Blog Sketch

This one needs no words....

2012-01-16T03:28:00.001-08:00

the 10 best music videos of all time

2012-01-12T03:48:00.000-08:00

here is a list of the music videos i think are amazing and have well and truly made their mark on the music video world for being creative, inspirational, clever, witty, funny, different, new, exciting or maybe they are just great.

10.In Your Arms - Kina Grannis
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOu0DuxFAT0

9.Beastie Boys - Intergalactic
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qORYO0atB6g

8.Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irp8CNj9qBI

7. Bright Eyes - First Day Of My Life
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwFS69nA-1w

6. Radiohead - Street Spirit (Fade Out)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrTB-iiecqk&ob=av3e

5. Michael Jackson - Thriller
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOnqjkJTMaA&ob=av3n

4. Massive Attack - Teardrop
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7K72X4eo_s&ob=av3e

3. Her Morning Elegance / Oren Lavie
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_HXUhShhmY

2. Johnny Cash - Hurt
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmVAWKfJ4Go&feature=related

1.Untitled #1 (A.K.A Vaka)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhPuZsIkRj8&feature=plcp&context=C3f7400aUDOEgsToPDskJUcKB9ZZQ2WuuhHSXvDzC5

A cinemagraph.... the next photograph

2012-01-09T07:32:00.000-08:00

photo means 'a picture made from light', ghraphy means 'to write' and cinema means 'a motion'

so what is a cinemagraph?

a moving picture, but not a movie, an almost static image that is somehow alive... very clever stuff! check it out here

maybe this is what we will expect to see more of in the future, maybe not, either way i think its an interesting technique even if it does somehow mirror the paintings in harry potter.

Embroidered X-Rays? WOW!

2011-11-22T06:15:00.000-08:00

See more work here...

An artist from Philadelphia has mixed two worlds and created something very special, Matthew Cox mixes X-Rays with embroidery, actually stitching over X-Rays to join the two together.

His soul purpose of creating the pieces is to show contrast between The stereotypical Masculine 'Doctor/Surgeon' and Femininity with Embroidery, whilst bringing them together to blend well.

I Love It!

We Remember

2011-11-11T02:35:00.000-08:00

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

We give thanks to everybody who made the sacrifice, we wouldn't have what we do have today.

They believe they can fly!

2011-11-04T07:04:00.000-07:00

Here's a little video for you to watch, be inspired, be scared, I was both.

http://www.sebmontaz.com/index.php/eng/I-Believe-I-can-Fly.-Trailer

This is just the trailer, the feature length arrives on the 11/11/11 at 11.00am and I will be watching!

Movember

2011-11-01T06:29:00.001-07:00

Pinch, punch, first of the month!

It's November but November is no ordinary month, it is home to Movember, a portmanteau of "moustache" and "November". The idea of the Movember is to grow a Moustache throughout the month of November, no shaving, no joining up with beards, just a good ol' slug on the upper lip.

It started in 1999 by a group of men in Adelaide, Australia. The men grew moustaches to raise money for the RSPCA, using the slogan 'Whiskers for Whiskers', it has since then snowballed across the globe and progressed to raising money for a whole range of mens health issues including cancer & depression.

http://uk.movember.com/?home

Communities, work places, schools and just about anyone (except women?) can grow a moustache and raise some money for a great cause, and of course you get to grow that moustache you have always secretly dreamt about, so why not give it a go!

Keith McCarthy Website

2011-10-27T07:07:00.001-07:00

New website design for Keith McCarthy - View Website

Hereford Photography Festival

2011-10-26T01:40:00.000-07:00

Every October Hereford plays host to The Hereford Photography Festival www.photofest.org

For a whole month Hereford gets taken over by Photographers displaying their work, holding talks, Seminars and workshops, The talks are great and if you can find one takes your fancy I would recommend going, £2 on the door or free if you are a friend of the festival (just sign up to their newsletter).

Don't fancy the talks? put your Ipod on and walk down to The Courtyard Theater, they have a great setting in which to display the Photography and of course its completely free.

Thats the great thing about this Festival, you can get as heavily involved as you wish, or you can walk around just taking in the imagery at your own leisurely pace, I would recommend checking out :-

Semblance - A Change in Place: Jason Larkin

Parkour Photography: Andy Day

Architype: Photography & Architecture

Don’t Mess with Texas

Rush Hour

Out of England Images from Overseas

If you do go I hope you get inspired and maybe pick up that old camera that sits in your drawer.

Mr Mead

2011-10-19T07:53:00.001-07:00

Mr Meads Captain James McWolfson. from tom mead on Vimeo.

My Favorite Photograph

2011-10-10T01:55:00.000-07:00

This is a photograph of Samuel Beckett, taken in 1976 by the legendary Jane Bown, Bown, who was working for The Observer at the time, was on an assignment to photograph the notoriously lens shy Beckett at the Royal Court Theatre, Sloan Square.

Bown arrived early, as she usually did and waited for Beckett, after a while of waiting she was given a tip off that he had already left by the stage door, Bown ran around the building and eventually caught up with him in an alley way, extremely reluctant he agreed to let Mrs Bown take 3 exposures of him, within 10 seconds Bown had got 5 exposures with the middle one being the final print.

One of the most amazing things about this photograph is that she was using natural light, most if not all of Bown's photographs were made using the available light, she also wasn't too bothered about what equipment she was using, secondhand Olympus OM1's, with an 50mm or 85mm Prime. The reason I think this photograph works so well, you have a photographer who knows, understands and can control the light, who is also extremely tight on composition, you have the background, the setting, the scene, its a clean backdrop with a small portion of pattern, and then you have a face of a man who is in no way keen on being photographed, not only that but this man is Samuel Beckett, he has a wonderfully photogenic face, this all combines to be a photograph worthy of legend status.

