Thursday 23 December 2010

Mince Pie and Mulled Wine Mayhem

Christmas has officially hit Assembly Studios with the arrival of these amazing hand crafted mince pies and mulled wine, courtesy of Matt F... roll on Saturday :-)

Tuesday 14 December 2010

Retrak

Our Creative Director Ross Cunningham has been super busy recently! Not only working on several exciting Assembly projects (keep your eyes peeled!), but also helping out a charity called Retrak. They're a UK based company that works with street children in Africa to "give them a real alternative to life on the street";



"There are numerous reasons why children live and sleep on the streets such as poverty; family strife; abuse; being orphaned, often as a result of HIV/AIDS; war and famine. Often abused or violated on the street, regarded as barely human and on the very fringe of society, they eke out an existence, begging or scavenging through rubbish for food. Our aim is that these children can realise their full potential and discover their inherent worth.

Retrak began in Kampala, Uganda in 1994 as a football club providing street children with the opportunity for play and, for a short while at least, escape their day to day problems and dangers. Recognising both the need and the potential, Retrak expanded the scope of its work beyond football and, by 1997, had become a UK charity and was registered in Uganda as a non-governmental organisation (NGO) called the Tigers Club Project; later renamed Retrak.
 Programmes were developed by working with the children individually, to find what worked best for them; and grew to include education, vocational training, health care, counselling and more, while keeping the much loved football sessions. The common aim of all of Retrak’s programmes is to work with the children as individuals, with their own individual hopes and circumstances, to enable them to take their place back in the community and, where possible, within their own families.
Retrak has enabled hundreds of children to move off the streets and back into their communities. As well as Uganda, we now also have a centre in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia which has been hugely successful and we work with partners in Kenya."

A pretty worthy cause I'm sure you'll all agree. So what Ross has done, is to put his design skills to work and he has created a range of t-shirts for the charity. They are trying to increase funds by selling more merchandise and hosting events - something the whole Assembly team may be taking part in, but more details on this to follow!

So if you fancy looking swish and helping some very desrving children out at the same time (or are just in need of a new t-shirt), you don't need to look any further!




Click to visit the Assembly Studios homepage.

Place UK - The UK Mission to MIPIM 2011

We have just finished work on an interesting project and one a fair few of you may be clapping your eyes on in the not too distant future: the logo for Place UK - The brand which is the UK's mission to MIPIM next year. The Place UK stand will be showcasing the work of a number of regional councils who are not taking their own stand. The design challenge was to produce an engaging logo that was recognisable, yet could work with each of the participating councils' existing logos and branding.

Click to visit the Assembly Studios Homepage.

Friday 10 December 2010

Share Your Imagination.

We came across a website a couple of days ago with a competition that seemed too good not to share with everyone we know!

The website is http://www.openplanetideas.com/ and the brief looks a little like this:

"Share your imagination.
Sony and WWF want to hear your smart ideas about using technology to make the most of our planet's resources. And to get you started, we’ve pulled together a showcase of technologies that are ripe for re-purposing. Now it’s up to you to put them together in radical new ways… and shape a cleaner, more sustainable future for our planet. How can we make better use of our scarce natural resources? How can we actively change people’s behaviour and encourage more sustainable lifestyles?
These are the environmental challenges that clearly matter most to you...
Take a look at our technology showcase and start thinking about how you could re-use, combine or mash-up these and any other technologies - to address the challenge. Everyone in our community’s invited to get involved. You can applaud other people’s concepts or refine them further: best of all, why not contribute a concept of your own?
Our expert panel will select, along with the community, the concepts that most excite them. Once the winning concept is chosen, its contributors will work together with these experts to make the final concept real."


One of the themes is 'Cleaner by Design', which is where our ears pricked up:

"How can technology help us design products, services and infrastructure with fever environmental impacts in their manufacture, use and disposal? Smarter design approaches could improve products' energy efficiency and reduce the materials used in products – but that’s just the start. From car sharing clubs to cloud services, we can reduce environmental inputs and enjoy the results. Technology can also help us re-think conventional approaches to urban planning, building design and food production & distribution."


