News in Full
From the Midlands with love.x
12/02/2008
From the Midlands with Love: not a Bond movie remade into a bleak drama by Shane Meadows, but a showcase of the finest graphic art and illustration coming out of the West Midlands.
Media Content Lab felt that too much of the design world’s attention is focused on a handful of London companies, so decided to do something about it. We put together a postcard book featuring the artwork of graphic designers, illustrators, web designers and character designers based in the West Midlands.
The best computer artists from across the region were invited to submit their work before a final selection of the top designs were chosen to go into the book.
"We felt that too many of the big publishing companies and advertising agencies were ignoring the Midlands", said Media Content Lab’s Suzanne Neal. "So we decided to put something together that would show them there is real talent here!"
The postcard book is due to be sent to over 100 of the country’s top PR, marketing and advertising agencies as well as publishing companies and reputable agents at the end of January '08.
Charlee Sully, whose Usual Studio has a postcard design featured in the book, commented, "We see the promotional postcard book as an original tool to help us promote our work and establish the company. As an outcome of this increased awareness, we hope to receive publicity, increased enquiries about our work and more commissions."
Participants included 10 of the region's brightest computer artists;
- The Usual Studio – www.theusualstudio.co.uk
- TAK! – www.taktak.net
- Supercool – www.supercooldesign.co.uk
- Spit-fire creative – www.spit-fire.co.uk
- Simon Peplow Illustration – www.simonpeplow.blogspot.com
- Morse-Brown Design Limited – www.morsebrowndesign.co.uk
- MeeNoKawaii – www.meenokawaii.com
- Louise Carrier – www.louisecarrier.co.uk
- Debut – www.debut-design.co.uk
- Stylus Design Consultancy Limited – www.stylusonline.co.uk
If you’d like to receive a copy of the postcard book please email your full name and address to info@mediacontentlab.co.uk or call 0121 204 9886.
Help!
25/01/2008
In collaboration with some young volunteers, Media Content Lab have just helped Birmingham Child & Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) and Birmingham Youth Offending Service (YOS) produce a stylish poster and informational leaflet to ease vulnerable youths referred onto their scheme.
CAMHS offer a service for young people within the YOS to talk through their problems and identify appropriate support. The young people meet with a qualified mental health nurse in confidentiality, and are referred to the service by their Youth Offending Team case worker.
Following research, the CAMHS nurses were concerned that many young people were initially apprehensive about being referred to a mental health service. To help overcome any stigmas about the words 'mental’ and 'nurse’, YOS and CAMHS asked Media Content Lab to help design an A5 two-sided booklet and A3 poster that could be sent to teenagers when they were referred to CAMHS.
Working with two young volunteers from the service, Media Content Lab tackled the brief to create the innovative print work. Over the course of two days in October 2007, the pair identified the content and styles they thought would appeal to like-minded youngsters. Then working alongside Media Content Lab designer Richard Coldicott, created eye-catching designs to meet the needs of CAMHS patients.
"The end product has been extremely well received by all members of staff and managers in CAMHS in terms of both the content and design," says Clinical Nurse Specialist and project organiser Emma Perry.
"The whole project was really enjoyable to do and the young people involved got a lot from it," Emma enthuses. "Without the facilities and skills of the staff in Media Content Lab (in particular Suzanne Neal and Richard Coldicott) we would never have got such a professional, well designed, fit for purpose booklet."
DA
Getting up to Standard
03/01/2008
No time to get up to speed on web accessibility issues?
Worried about the legal implications of not developing websites to standard?
Following it's success in 2007 Media Content Lab’s sister team, Media Skills is once again joining forces with User-lab to offer a FREE web accessibility workshop and mentoring programme, for website designers and developers. The practical workshop will prove that making websites accessible and achieving W3C standards is neither complicated nor expensive; you just need be shown how.
In addition to the 2-day workshop, mentoring and support will be available to get you through any teething troubles you might have after you go it alone.
The course is available to companies or sole traders located in an Objective 2 area of the West Midlands.
The normal price for the workshop is £450 +VAT.
The workshop will cover:
- Case studies
- Building sites using web standards
- Browser/platform testing
- How to separate presentation from content
- Using web developer Firefox extensions to test for W3C validation for XHTML and CSS
- Using Watchfire WebXact to test sites in terms of quality, accessibility, and privacy
- How to test a site using a text-reader
- How to migrate from HTML to XHTML
The third round of workshops are being held on Tuesday 26th February ’08 to Wednesday 27th February '08 at Screen Media Lab, Digbeth
In order to register your business for the upcoming workshops, to find out if your eligible or find out more information regarding the programme, please email mandy.brookes@bcu.ac.uk or call 0121 204 9883.
FREE marketing training
03/01/2008
Do you struggle to find the time to really promote your business?
Are you marketing on a shoestring?
We know how hard it can be to promote a business with a small team and a limited budget.
Following its success when it was first run in 2007, Media Content Lab is now offering the Marketing and PR Toolkit for the third time- a practical and FREE guide to making your promotional activities as effective as possible.
The Marketing and PR Toolkit is being offered to businesses in the West Midlands to improve promotional activities. A combination of a one to one consultation, workshops and a carefully designed practical guide to getting the best from your business make up the toolkit.
There are still opportunities to get involved with the Marketing and PR Toolkit and the third round of workshops are being held in April ’08 at Screen Media Lab, Digbeth:
Planning your marketing strategy – Tuesday 1st April '08, 10am – 4pm with Kerry Endsor – founder of Smarty Pants Marketing. Kerry has worked with blue chip companies and government agencies but now specialises in helping smaller businesses to promote themselves with limited resources.
Making the most of media opportunities – Wednesday 2nd April '08, 10am – 4pm with Bob Calver – ex BBC journalist and senior media lecturer for Birmingham City University.
Introduction to E-marketing – Thursday 3rd April '08, 10am – 4pm with John Chacksfield – John is an independent Internet marketing specialist and a director of an online retail outlet and guest lecturer. John has worked with many clients on successful Internet marketing strategies, implementing web performance metrics and ROI strategies. A qualified e-marketeer (member of the Chartered Institute Marketing) John also contracts to Cambridge Professional Academy, an independent business school in Cambridge where John writes and delivers the CIM eMarketing Award across the UK.
In order to register your business for the upcoming workshops, to find out if your eligible or find out more information regarding the programme, please email mandy.brookes@bcu.ac.uk or call 0121 204 9883.
From the Midlands with Love
04/09/2007
As part of Media Content Lab’s programme of European funded assists, we are now offering West Midlands based graphic designers, illustrators, web designers, character designers and 2D animators the chance to be promoted nationally for FREE.
We will be producing a promotional postcard book featuring visually inspiring computer art created in the region.
The postcard book will present a selection of the best computer art the West Midlands has to offer, which we will then distribute to key industry players nationwide, including the top design, marketing, advertising and communications agencies.
What’s more, we will also present each artist whose work is included with a supply of their own postcards for personal use as a promotional tool.
Interested?
To be considered for inclusion in this exciting project and to check your eligibility, please download and complete the Application Form and email it to us, attaching up to three pieces of inspirational visual design that you think would be suitable for a postcard, and that best represent your style.
The deadline for submissions is Monday 15th October 2007. If you would like any further information please contact us on 0121 204 9886.