Speech from Steve Jobs

2011-10-07T05:58:00.000-07:00

The following is a speech from Steve Jobs to Stanford University Graduates. A beautiful view on life that I thought must be shared.

"I am honoured to be with you today at your commencement from one of the finest universities in the world. I never graduated from college. Truth be told, this is the closest I've ever gotten to a college graduation. Today I want to tell you three stories from my life. That's it. No big deal. Just three stories.

The first story is about connecting the dots.

I dropped out of Reed College after the first 6 months, but then stayed around as a drop-in for another 18 months or so before I really quit. So why did I drop out?

It started before I was born. My biological mother was a young, unwed college graduate student, and she decided to put me up for adoption. She felt very strongly that I should be adopted by college graduates, so everything was all set for me to be adopted at birth by a lawyer and his wife. Except that when I popped out they decided at the last minute that they really wanted a girl. So my parents, who were on a waiting list, got a call in the middle of the night asking: "We have an unexpected baby boy; do you want him?" They said: "Of course." My biological mother later found out that my mother had never graduated from college and that my father had never graduated from high school. She refused to sign the final adoption papers. She only relented a few months later when my parents promised that I would someday go to college.

And 17 years later I did go to college. But I naively chose a college that was almost as expensive as Stanford, and all of my working-class parents' savings were being spent on my college tuition. After six months, I couldn't see the value in it. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life and no idea how college was going to help me figure it out. And here I was spending all of the money my parents had saved their entire life. So I decided to drop out and trust that it would all work out OK. It was pretty scary at the time, but looking back it was one of the best decisions I ever made. The minute I dropped out I could stop taking the required classes that didn't interest me, and begin dropping in on the ones that looked interesting.

It wasn't all romantic. I didn't have a dorm room, so I slept on the floor in friends' rooms, I returned coke bottles for the 5¢ deposits to buy food with, and I would walk the seven miles across town every Sunday night to get one good meal a week at the Hare Krishna temple. I loved it. And much of what I stumbled into by following my curiosity and intuition turned out to be priceless later on. Let me give you one example:

Reed College at that time offered perhaps the best calligraphy instruction in the country. Throughout the campus every poster, every label on every drawer, was beautifully hand calligraphed. Because I had dropped out and didn't have to take the normal classes, I decided to take a calligraphy class to learn how to do this. I learned about serif and san serif typefaces, about varying the amount of space between different letter combinations, about what makes great typography great. It was beautiful, historical, artistically subtle in a way that science can't capture, and I found it fascinating.

None of this had even a hope of any practical application in my life. But ten years later, when we were designing the first Macintosh computer, it all came back to me. And we designed it all into the Mac. It was the first computer with beautiful typography. If I had never dropped in on that single course in college, the Mac would have never had multiple typefaces or proportionally spaced fonts. And since Windows just copied the Mac, it's likely that no personal computer would have them. If I had never dropped out, I would have never dropped in on this calligraphy class, and personal computers might not have the wonderful typography that they do. Of course it was impossible to connect the dots looking forward when I was in college. But it was very, very clear looking backwards ten years later.

Again, you can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.

My second story is about love and loss.

I was lucky — I found what I loved to do early in life. Woz and I started Apple in my parents garage when I was 20. We worked hard, and in 10 years Apple had grown from just the two of us in a garage into a $2bn company with over 4,000 employees. We had just released our finest creation — the Macintosh — a year earlier, and I had just turned 30. And then I got fired. How can you get fired from a company you started? Well, as Apple grew we hired someone who I thought was very talented to run the company with me, and for the first year or so things went well. But then our visions of the future began to diverge and eventually we had a falling out. When we did, our board of directors sided with him. So at 30 I was out. And very publicly out. What had been the focus of my entire adult life was gone, and it was devastating.

I really didn't know what to do for a few months. I felt that I had let the previous generation of entrepreneurs down - that I had dropped the baton as it was being passed to me. I met with David Packard and Bob Noyce and tried to apologise for screwing up so badly. I was a very public failure, and I even thought about running away from the valley. But something slowly began to dawn on me — I still loved what I did. The turn of events at Apple had not changed that one bit. I had been rejected, but I was still in love. And so I decided to start over.

I didn't see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life.

During the next five years, I started a company named NeXT, another company named Pixar, and fell in love with an amazing woman who would become my wife. Pixar went on to create the worlds first computer animated feature film, Toy Story, and is now the most successful animation studio in the world. In a remarkable turn of events, Apple bought NeXT, I returned to Apple, and the technology we developed at NeXT is at the heart of Apple's current renaissance. And Laurene and I have a wonderful family together.

I'm pretty sure none of this would have happened if I hadn't been fired from Apple. It was awful tasting medicine, but I guess the patient needed it. Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don't lose faith. I'm convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You've got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle.

My third story is about death.

When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: "If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you'll most certainly be right." It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" And whenever the answer has been "No" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.

Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.

About a year ago I was diagnosed with cancer. I had a scan at 7:30 in the morning, and it clearly showed a tumour on my pancreas. I didn't even know what a pancreas was. The doctors told me this was almost certainly a type of cancer that is incurable, and that I should expect to live no longer than three to six months. My doctor advised me to go home and get my affairs in order, which is doctor's code for prepare to die. It means to try to tell your kids everything you thought you'd have the next 10 years to tell them in just a few months. It means to make sure everything is buttoned up so that it will be as easy as possible for your family. It means to say your goodbyes.

