in services from professionals across PR, advertising, photography marketing to help our clients get the best possible results.  Today saw the Marketing Derby bondholders come together for breakfast in the Studios Cafe Bar where we explained how as a group of companies we have the talent, experience and creativity to rival any of the countries biggest agencies.  For more information on this service feel free to get in touch with myself on, chris@revolverrevolver.co.uk

Revolver Revolver’s Carbon Balanced Paper Showcase

Posted on 18.03.11 by Alan

We have been included in Howard Smith Paper Profiles Carbon Edition 50 for our recent job for Geldards. See it online at here.

In choosing a Carbon Balanced Paper, we managed to save 23kgs of CO2, 5m2 of land has been preserved and 67 car miles* have been neutralised. Howard Smith use iconography as an interesting way of showing this information, which could be considered quite a ‘dry’ topic.

Howard Smith Paper Group produce a monthly publication celebrating excellent design that is read by just about everyone who matters in the world of design and print. Profiles is a a promotional supplement and is distributed in publications such as Creative Review, Grafik, Design Week and Print Media Management.

To read a little more about Caron Balanced Paper and it’s benefits to the environment and your business, visit carbonbalancedpaper.com

*Based on CO2 emissions generated by an average petrol car, calculated according to 2008 Defra GHG conversion factors.

Carbon Balanced Paper: Reducing our Carbon Footprint

Posted on 11.11.10 by Alan

Revolver Revolver have just completed our first ever order on Carbon Balanced Paper. But, just what is Carbon Balanced Paper?

Carbon Balanced Paper is an initiative spearheaded by  the World Land Trust. Put into English, its a way to reduce our carbon footprint.

Howard Smith Papers currently offer 2 ranges of Carbon Blanaced Paper, think4 and Greencoat 80 / 55. It is paper for which the production and distribution has been Carbon Balanced (offset) by the WLT, reducing our carbon footprint. It is also one of the most sustainable forms of communication around today. With our environment coming under increasing pressure, it’s important everyone tries to do their bit, and this is a short post about how Revolver Revolver are trying to do ours.

To find out more visit www.carbonbalancedpaper.com

RAR! We’re on the Recommended Agency Register

Posted on 27.10.10 by Alan

RAR Recommended Agency Register

Revolver Revolver are delighted to announce we are now certified by RAR, the Recommended Agency Register. For those of you unfamiliar with RAR, they are an organisation that help companies source, select and engage marketing suppliers.

RAR conducted research from our clients on a number of criteria including client service, creativity, effectiveness, professionalism, strategic thinking and value for money.  The scoring system is anonymous and is verified by RAR.  Needles to say we’re really chuffed to have met the standard and been accepted, in fact we achieved an average score of 98%!

Click here to find out more about RAR.