Dandy

A simple, contemporary and trustworthy approach, with playful linking of the type hinting at the manipulation of the body and joints when working with clients.

Not all jobs want, or indeed need, to really push the creativity boundaries. Often, simple, clear, effective communication delivered to a tight budget is what’s needed by the client, and just as importantly, also demonstrated to the end audience - especially so during tough economic times. The annual report we’ve produced for the Nottingham Community Housing Association does just that.

The report not only goes to the NCHAs stakeholders, but all the association’s tenants too, so it needed to make all the information clear and easy for people to understand, so even with a quick skim read people would see the work that had been done in the last year and the progress being made.

The strong headlines and angled graphic lines helped emphasise the positive improvements being made, and pictorial interpretations of the financial aspects give an immediacy to how and where money is being spent. Tenants, photographed in and around their homes added genuine personality and a sense of community.

Nottingham Trent University approached Dandy to create stand out marketing material with a premium and accessible feel to promote their upcoming Creative Short Courses programme to the East Midlands area and beyond.

A simple typographic approach was taken, bringing the full course listing to the front of all marketing and subtly prompting the audience to ‘circle’ the course for them.

The campaign included a promotional brochure, postcards, posters and banners – all with a strong ‘call to action’ to their website.

Sport Lived provide high quality active breaks overseas for young people - a chance to experience sport from a new angle, in an exciting country, with all the additional chances to explore and enjoy another culture that that brings.

We wanted to bring all these aspect to its marketing and be sure to make the whole offer as aspirational and lifestyle focussed as possible for this discerning audience – “These will be great times, come and take part!”.

The front cover sets the scene and strong image led spreads give the brochure more of an editorial feel and promote strong benefit led messages, whilst the course specific pages are given a clear grid and layout so the audience can find what they need easily. A distinctive headline font was chosen to add personality and character throughout and emphasise key messages.

Commissioned by Nottingham Trent University to produce a book that showcased and celebrated the immense diversity of research projects undertaken throughout the College of Art & Design and Built Environment.

We wanted to bring that creativity to life in the execution of the book, using tactile, recycled materials and open book binding to reflect the ‘open’, free thinking approach of the research.

The 50 research projects were represented in 50 dots on the cover in the shape of an ‘O’,  linking it to the ‘OPEN’ title of the collection.

The book will be used to present to VIPs and dignitaries to promote Nottingham Trent University’s forward thinking outlook.

We worked with The University of Nottingham to develop the branding and exhibition material for their presence at Shanghai Expo 2010. Such was the success of the project that the University wanted to celebrate the outcomes in a commemorative book.

Typeset in both English and Chinese, the book builds on the value of the event, using a slanted die cut line on the cover as an abstract representation of the ‘Z’ from the ‘Zero Carbon, Zero Waste’ theme of the event, with bright lime tracing paper protecting the inner pages and shining through the cover.

Strong facts and figures sit alongside stunning photography from the event, to convey the amazing statistics and groundbreaking research showcased at the exhibtion to a wider audience.

We’ve just completed the new branding for Nottinghamshire Farm Tourism, including a distinctive new logo, and a whole new website.

We wanted to create something that had a little bit of wit, charm and character to it, had strong common link to the Farms and their various attractions, and was warm and welcoming for visitors.
The cockerel seemed the perfect answer. Working cleverly with the arrow in the weather vain – synonymous with Nottingham and Robin Hood – as a strong ‘pointer’ to the various destinations, with the ‘N’ representing Nottinghamshire in this case.

The new website raises the value of the Farms’ offer, builds on their brand presence and encourages the audience to browse through all the facilities, and find out more.

Nottingham Trent University came to Dandy with a brief to create a brand that would help market and promote their extensive Lace archive, something Nottingham is world renowned for.

After having a good delve into their amazing archive and researching the market, we decided to produce this simple but effective logo/brand.

Using genuine lace swatches from the archive, sitting above distinctive type, to create the silhouette of the old lace factories’ rooftop. Reproduced in simple off-white and aged grey, the colour palette complements the historical lace.

Waste and how we deal with it has never been a bigger issue for the world.

We’ve produced a brochure for The University of Nottingham outlining all the cutting edge research they are undertaking in this area, and how they are bringing it to market.

The brochure was produced using 100% recycled materials - gloss pages highlighting key facts and figures, interleaved with narrow uncoated pages describing the work in detail.

Persuading people to be greener is a big challenge, but one we think we rose to pretty well here. We created the Go Greener campaign to highlight the environmental credentials of the University, as well as show the small yet meaningful things staff and students can do to make a difference. Alongside the identity, striking posters and strong copylines, we also had the idea of creating an online community where people could make their pledges and feel part of a wider movement.

The Marketing Division needed to stand out from the crowd, we created a distinctive new logo and brand for their stationery and website.

The design reflects the detail and specialist knowledge they bring to projects and the fruitful outcome of their involvement. The overall feel is warm, welcoming and trustworthy.

Nottingham Science City wanted to produce a brochure to promote the many companies working in the fast emerging green technologies sector in Nottingham and the surrounding area.

If ever there was time to highlight the groundbreaking development work being done in this sector, it’s now – the planet needs our help fast.

We created a bold, contemporary look, allowing each company to profile their story with strong imagery and eye catching quotes.

Commissioned to update VPoint’s logo and identity, we decided it was time for a return to simple.