I lived with that diagnosis all day. Later that evening I had a biopsy, where they stuck an endoscope down my throat, through my stomach and into my intestines, put a needle into my pancreas and got a few cells from the tumour. I was sedated, but my wife, who was there, told me that when they viewed the cells under a microscope the doctors started crying because it turned out to be a very rare form of pancreatic cancer that is curable with surgery. I had the surgery and I'm fine now.

This was the closest I've been to facing death, and I hope it's the closest I get for a few more decades. Having lived through it, I can now say this to you with a bit more certainty than when death was a useful but purely intellectual concept:

No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don't want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because death is very likely the single best invention of life. It is life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.

Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.

When I was young, there was an amazing publication called The Whole Earth Catalog, which was one of the bibles of my generation. It was created by a fellow named Stewart Brand not far from here in Menlo Park, and he brought it to life with his poetic touch. This was in the late 1960's, before personal computers and desktop publishing, so it was all made with typewriters, scissors, and Polaroid cameras. It was sort of like Google in paperback form, 35 years before Google came along: it was idealistic, and overflowing with neat tools and great notions.

Stewart and his team put out several issues of The Whole Earth Catalog, and then when it had run its course, they put out a final issue. It was the mid-1970s, and I was your age. On the back cover of their final issue was a photograph of an early morning country road, the kind you might find yourself hitchhiking on if you were so adventurous. Beneath it were the words: "Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish." It was their farewell message as they signed off. Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish. And I have always wished that for myself. And now, as you graduate to begin anew, I wish that for you.

Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.

Thank you all very much."

A sad day for the future

2011-10-06T06:30:00.001-07:00

R.I.P Steve, Thank you for everything that came out of your great mind.

End of point and shoot cameras ( lets talk Iphone )

2011-10-05T06:41:00.000-07:00

So... Apple have released the new Iphone, the Iphone 4S, not quite the Iphone 5 everyone was expecting but still it looks pretty good.

their are two major differences, one being almost everything is voice controlled, yep, you can ask it what the weather will be like on tuesday, and the clever little phone will tell you, and the other USP is that it has been dubbed has having the best camera on a phone yet, 8MP a rather tasty little illuminated sensor which according to apple is very sensitive, meaning good for low light and a lot faster but probably noisy and full of grain, it also has a better flash. The dual core A5 processor means you the camera is quicker also.

One thing that does tempt me though is it can record 1080 HD movie, thats pretty neat from a phone, but its a phone and not a camera, in my opinion it may be handy to have this feature but this will have no effect on the sale of point and shoots and wont even think of touching the DSLR market.

to read the full article from cnet click the link below
http://news.cnet.com/8301-33200_3-20115649-290/iphone-4s-beginning-of-the-end-of-point-and-shoots/

Wildlife photographer of the year 2011

2011-09-30T08:09:00.000-07:00

There is something about wildlife photography that I love, When someone is able to capture the life of an animal or plant in a way that reflects our own lives, working, playing showing an emotion, they have my attention.

check out :-
http://www.nhm.ac.uk/visit-us/whats-on/temporary-exhibitions/wpy/category.do?category=56&group=4

what Bence Máté has done here is truly inspiring, the hole on the leaf lets you see into their world, whilst the silhouette of the ants all different sizes shows some dark twisted version of that world.

Have a look through all the runner ups and young winners too! you may get inspired yourself!

Written by Thom Williams

Internet set to Launch into space…

2011-09-30T04:09:00.000-07:00

The internet will soon be available in a galaxy near you as Nasa plan to trial laser powered space broadband. This broadband will be able to potentially send 100 Megabytes per second, a much better spead than Nasa’s current radio frequency which can only transmit 5 Megabytes per second. At the moment it take 90 minutes to beam back an image from Mars to Earth. The laser powered broadband on the other hand will take only 5 mintues. That’s one giant leap for the internet.

For this trial a satellite will be sent up with telescopes, lasers, mirrors, pointing and tracking systems and 2 modems bolted on board. The transmissions and data will be relayed to two different ground stations as shown on the photo below.

Photo by Nasa

Written by Tom Hancock

Message in a bottle….

2011-09-28T07:04:00.000-07:00

Canadian Harold Hackett has created his own social network in a more traditional fashion. Using bottle, paper and a pen, Mr Hackett has received over 3,100 replies from people from all walks of life and has created long term pen-pal s. Using the Atlantic ocean, Hackett sends out messages in bottles, hoping for a response and so far he has achieved a 64% return rate. Pretty impressive. I only manage probably a 30% reply rate on Facebook.

When I read this story I almost felt the need to do it myself; let fate determine who I should talk to instead of algorithms. There must be something almost magical upon finding a message in a bottle, something that I’m sure the new generation will almost never experience. I think I have only received one hand written letter in the last 10 years and that makes me slightly sad. However great I think the internet is, I find the hand written letter much more personal and special and hope for our sakes it lives on.

Good on you Harold Hackett.

Written by Tom Hancock

Autumn Offers

2011-09-27T03:42:00.001-07:00

We are pleased to announce our Autumn offers are now available and are as follows:

Company Branding - £350.00

10% off Website Hosting

Call us now and take advantage of some great offers running throughout September, October & November.

Nikon 1

2011-09-23T09:09:00.000-07:00

I wont say too much about this one, i'll let Simon Iddon explain the new range of cameras from Nikon.

If you have an interest in photography I think this video is a must, some very exciting new features that I am sure will shape the future of photography.