This is an example of one of the (many) entries, entitled 'Ecological House'. You can read a bit more about it here; http://www.openplanetideas.com/how-can-sony-technology-be-used-to-address-environmental-challenges/inpiration/ecological-house/


Can't wait to see the winners!

Click to visit the Assembly Studios Homepage.

Friday 3 December 2010

Cobalt Parklife



We were pretty excited when Highbridge Properties appointed us to deliver a new website for the UK’s largest business park. The project is split into two phases; phase one being design and production of a marketing site, and phase two the addition and integration of a community site. The core priorities for this project were to deliver a solution that really made Cobalt Park stand out from its competitors and demonstrate the lively and bustling nature of the development. To achieve this impression, we elected for a hybrid site of Flash and HTML. The core functionality and site framework were built to be both strong and flexible and the end result was an extremely effective sales tool for the park. The site is enhanced by the integration of a number of creative elements, including dynamic media galleries, video streams and interactive maps and floor plates.


Click to visit the Assembly Studios Homepage.

The Perfect (Bilingual) Storm


When Moscow-based Storm Properties were looking for a brand refresh they chose Assembly Studios as just the creative minds to help them achieve that. We were tasked with updating all their marketing materials and website with a fresh new look and feel for the Russian real estate market.

As anyone who has been through the process will testify, the brand refresh is an extremely delicate matter. There is a fine balance to be struck between retaining the positive elements of the existing identity and enhancing and moving the brand forward. On this occasion we achieved this through a considered approach to colour palette, typology and spacing. After a number of client meetings and brand investigations, we unearthed five key brand values that defined Storm. We interpreted these values into brochure chapters throughout the course of a two day photoshoot. Phase two of the project was to translate this material to web. The client opted for a simple html site, with a subtle use of flash on the homepage. The website reflected the brochure through its clean typographic layout and together they complete a cohesive suite of material that distinguishes Storm as a fresh and dynamic proposition.

Click to visit the Assembly Studios Homepage.

The Big CMS Question


So, driving more relevant customers to your website…a compelling proposition so far. But how does it happen? Who carries it out? What are the extra elements that can make the difference between engaging with your targets, and losing them to a competitor's website? By selecting the right CMS (Content Management System) for your business, all the functionality you need, news, SEO, social media integration etc. can be integrated into your day-to-day website updates.

To advise organisations on how to select the right CMS system from the thousands on the market, we have produced a Web White Paper which will be available to download free of charge in January. The paper covers:

- How to select the best website system for your business
- How to fully integrate your website into multiple marketing channels
- How to compare various site offerings and must-have elements
- How to understand the behavior of the digital media consumer
- How to keep your website “alive” and ensure your site performs consistently over time

Subscribers to the Disrupt, Create, Communicate newsletter will automatically receive a copy of the Web White Paper on release. If you know anyone else who would like to receive a copy of the Paper, please ask them to email us to be added to the distribution list.

Click to visit the Assembly Studios Homepage.

Zayed National Museum Design Revealed



Abu Dhabi played host to Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip this week, as they began their first state visit to the UAE since 1979. There had been a genuine sense of excitement in the run up to the visit, and one of the Queen’s key engagements whilst in town was the unveiling of the design for the new iconic Zayed National Museum by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. The museum is set to open on Saadiyat Island (Abu Dhabi’s new cultural hub) in late 2014.

The facility, which is being developed with the help of the British Museum, will include five galleries, a library, educational facilities and a fine dining restaurant. The cornerstone of the Saadiyat Island cultural hub, it will simultaneously honour the life and achievements of Sheikh Zayed and celebrate the rich history of the UAE.

A Foster & Partners designed project, Assembly has been working with TDIC (Tourist Development & Investment Company), who are responsible for the delivery of the museum. Not wanting to miss out on the action, some extremely late nights/early mornings were put in to ensure the client had a range of top notch CG Illustrations, which appeared online and in the press following the unveiling.

