Did someone say PARTY (after a constructive meeting)?!
To kick August off we got all the team together for a business development day, or as we like to call it a ‘Kepler’ (named after the spaceship, not the mathematician). It gives us an opportunity to take stock and figure out the new trends in information design.
After nerd-ing out talking about diagrams we headed in to central London for a tasty Mexican feast (thanks Wahaca) and then on to the pub for a drink (or 3). As always, it was a great night and a good chance for the team to catch up!
Work-iversaries
This summer we’ve had two work anniversaries!! Craig has now been with the team for 3 fantastic years, and we also celebrated Rich’s first year with us. Craig continues to grow in his role of middleweight designer, providing us with an encyclopaedic knowledge of typography, and a never-ending supply of puns.
This year Rich has made the move from our West Midlands office to London, and it has been great having him here with the rest of the team.
The perks of international work…
Sun, sea and sand. Nikki is having a great time working with some of our international clients back home in Sydney at the moment. She has been helping them design an interactive-PDF annual report, and the best part is when she has to get some rest, we can pick it up here. Nothing like working in two time zones to up productivity!
Here she is, fresh from a client meeting in their beachside office. Can you believe it’s supposed to be winter there?!
What the team have learnt about
Oliver
On a recent trip to a motor manufacturer heavily focussed on the craft of their work, it got me thinking if graphics can be used successfully to explain how to undertake a craft? Is it possible to visualise ‘feelings’ involved in tasks, such as how to beat a metal panel or make a perfect metal weld? I’d love to know if this challenge is pushing information design beyond the limits of graphic communication…
Photo sourced from: www.morgan-motor.co.uk/media-centre-item/factory-craftsmen/
I’ve also been learning about Harley Davidson’s sustainability achievements as we designed their latest sustainability report. It can really take some time to visualise statistical comparisons, e.g. what area could 584,367 trees cover? I needed to find out what the trees were, how far apart they are planted, and then a memorable comparison for the reader (involving road lengths and widths in America). Who’d have thought there’d be so much maths involved in the design of infographics?
Ryan
I learnt about how old overhead line equipment isn’t efficient when the air temperature reaches beyond 25 degrees centigrade – the cables “sag” due to the heat and therefore trains have to slow down when passing through to avoid damages. To combat this, modern day equipment features an auto-tension system that adapts to the air temperature dynamically to keep the cables in the optimum tension at all time. #trainnerds
Dave
After an evening in the Science Museum I have learnt that robots will eventually rule the earth and we will just be their slaves! Hopefully we are safe for a bit longer and we will get to see some interesting new technologies being used within the bids we work on.
Sammi
There’s been a distinctly Italian feel to my work this month, helping one of our clients Mercato Metropolitano generate campaign graphics for a new investment. Unexpected perk – I’ve learnt that organic, unfiltered prosecco is delightful after having a sample meal at their Elephant and Castle market space.