Written by Thom Williams

The first ever Macintosh

2011-09-22T02:56:00.000-07:00

Steve Jobs resigned from Apple last month and this was the product that launched his career.

Written by Tom Hancock

Google+ now open for business

2011-09-21T14:00:00.000-07:00

Google opened the doors to Google+ yesterday. Can the search engine giant rival the power of Facebook with 750 million users compared to it's own 25 million users? Only time will tell. The only thing for sure is that this will create social network war.

It is already rumoured that Facebook may unveil a complete re-design of the current website at Facebook's F8 conference. There is also talk of a potential new music service, launching Facebook into more of a media platform. If Facebook do decide to become more media focused then this could be seen as a direct retaliation against Google's encroachment on their social network empire.

Google has always been hungry to dominate the web whilst maintaining it's in-house motto "don't be evil" (meaning, not to be corporate big heads). It competed for years with Microsoft, it displays images from other websites which has upset quite a few people, it collects news from around the world using algorithms and links to related articles (upsetting the newspaper world), not to mention privacy issues regarding Google street view, the list goes on and on.

A lot of people have conspiracy theories about Google. I, however, think without Google, the Internet would not be advancing as fast as it has been in the past few years. And I would like to see it take on Facebook and win as they are the ones to really push social networking to the limits.

Google me or Facebook me?

Written by Tom Hancock

Everything important in one little pocket.

2011-09-21T00:27:00.000-07:00

Google Wallet

Yesterday Google bought out a potentially life changing app for the Samsung Nexus S offered on Sprint Nextel.

The app allows you to pay for things by simply tapping or swiping the phone, much similar to the contactless technology introduced a couple of years ago by Barclays.

Google are the first to launch this idea but not the only ones, Visa and American Express are also said to be launching similar products too. This will surely pave the way for faster more reliable ways of paying for products.

"In the future, our goal is to make it possible for you to add all of your payment cards to Google Wallet, so you can say goodbye to even the biggest traditional wallets," said Osama Bedier, vice president of payments at Google

This is yet another idea that makes our fast paced lives a little more relaxing, soon everything will be done through smart phones. But for people like me, who tend to misplace everything, it is a scary thought that your whole life will be on one little machine that can easily slide out of your pocket on the train.

Read more: http://news.cnet.com/8301-30686_3-20108224-266/google-wallet-opens-for-business/#ixzz1YTyAeNmJ

Written by Tom Hancock

3D printing for your business?

2011-09-20T03:23:00.000-07:00

3D Printing has been making the news a lot recently with some saying it will hail the death of mass production.

It has been around for some time but only now are big corporations taking it seriously and it is being used in manufacturing processes, taking away the need to outsource to as far away as China.

And it’s cheap, just look at what these entrepreneurs did and how much they managed to save -

Most astounding of all has to be the recent news of artificial blood vessels being made by a 3D printer, done by a team at Fraunhofer Institute in Germany. For years scientists have been creating ‘lab grown organs’ but have not been able to create the needed blood vessels for the organs. The team say it is especially promising and they will be revealing their findings at the Biotechnica Fair in Germany in October.

It’s not just plastics and metals either; there is a chocolate 3D printer under construction with many retailers keen to get their hands on them.

And don’t think the 3D printers is limited to small objects, it can also create large building materials.

I think businesses will find it hard to come to terms with the 3D printing revolution just the same as 'old' media cannot get to grips with 'new' media. It means the last 100 years of mass production is meaningless for the future of business. But wake up! It’s cheap and quick. Surely in this day of impatience that can only be good thing.

Related links:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-14946808
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-14030720
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-14282091

Written by Tom Hancock

Duncan Williams

2011-07-19T02:00:00.000-07:00

We recently created this website for local Interior specialist Duncan Williams. Put you feet up and take a look around by clicking here

If you like us....

2011-07-19T01:58:00.000-07:00

If you like us, we'd love you to recommend us on the 'Best of' site.

Click here

Summer Pilot Pump Clip

2011-07-05T03:00:00.000-07:00

Based in Leominster, Herefordshire, Mayfields Brewery has been established since 2005 and has since earned a reputation for making a wide range of excellent beers.

They have now chosen to develop the design and marketing in order to push their brand and beers. We have recently designed the pump clip for their new seasonal beer 'Summer Pilot' - soon to be in your local watering hole. Keep an eye out for the next seasonal beers on offer.

Chase Distillery

2011-06-10T02:54:00.000-07:00

Here is some recent photography we did for Chase Distillery.

Fritz Fryer Antique Lighting Branding Project

2011-06-10T02:50:00.000-07:00

Fritz Fryer Antique Lighting are leading UK specialists in period lighting, with over 25 years of trading history. They came to us to update and refresh their current branding.

Here is what we can up with:

Exhibition, Church Lane, Ledbury

2011-05-25T02:58:00.000-07:00

For the next two weeks you can catch two very talented artists at the Weavers Gallery in Ledbury.

Visit Gillian Hancock's website

HJP International

2011-05-06T03:03:00.000-07:00

HJP International Limited (HJP) is an independent consulting firm providing services for developing countries focussed on economic development and investment in the rural sector.

This is the website we created for them.

hjpint.com

Summer Special Offers

2011-05-05T01:07:00.000-07:00

Call us now and take advantage of some great offers running throughout May, June & July.

Event Package - £600.00 *
- 1 Page website with hosting & domain reg
- Photography for 1 day of the event
- 100 A5 flyers (design and print)
Food & Drink photography £200.00 for full day of snaps!
Keep checking back here for more Sketch Collective offers or Contact us for more information...