The museum's architecture resembles the wing tips of falcons, a symbol of UAE heritage and culture. The tallest of the five wings will be a spectacular 124 metres. Five towers, made of lightweight steel and made to look like feathers, will rise up from a man-made hill housing a public lobby.

We had amazing feedback from our client, Erica Lewis the Marketing Manager from TDIC, who said ‘Thank you so much for all your hard work…We really appreciate it and shows what a good company you are to work with.’ We look forward to continuing to develop our blossoming relationship with TDIC, as they fulfil their role as ‘master developers of major tourism destinations in Abu Dhabi’.

Go to www.tdic.ae to find out more about this innovative client.




London East Meets the Middle East – UAE Office Now Open


We are delighted to announce the opening of our first Middle East office, located at twofour54AbuDhabi, which is fast becoming the creative centre for agencies in the region.

The office is ideally located to provide design services to your Middle East operations, ensuring ease of communication, whilst delivering the same high standard of design work that is synonymous with Assembly London.

The office has been working on a variety of projects, from animations and CGIs to email flyers and print material, for local clients that include the Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council, ENEC (Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation), KEO International Consultants and ADAC (Abu Dhabi Airports Company).

To find out more about working with Assembly Studios Abu Dhabi, or if you would like to arrange a visit, contact Jon Wells in Abu Dhabi or Matt Fairman in London.
 

Tuesday 30 November 2010

Talented 3D Artists Wanted

We are on the lookout for talented 3D Artists to fill both freelance and contract/permanent roles. 3D Studio Max, VRAY, Photoshop and After Effects skills are essential. Experience with animation, compositing and post-production would be beneficial. If that sounds like you please send a C.V. and showreel and/or portfolio to jobs@assemblystudios.com (6MB Max)

We are recruiting.............Freelance Senior Account Manager, (London-based contract role)

We are currently seeking a Freelance Senior Account Manager to work from our London studio, for 1-2 months with an immediate start.

Ideally you will have experience of project and account management in the creative industries, exceptional communication and organisation skills with a proven ability to deliver medium to large scale projects and build lasting client relationships - ranging from Identity & Print, Web & Interactive to CG illustration & Animation - both on time and to budget.

You will be managing a small but growing team across our three offices, taking a proactive leadership role as the company expands.

You will be required to liaise with our design, new business and marketing teams and report into the Directors and Board.

Knowledge of SalesForce CRM, Access Focal Point Project Management, InDesign and Photoshop or similar systems would be preferable.

For further information or to apply for the position, please email richard@assemblystudios.co.uk

Click to visit the Assembly Studios Homepage.

Monday 29 November 2010

Meet the Team - Ben Tadiar


Name:
Ben Tadiar
Role within Assembly:
Junior Developer
What’s your favourite Assembly job you’ve worked on and why?
The ongoing development of our PHP framework and having a hand in its continuous improvement.
What’s your favourite typeface / artist / building and why?
“Banksy“ – I admire his no fear attitude towards causing controversy and his almost ninja like persona.
What’s your favourite thing to do on a weekend?
Sit at a harbourside pub/restaurant with my partner and daughter, enjoying the good weather and time with my family.
What’s your favourite dance-move?
“The Running Man”
What’s your favourite place and why?
Unsure... I’ve never really pondered on this.
What makes you laugh out loud?
Lolcats.
What makes you cry?
Chopping onions.
If you had to sum yourself up in 140 characters twitter style, what would you say?
Web designer/dev hybrid with a passion for all things design related. Enjoy cooking and stuff too, and I'd really like a Dribbble invite!

Friday 26 November 2010

We are recruiting…Project Manager with Marketing, Abu Dhabi

We are currently seeking a Project Manager to work from our Abu Dhabi studio, alongside the UAE General Manager.

You will have an eye for detail and accuracy while being able to maintain a high level view of a project, team, department or company as required. You will have exceptional communication and organisational skills, experience within the creative industries and knowledge of computer programmes such as MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), Project & Resource Management (MS Project, Focal Point), CRM (Salesforce) or similar.