The friendly, inviting logo can be used easily throughout all media - print, web, tv - and the stylised monitor face reflects the business sector.

Reproduced in three colours to correspond with the RGB (Red, Green and Blue light) that’s used on all screen based media to create colour.

Tough times for students, hence the commissioning of a ‘Student Career Kit’ by the Centre for Career Development at The University of Nottingham.

We were asked to come up with a high value pack – in terms of feel and information – that would appeal to those ‘oh so fashion conscious students’, so the it had to look very ‘in and now’, not too preachy, and have that ‘must keep’ feel. Even more importantly it had to give the students the positive injection of encouragement, information and resource they need to get planning and moving their career along.

The National Trust is a British institution, but every institution needs to find ways to appeal to a new younger audience, if it is to continue to grow and have purpose.

So with this in mind Tattershall Castle in Lincolnshire was chosen to display an exhibition of contemporary art within it’s magnificent structure.

With the name ‘House of Bling’ already chosen, our job was to bring this idea to life, appeal to the wider audience, and create a sense of ‘theatre’ around the event.

The initial flyer used silhouettes of the castle’s windows to hint at the treasures that would be found inside at the event. The leaflet built on this sense of ‘sneek peak’ by using a distinctive fold that opened up to reveal information and images of the artists involved.

The overall effect made the whole event stand out amongst other tourist marketing and brought positive feedback from both client and audience alike.

It’s great to be able to support budding new businesses, they can offer something completely different to large organisations, and a chance for us to explore other creative ideas.
So when we were approached by a start-up company to develop a way of packaging and promoting ‘walks of discovery in and around Nottingham’, we were only to happy to offer our services.

The final execution appeals to both adults and children alike, and conveys the sense of fun and intrigue the walks provide. Look out for them in your local bookshop or pub!

From Frisbee to football and most things in between.

When The University of Nottingham came to us with a brief for their inaugural Tri Campus Games, we were quite excited – it felt like a mini Olympics!

With such a diverse range of activities and the need to represent the UK/Asia link, we opted for a simple dynamic spinning symbol that reflected the three campuses, the links across the globe, and the active sport and games taking place… oh and the colours linked nicely with all three nations’ flags.

Feedback from the top of the University was, they were delighted. Let the Games begin!

Love Vintage Furniture wanted a new logo for their online outlet. They needed a strong visual identity that added value to their service and brand, and raised their profile.

Buying vintage is all about individuality, so we felt the finished logo needed character and personality. The new identity used the word ‘Love’ to reflect this, it has playfulness, emotion and a sense of indulgence. The ‘Vintage Furniture’ type in contrast, reflects the quality, sophistication, refinement and craftsmanship of furniture of 20th Century.

A magazine worthy of the scale and ambition of Nottingham Science City. The large format and strong graphic identity bring the content to life and convey the news stories in a dynamic, accessible way.

The finished design raises the profile of Nottingham Science City and sets a benchmark for the breadth and quality of the science sector in the area.

MLA East Midlands (Museums, Libraries & Archives) briefed us to communicate all the great work the various museums, archives and libraries do with education – under the banner ‘Learning Links’.

We decided a simple, strong, eyecatching pack, with a nod towards ‘Top Trumps’ would be a great way to show off the achievements of each scheme in an uncomplicated, engaging way. The nature of the format also encouraged people to pass the cards round and share the information.

The finished product is versatile, positive, tactile and just the type of thing you want to pick up and take a look at.

As Katherine Wilson from the MLA put it… “I’m so pleased with the packs, they look and feel great, and will be an excellent advocacy tool for the project and sites which were involved. I know the design was strong, but the finished product has really surpassed expectations, so thank you for all your hard work.”

The cutting edge bioenergy department of The University of Nottingham needed a brochure that demonstrated their extensive research, development and expertise in this area, that would reach out to business partners, and would encourage further investment.

The finished brochure used 100% recycled paper, with the cover using paper containing 10% straw - which created a strong creative link with the bioenergy subject, where researchers are developing methods of turning discarded straw into new energy.

The Molecular Profiles brand needed updating to reach out to a broader global market. We created a clearer, sophisticated approach, which raised the value of the brand and clarified the service offering.

“The guys at Dandy made the whole experience exciting and enjoyable. The results are even better than we hoped and we feel really proud of our new brand.”
Anthony Moore, Head of Marketing, White Post Farm

“The design and print Dandy came up with was stunning, and really lifted the event - both on the evening and in the months running up to it. I’ve never had so many people tell me how great an invitation is.”
Nick Lawford, Arts & Business East Midlands

How do you get the compexity of nanotechnology across to the general public and schools?

Well the starting point seemed to be the question everyone would ask… ‘Nano what?’. Taking this as our lead we developed a bold and bright brand identity based around simple, straight forward language.

“We were absolutely delighted with the copy, print and design - and it looks fantastic. We’ve had really positive feedback.”
Victoria Bell, Marketing and Communications Manager, The University of Nottingham

MLA East Midlands (Museums/Libraries/Archives) wanted to produce an annual review that did not look indulgent but did put a value on the organisation.

We decided to create a format that reflected the common denominator of ‘collections’, and packaged the information in a manila style pocket folder with different size pages dividing the chapter sections. Emphasising the frugal budget approach by printing using just two colours.

“A positive, creative approach and a fabulous end product - everyone loved it, many thanks.”
Sam Bestwick, Chief Executive, MLA East Midlands