*A5 flyers - 150 gsm, 1 Sided, Full Colour, a choice of Gloss or Silk.
Domain Registration - ".co.uk" only.

Caolin Clay

2011-05-04T02:27:00.000-07:00

Caolin Clay is a 4 piece band that plays fractious rock blended with jazz/fusion, funk, soul and folk.

Their influences include Judee Sill, Charles Mingus, Mary Halvorson, Fugazi, and Ali Farka Toure...

They have been together for 2 years and have played shows out and around the Southampton area and have recently been featured by Fault magazine.

This is the website we have recently done for them. Click here to see the site

Recent Design Work

2011-04-12T05:48:00.000-07:00

Here is some recent design work we have done for Speller Metcalfe and their Living Launch event.

Exhibition Stands:

Hand out:

Jackdaw Moroccan Lanterns

2011-04-08T07:43:00.000-07:00

Check out our latest Website design

http://www.jackdawmoroccanlanterns.co.uk

We also produced the illustrations and photography for the website:

Portrait Photography

2011-04-07T12:08:00.000-07:00

We understand our clients’ company image is important in today’s business environment and when so many customers are choosing business opportunities based on a company’s first impression. Our professional portrait photography service will represent your business and your staff members in the very best light.

Contact us now for more information...

Click here for more Photography Services

Tweeting Fridge

2011-04-04T05:45:00.000-07:00

I can't decide whether this is a stroke of genius or a step to far!

What do you think?

Happy April Fool's Day!

2011-04-01T01:51:00.000-07:00

Internet Closed for Cleaning
In 1997, an email told people that the Internet was shutting down for cleaning from March 31st until April 2nd.

It said the cleaning was necessary to clear the Internet of ‘electronic flotsam and jetsam’! People were told not to use the Internet during this time.

Taken from http://www.funkidslive.com/latest/2011/03/the-10-best-april-fools-of-all-time/

Mobile Website Design

2011-03-31T08:57:00.000-07:00

More and more people are browsing the web with smartphones, whether it's an iPhone, a Blackberry or a Nokia. The number of people surfing the web is growing dramatically and if your website is not accessible for mobile phones then you could be losing out on potential customers.

There is nothing more frustrating than waiting for a website to load on your phone whilst you are out and about, as well as only a fraction of the website to be visible on your smartphone screen. Not only this, but then having to scroll through it only to find broken links.

We create an alternative smartphone version of your website for not only mobile phones but iPads as well. Every time a mobile phone visits your website it will be redirected to your smartphone site, which will be more accessible and user friendly.

Spring Offers

2011-03-28T08:59:00.000-07:00

Call us now and take advantage of some great offers running throughout March and April.

FREE Domain Registration for first year*
10% off Product Photography
5 Page Brochure Style Website - £650**
Keep checking back here for more Sketch Collective offers or Contact us for more information...

* Free Domain Registration for first year when you buy a website with us - Subject to availability, 1 Domain per customer, .co.uk and .com only

** Hosting not included

New Design work for Speller Metcalfe

2011-03-28T03:22:00.001-07:00

Here are some of our recent projects carried our for SpellerMetcalfe.

SpellerMetcalfe is a privately owned Limited building contractor with offices in Malvern, Gloucester and London, from where they provide a construction, refurbishment and design build service in the Midlands and nationally in order to meet individual client needs. Visit their website for more information http://www.spellermetcalfe.com

Invite for the launch of a new SpellerMetcalfe Division...

Exhibition Stand for recent eco build exhibition...

Exhibition Stand for recent design and build exhibition...

Branding Gone Bad

2011-02-17T01:53:00.000-08:00

10 Most Ill-Advised Ads of All Time

To read more click here...

The Feathers Hotel Website

2011-02-15T01:48:00.001-08:00

We recently designed the new website for The Feathers Hotel in Ledbury.

Take a look around -

Not only this but we did their photography to -

The importance of branding...

2011-02-10T05:53:00.001-08:00

As a start up company forming just over a year and a half ago, we have now realised how crucial it is to get the first stages of your business set up correctly from the word go. Particularly researching your target market and representing your business to signify 'who you are', 'what you do' and very importantly 'who for' and to consider if this target market is located near you.

These are hard questions to ask a start up business when you are trying to specify your prospective clients. As a design company we understood the importance of a good branding strategy, however, if you are targeting the wrong market or route the whole branding concept changes.

It is understandable for new business to be indecisive about the target market they are trying to approach as the first few months is a lot of trial and error and testing the water.

When we first speak to our clients we ensure we arrange a meeting at their business premises, get to know them, get to know what they do, to identify the character of the business. We will then go through a process of questions that leads to the design concepts and ideas enabling our client to be 100% involved and put their ideas across. That way they will not end up with a generic branding that could apply to anyone. It applies to them and them alone.

If you would like to see the kind of branding work we have done please view our portfolio at www.designsketch.co.uk

iPoi

2011-02-03T02:39:00.001-08:00

Check out this video, produced by the Sketch Collective for Djcow111

2011-01-25T05:21:00.001-08:00

Check out this website. Seems like using film as background to websites may be the way forward!

http://www.uniqlo.jp/uniqlock/

Youtube

2011-01-17T05:29:00.000-08:00

Check out our new youtube page and subscribe so you can receive all the upcoming videos as soon as we post them!

http://www.youtube.com/user/SketchCollective?feature=mhum

Nick Burton Garden Design Website

2011-01-05T05:26:00.000-08:00

Check out the website we created for local Garden Designer Nick Burton:

http://www.nickburtongardendesign.co.uk

Tessa Frith - FREE DOWNLOAD

2011-01-01T12:25:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year.