The role is pivotal to both internal and external (client) project management. You will have a number of areas of responsibility, including account management (existing and incoming client account maintenance, pre-sales and after-sales), project management (of Abu Dhabi office jobs, including production quality, deadlines, profitability, invoicing and WIP reporting) and marketing management (including managing the database, promotional and campaign activity and all marketing collateral).

If you are excited by the prospect of supporting the growth of the company within the GCC regions and helping to establish our Abu Dhabi studio as both a market leader and a strategic international hub, then we want to hear from you!

For further information or to apply for the position, please email jonwells@assemblystudios.co.uk

Click to visit the Assembly Studios Homepage.

We are recruiting… Account Director, Abu Dhabi

We are currently seeking an Account Director to work from our Abu Dhabi studio, alongside the UAE General Manager.

A natural communicator, you will have experience of working in both the Middle East and within the creative industries, and possess exceptional client management and relationship building skills.

We are looking for a highly skilled project and account manager with an eye for detail and proven ability to focus on high quality delivery whilst maintaining a bigger picture perspective. You will have overall responsibility for all aspects of client relationship building in both a business development and an account / project management capacity.

Knowledge of various software will be valuable, including Adobe (InDesign, Photoshop), MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), Project & Resource Management (MS Project, Focal Point), CRM (Salesforce) or other similar systems.

If you are looking to take the next step in a leadership role and are excited by the prospect of supporting the growth of the company within the GCC regions and establishing our Abu Dhabi studio as both a market leader and a strategic international hub, then we want to hear from you!

For further information or to apply for the position, please email jonwells@assemblystudios.co.uk

Click to visit the Assembly Studios Homepage.

We are recruiting… Business Development Manager, Abu Dhabi

We are currently seeking a Business Development Manager to work from our Abu Dhabi studio, alongside the UAE General Manager.

A natural communicator, you will have experience of working in both the Middle East and within the creative industries, and possess exceptional client management and relationship building skills. The role could be either full-time or part-time and you will most likely be an accomplished consultative sales executive, account manager or similar, looking for a fresh challenge.

You will be responsible for all aspects of lead generation, client relationship building and the tendering process. If you are excited by the prospect of supporting the growth of the company within the GCC regions and establishing our Abu Dhabi studio as both a market leader and a strategic international hub, then we want to hear from you!

For further information or to apply for the position, please email jonwells@assemblystudios.co.uk

Click to visit the Assembly Studios Homepage.

Wednesday 24 November 2010

Meet the Team - William Skates

Name:
William Skates

Role within Assembly:
Junior Developer

What’s your favourite typeface / artist / building and why?
Inconsolata because it is easy on the eyes and a great programmer’s font. Grayson Perry 'cause he’s crazy enough to make pornographic pottery. The Reichstag because the roof makes you feel like your falling, it’s very surreal.

What’s your favourite thing to do on a weekend?
Play guitar.

What’s your favourite dance-move?
‘The Will’

What’s your favourite place and why?
No clue.

What makes you laugh out loud?
Anything.

What makes you cry?
Anything.

If you had to sum yourself up in 140 characters twitter style, what would you say?
To describe myself: Focused, driven, inquisitive, passionate, goofball, goblin, sceptical, scaredycat, quizzical, truthful, and trustworthy.

Click to visit the Assembly Studios Homepage.

Tuesday 16 November 2010

Meet the Team - Toby Ritchie

Name:
Toby Ritchie

Role within Assembly:
CGI Director / Office Handyman

What’s your favourite Assembly job you’ve worked on and why?
Ham Yard (Woods Bagot) – through this project we have overhauled our Verified View methodology and created some great marketing images. We now have a great new relationship with the client.

What’s your favourite typeface / artist / building and why?
Flat Iron NY

What’s your favourite thing to do on a weekend?
Mountain biking, sleeping, undertaking some unnecessary construction project.

What’s your favourite dance-move?
N/A – unless under duress, at a wedding or inebriated.