Tessa Frith's new single 'No More' is now available for Download and it's free!

Download it here http://www.tessafrith.com

The Sketch Collective supporting Cher Lloyd

2010-12-07T11:59:00.000-08:00

ITV's X Factor finalist Cher Lloyd, with mentor Cheryl Cole, visited her home town of Malvern today, and we were 'front row' to support our local talent! Cher was met by crowds of fans outside her home and then again at The Three Counties Showground for her performance this evening, where she was welcomed with fireworks and more screaming fans.

Since amazing the judges at the audition with her rendition of Soulja Boy’s 'Turn My Swag On', Cher has gone on to make it through to this week's final, to compete against Matt Cardle, Rebecca Ferguson and One Direction. The Sketch Collective are keen supporters of any local talent and wish Cher Lloyd the best of luck in the Final this weekend.

2010-11-29T04:47:00.000-08:00

We LOVE our Local shops

Shop locally, shop in Ledbury!

Enter your favorite local shops for The Telegraph Magazine Shop Awards 2010!

With Supermarkets and chain stores taking the independent shop owners regular customers, it is more necessary than ever to support our local retailers. Our local town is Ledbury in Herefordshire, a historic, picturesque market town filled with unique and traditional stores. Within Ledbury you will find shop owners with great personality and character, selling exceptional quality goods, who know there products inside out. They may not be able to beat the prices, but the wonderful service and choice of goods that our local shops provide is something you will want to go back for again and again. The majority of our clients are local independent traders and we would like to support them as much as we can. The voting for 'The Telegraph Magazine Shop Awards 2010' ends December 10th, so dont hang about, get your votes in now!

Click here to submit your votes!

Branding

2010-11-18T08:34:00.001-08:00

It is understandable for new business to be indecisive about the target market they are trying to approach as the first few months is a lot of trial and error and testing the water.

If you would like to see the kind of branding work we have done please view our portfolio at www.designsketch.co.uk

Make your website iPhone friendly.

2010-09-22T11:00:00.000-07:00

In this day and age technological trends seem to come and go. The mini disc lasted but a second before being replace by the CD which is now being slowly replaced by the digital downloads. One trend that does not seem to be disappearing is the iPod and iPhone. More and more people are buying into the Apple web.

Not only can the iPhone make calls, store your music, store applications it can also browse the web. People are logging on to the internet with their iPhones and iPods. In fact it is predicted that within five years internet usage on smartphones will rival that of desktop PCs.

With the iPhone an easy and convenient way to find the nearest restaurant, nearest bakery, nearest cinema etc whilst on the go you need to make sure your business is creating an accessible and easy to use iPhone version of your website.

If you come to us for a website we can offer you a full iPhone version of your site to reach those customers that would otherwise go down the road to your competition.

Getting behind big ideas...

2010-08-26T01:37:00.000-07:00

A London based company caught my eye the other day, a creative marketing consultancy firm that get behind and help those people with Big Ideas that can transform companies and create opportunities.

Launching the 'Ideas Awards' has meant anyone with an idea can post them to the blog and get them heard. My girlfriend's family are constantly coming up with new and innovative ideas such as 'City Sheds' - cupboard sized sheds to store anything from tools to recycling for those who haven't got space in the garden to put up a full sized shed. Perhaps then this could be the outlet for these ideas, get them heard and get recognized for the potential genius within.

I salute this company for getting people talking about their ideas. Who knows perhaps that idea you had but never shared could lead to big things so get posting on their blog and see what comes of it. You could be the next John Harrington (Inventor of the Toilet)!

http://www.allabouttheidea.co.uk/

Tom

John Nash Interiors and Antiques

2010-08-24T03:58:00.000-07:00

One of our most recent client's new website is now online today. John Nash Interiors and Antiques in Ledbury provides customers with bespoke interior and furniture design alongside their renowned & firmly established antiques showroom.

Business partners John Nash and Louis Calleja wanted all the works that The Sketch Collective have to offer from stunning photography to show of the vast collection of antiques and products to a full re-design of their website.

The design brief was to create a very user friendly, eye catching and professional website. It had to show every part of the business and case histories of their most recent projects in a stylish and modern way. Working closely with John and Louis, the Sketch Team have created a website to the exact requirements set out.

To view the website Please Click Here.

Flash

2010-08-18T00:46:00.000-07:00

http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9180776/Web_multimedia_6_reasons_why_Flash_isn_t_going_away

The fight to save Flash lives on!

Thom Williams - Wedding Photographer

2010-08-17T06:30:00.000-07:00

Check out the new wedding photographer in Ledbury, Herefordshire

thomwilliams.co.uk

2010-07-27T09:21:00.000-07:00

Our New Website!!!!!

2010-07-21T09:03:00.001-07:00

The Sketch Collective are proud to announce the launch of our new website.

Please feel free to take a look around.

http://www.thesketchcollective.co.uk

Telegraph feature Jack Wilesmith

2010-06-28T11:37:00.000-07:00

The Sketch Collective recently worked with furniture designer Jack Wilesmith to produce company branding and website for his latest show, now featured in the Telegraph.

Click here to read the article.

Shire Guide: Festivals

2010-06-17T08:53:00.000-07:00

Not content with being a land of rolling hills, beautiful scenery and fine ale, Herefordshire also boasts some of the most eclectic and diverse range of music festivals this side of Glastonbury. From folk to techno, contemporary to pop, there’s something for every music fan in Elgar’s (neighbouring) county. So read on as we try to cover all the essential festival stops this summer, all right here on your doorstep.

Wye Side FestIval (18 – 20 June, Sutton st. nicholas, tickets £54)

This year sees music legends The Stranglers, The Animals and The Wurzels along with Bellowhead (4 time winners of best live act at Radio 2’s Folk Awards) perform in the Shire. Add to that a great mix of local talent and you’ve got yourself a right ol’ knees up. Proper job!

Ledbury Poetry FestIval (2 – 11 July, ledbury, tickets varied)

In the same vein as Hay, just that little bit smaller, the Ledbury Poetry Festival offers many of the same attractions as its slightly more established elder brother with great poets, music, readings and atmosphere. Last year saw jazz group Polar Bear play an incredible set. Arab Strap front man Aidan Moffat offered his views on the world in the intimate Burgage Hall. All this together with many established and world-renowned poets and writers who continue to view the festival as a prestigious event. This year the poet in residence is Billy Collins and all the line-up information can be found at www.poetry-festival.com. And just for good measure this is from our current poet laureate Carol Ann Duffy: 'A rare genuine joining of place, poetry and people' and this from The Guardian: ‘This celebration of verse is the largest of its kind in the UK and also the most energised, giving a real sense of poetry as an important living, contemporary literary form.’ Praise indeed.

Nozstock ( 9 – 11 July, Bromyard, tickets £65)

Starting out as a family barbeque, Nozstock is the quintessential ‘grassroots’ festival. Set in the heart of a 17th Century farm with barns reverberating to the sound of pounding basslines you’d be forgiven for thinking this was a rave in the middle of nowhere. And you’d be right. Sort of. The core of this weekend is it’s drum’n’bass, dubstep and psytrance (headliners this year include SubFocus, High Contrast and Caspa) yet with it’s ever-growing reputation has come more of a conventional approach with last year’s headliner’s The Buzzcocks and this year’s The Blockheads bringing their legendary sounds to the Bromyard hills. Party-goers this year will bounce to anthemic sounds from established rock outfits alongside a smooth brew of up and coming indie acts as well as the usual heady mix of dance and old-skool raving. In their own words ‘Thanks to its late license and homegrown venues, Nozstock gives its punters all the fun and frivolity of a true festival, without the corporate sheen.’Not to be missed.

The Big Chill (5 – 8 august, eastnor, ledbury, tickets TBC)

Probably the most famous of all the festivals in the county, The Big Chill is also the largest. Set in the beautiful deer park of Eastnor Castle in the shadow of the Malvern Hills, this hugely diverse festival has its roots set in dance, electronic and house music. But don’t be fooled as the Chill also showcases the very best in nu-folk, jazz and world music as well as a few pop surprises (a relatively unknown Lily Allen appeared on the Castle Stage in 2007). Previous heavyweight headliners include last year’s triumphant reunion of 90’s rave legends Orbital, Basement Jaxx, David Byrne, Trentmoller, Leonard Cohen and The Cinematic Orchestra. Often coming out on top in broadsheet reviews of the best festivals the country has to offer, families, ravers, folkies and all those in-between chill, relax and party for 3 days. ‘There’s something for everyone’ has never been more apt.

The Green Man (20 – 22 august, brecon, tickets £120)

Ok, so it isn’t technically in the Shire (it’s right on the border) but who cares about technicalities? The Green Man has fast become one of the best small festivals in the country and to prove that you only have to take a look at previous and up-and-coming acts to perform at Glanusk Park; Fleet Foxes, Bon Iver, Animal Collective, Joanna Newsom, The Flaming Lips, Jarvis Cocker, Four Tet to name but quite a few. It’s pedigree for showcasing folk, indie and electronica is second-to-none. Add in the beautiful Brecon Beacons as a back-drop and you have the makings of a truly wonderful festival experience.

There are of course many other music and literary events occurring all over our green and pleasant land throughout the summer and no doubt somewhere near you, it’s inevitable. So, whether you take our advice or not, get out there, get involved (and drunk) and enjoy what this remote county of England has to offer. You’re spoilt for choice!

James Batley

The Sketch Collective Helps L'oreal

2010-06-11T02:03:00.000-07:00

Working closely with RDA we produced a poster above and a presentation board for L'oreal.

They specifically wanted to use Hayley's Illustrations that they had seen previously.

The concept behind this poster was to have a make up aisle turn into a party atmosphere.

Steve Jobs: Flash Is No Longer Necessary

2010-06-10T14:23:00.000-07:00

Steve Jobs has just posted a long open letter on Flash, listing all the reasons why Apple has decided not to support it on the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch.

The letter is a clear, sober, in-depth view in all of Flash’s defects from Apple’s point of view, and while we’re sure it will be dissected over and over again in the upcoming days (especially the part about Flash not being open), you have to admire its frankness.

Tessa Frith - Fear of Invasion Music Video

2010-06-10T02:09:00.000-07:00

Tessa Frith - Fear of invasion Music Video now on Youtube and don't forget he album is available for download from iTunes!!!

The Sketch Collective produce Tess' first music video for the single Fear of Invasion. Filmed in Gloucester director Thom Williams captures the song's fears, climaxes and beauty

Aestival 2010

2010-06-10T02:00:00.000-07:00

The Sketch Collective join forces with Aestival to help launch and promote the Aestival Festival Weekend. June 19th 2010. Click here to check out the new website!