What’s your favourite place and why?
Garden Route in South Africa – the whole region is amazing and a great place to travel around.

What makes you laugh out loud?
Lots of things – its more a question of what doesn’t make me laugh – see below.

What makes you cry?
A dropped ice cream - not much is worse than that. But then you shouldn’t cry over spilt milk.

If you had to sum yourself up in 140 characters twitter style, what would you say?
Agriculturist. Jack of all trades; master of two. Sleep deprived.

Click to visit the Assembly Studios Homepage.

Tuesday 9 November 2010

Meet the Team - Carlos Eduardo Bet Carbonar


Name:
Carlos Eduardo Bet Carbonar

Role within Assembly:
3d Artist

What’s your favourite Assembly job you’ve working on and why?
Ham Yard, because we have been working in several images where we can explore the design of the building and the clients are really good to deal with.

What’s your favourite typeface / artist / building and why?
Tadao Ando, I like the way he uses the light.

What’s your favourite thing to do on a weekend?
Run by the river.

What’s your favourite dance-move?
I cannot dance at all.

What’s your favourite place and why?
I love Venice, is like being in another time.

What makes you laugh out loud?
Children's questions.

What makes you cry?
Home sickeness.

If you had to sum yourself up in 140 characters twitter style, what would you say?
I would describe myself as someone who never regrets what I do, only what I didn’t do.

Click to visit the Assembly Studios Homepage.















Monday 1 November 2010

Meet the Team - Andy Bacon



Name:
Andy Bacon

Role within Assembly:
Interactive Production Manager

What’s your favourite Assembly job you’ve worked on and why?
Cole Jarman. Wonderful idea, client and creative loved it in equal measure. Technical execution on the button.

What’s your favourite typeface / artist / building and why?
Dinn, Dali, The Colosseum. Technically brilliant / dubious sanity.
What’s your favourite thing to do on a weekend?
Spearfishing with my boys.
What’s your favourite dance-move?
Derulo Rock.
What’s your favourite place and why?The Caribbean, hot, easy, rum, good diving.
What makes you laugh out loud?
Beadles About.
What makes you cry?Toy Story 3 when they’re going into the furnace / others’ self sacrifice.
If you had to sum yourself up in 140 characters Twitter style, what would you say?
Prefer smart work to hard work although they’re not mutually exclusive. Dad, son, big on reading, love football (cmon Argyle), happier hunting than shopping.

Click to visit the Assembly Studios Homepage.






















Tuesday 26 October 2010

We are recruiting............Business Development Intern

Internship, London, Expenses Only

We’re looking for an intern with a demonstrable interest in the business side of the creative industries; the position may suit a recent business studies graduate who is interested in a career in new business development or account management. The successful candidate will be a good all-rounder who, as well as carrying out the tasks outlined below, is willing to pitch in with any additional sales and marketing activity as required.

Campaign Research and Planning:
  • Maintenance and updating of the CRM Sales System
  • Research target markets, industries, sectors & compilation of mailing lists
  • Administrative support to the Business Development Director
Business Development Campaign Implementation:
  • Execution of telephone-based campaigns to generate appointments for the BD Director
  • Following up warm leads by phone to give further information or generate appointments
  • Keeping up-to-date with Assembly product knowledge and services
  • Assisting with preparation and creation of documents for client pitches
In return, you can expect to get:
  • The opportunity to grow your business development skills in a ‘live’ environment
  • Experience of the business side of the creative industries gained within a busy design practice
  • Opportunity to play an important role in a growing company
For further information or to apply for the position, please email richard@assemblystudios.com

Click to visit the Assembly Studios Homepage.

Monday 25 October 2010

Meet the Team - David Moëd


Name:
David Moëd.

Role within Assembly:
Chairman.

What’s your favourite typeface / artist / building and why?
Royal Albert Hall and Albert Memorial – symmetry and location and reason it was built.

What’s your favourite thing to do on a weekend?
Fine Wine and good food with family and friends.

What’s your favourite dance-move?
The rock and roll spin when I turn my partner over.