Aestival brings you a nonprofit festival put on by friends for friends and to raise money for charity. Performers and crew alike volunteer to bring you a tiny 500 capacity festival celebrating performance in every form. Expect some of the best music, visual arts, performance and dance, brought to you by one of the smallest boutique festivals in the UK.
Featuring music, installations and performances from…
Amoss, Boys in the wood, Ragtime Ewan, Cool Cat Collective, Pry Media, Chris Munton, Ben Young, Cut La Vis, Violent Disco, Tree Frogs, Carl Kirby, Larsey, T-enz, Plaebac, Winstan, DJ Cheat, Rootkit, LaDyBird, Teleport …Plus much more!
Visit the ‘Line Up’ page for more Artist info.
This year’s event revisits the beautiful, secluded yurt village location, tucked up in the furrows of Fromes Hill. By day the main stage will feature an amazing and diverse collection of live performances from European, Moroccan and local UK artists. Genres will range from Folk, Acoustic Reggae, Roots & Indi pop to Jazz, Ragtime & Traditional Moroccan. By night, two contrasting venues, each offering something unique will show case some of the best electronic music this world has to offer from a range of up and coming DJ’s.This is a ticket only event. In order to attend this event you will need to purchase a ticket in advance.

The Sketch Collective helps local furniture designer

2010-06-10T01:57:00.001-07:00

Jack Wilesmith - Furniture Designer
Website Now Online.

Jack came to the Sketch Collective for help branding his freelance company.

Click Here to see his website!

2010-06-10T01:50:00.000-07:00

Tessa Frith - Mindscapes Out Now!!!!

Tessa Frith Website Now Online

2010-06-10T01:36:00.000-07:00

http://www.tessafrith.com

Audio Sketch Record Label

2010-06-10T01:35:00.000-07:00

Audio Sketch Record Label - Now open for business.
Check out more on our Website.

Parkour Motion Reel

2010-06-10T01:19:00.000-07:00

2010-01-14T08:36:00.000-08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMqFhRCD1fU

More than Just Hobbits and Fields?

2010-01-14T08:22:00.000-08:00

Come on people!
As much as we love warpandwoof we want more nights our in the shire.

Prove the shire is more than hobbits and fields!Even if it's a night in with a cup of tea and your beloved dog Rover.
Get thinking and we hope to hear all your suggestions soon.

The Sketch Team
info@thesketchcollective.co.uk

We Love warpandwoof

2010-01-14T08:14:00.000-08:00

We are supporting warpandwoof event nights. Here's one coming up. We'll be there.....will you?

16th FEBRUARY WARPANDWOOF @ The Jailhouse, Hereford

MUNGO'S HI FI & DUB BOY £6 Entry

Following a blow-out set for W+W last year, Bristol legend and Ruffnek Diskotek/Karnival main-man Dub Boy returns to the Jailhouse with his distinct blend of Ragga, Bashment, Karnival, and UK Funky sounds. Joining him this time are none other than the huge reggae soundsytem Mungo's Hi Fi! These Glaswegian veteran selectors have long been producing tracks for play on Jah Shaka's mammoth rig, and have garnered support from a wide range of heads, from the late great John Peel to Mr Scruff. This, their first return to the shire following their Big Chill appearance last summer, is sure to be unmissable!

Aaja / Amoss / Pressure / Larsey / Rootkit / LaDyBird / DJ Cheat

Room 2 - Drum & Bass / Dubstep / Tech Bass Music

Herefordshire Top Nights Out.

2010-01-12T04:01:00.000-08:00

Post your favorite night out in the shire on our facebook wall!

Click here for Sketch's Facebook Page

Results will be revealed in the first issue of Le Zine.

Thanks!

The Sketch Team.

Le Zine Competition

2010-01-12T03:58:00.000-08:00

As part of our Magazine Launch in April we are offering the chance for one of you to write an article in Le Zine Magazine.

All you have to do is email a short article on whatever you like to us at info@thesketchcollective.co.uk.

Articles have to be no more than 200 words.

We will then pick the best article and the winner will then be able to write a full length article in our online magazine.

Happy Writing!
The Sketch Team

Happy New Year!!

2010-01-12T03:54:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year
From all at The Sketch Collective.

To view our January Newsletter please Click on the link below.

www.thesketchcollective.co.uk/jannewsletter.pdf

Thanks!
The Sketch Team

Buy Visual Sketch Photography

2009-12-01T07:24:00.000-08:00

1st December! 24 Days to go...and counting!

We have the perfect christmas present for you. Visit The Sketch Collective's Visual Sketch Page on Deviant Art and buy a Canvas Mounted print. Our latest Photography includes the beauty of Paris by night! Check it out!

Our in house Photographers can also comission a more personal piece for that special someone. Please contact Visual Sketch direct to book your photoshoot now;

+44 (0)787404390
info@thesketchcollective.co.uk
www.thesketchcollective.co.uk

New Website now online!

2009-12-01T07:12:00.000-08:00

Gilly Hancock, Fine Arts & Prints. Gilly’s painting capture the beautiful landscapes that
surround the malvern hills near her home and the Ionian
islands in Greece.

Gilly is more happy to do commision pieces. For all
enquiries for her fine art & prints please Conatct Gilly
directly.
Check it out here - gillyhancock.co.uk

www.thesketchcollective.co.uk

Today's the Day-For The Sketch Collective

2009-11-26T08:25:00.000-08:00

The first day of our Brand New Website up and running online! and now our first Blog too!
It couldn't get much better than this!

After months of hard work and preparation The Sketch Collective has now been ACTIVATED!
We work from our Creative Hub out in the sticks of Gloucestershire. Our team can cater for your every design requirement be it Graphics, Illustration, Web, Photography, Short Films and Music Videos.

Creative thinking for your business......

Check out some of our completed websites from the links!

Here are a few examples of the kinda thing we can do.