What’s your favourite place and why?
Lulworth Cove – shows the power of nature and is beautiful.

What makes you laugh out loud?
Matt (only kidding) - sadly slapstick.

What makes you cry?
Matt (only kidding) – soppy stuff like families being reunited after 20 years...

If you had to sum yourself up in 140 characters twitter style, what would you say?
Hard working committed family man who values loyalty and friendship and enjoys good food, company and wine.

Click to visit the Assembly Studios Homepage.

















Thursday 21 October 2010

A Sneak Peak at Our New Abu Dhabi Office


Here it is - twofour54 Abu Dhabi - our new Middle East office! For more information on working with Assembly Studios Abu Dhabi contact Jon Wells on +971 (0) 2401 2878 or jonwells@assemblystudios.com


Click to visit the Assembly Studios Homepage.

Tuesday 19 October 2010

Two years to hand paint 100 million pieces of porcelain… time well spent? By Matt F

Two years to hand paint 100 million pieces of porcelain to make them look like sunflower seeds. Tip them onto the floor of the Turbine Hall at the Tate Modern and get the public to wander around on them – Turner Prize? Or Turnips n’ rice?

Well, I bet Ai WeiWei, China’s answer to Andy Warhol, is a bit gutted as he couldn’t have known that such was the enthusiasm for such a dynamic and interesting installation (who are these people?) it would cause a harmful toxic cloud to gather only days after its opening, rendering it utterly futile – I mean, it was tenuous at best, before they had to stop people walking on it…

Now you can only view it from about 50 ft away, from the gallery above – which kind of makes it look like Brighton beach. In fact, these pebbles would look great on my terrace, but a provocative art installation? I’m not sure about that.

I appreciate you can’t expect it to stand up now that you can’t experience the installation as the artist intended, but I’m sorry, this is still hand painted gravel tipped on the floor of a room.

Is it really worth the effort?

I get it - it’s a symbol of the mass production that is taken for granted – you see it as a single material rather than each individual seed hand carved by a Chinese artisan. I just think it’s still a load of cobblers - whichever way you look at it, or walk on it - or not as it happens…

Monday 18 October 2010

Meet the Team - Ross Cunningham



Role within Assembly:
Creative Director

What’s your favourite Assembly job you’ve worked on and why?
Currently working on a very exciting but confidential film project. The nature of the production enabled us to work for the first time with a choreographer and dance team.

What’s your favourite typeface / artist / building and why?
Typeface – Helvetica – I appreciate that’s the obvious choice but you can’t knock its versatility and longevity. Artist – William Eggleston – for his spontaneous compositions and for pioneering the use of colour in photography. Building – The Barbican – apart from the exhibitions and events, drifting around the building campus offers a rare and surreal moment of calm in the capital.

What’s your favourite thing to do on a weekend?
Taking my kids down to West Wittering beach for a paddle, followed by a healthy portion of fish & chips.

What’s your favourite dance-move?
The Zombie. Technically very challenging… a written explanation wouldn’t do it justice. I’ll have to show you sometime!

What’s your favourite place and why?
Haslemere – my current home town. One of the original founders of the national trust lived there and, as a result, the town is surrounded by acres of national trust forest parks and walks.

What makes you laugh out loud?
My kids’ re-enactments of pivotal Star Wars scenes, performed whilst on the trampoline (with lightsabers).

What makes you cry?
Show no weakness.

If you had to sum yourself up in 140 characters twitter style, what would you say?
Concise & efficient.

Tuesday 12 October 2010

Meet the Team - Jon Wells


Name
Jon Wells

Role within Assembly
Creative Director, UAE

What’s your favourite Assembly job you’ve worked on and why?
Capital District – Abu Dhabi. It was our first commission on setting up the UAE studio and it was an extremely successful project for the client (Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council) in gaining royal approval for the scheme.

What’s your favourite typeface / artist / building and why?
Chrysler Building – I love the Art Deco styling and it reminds me of my first trip to NYC. Favourite Website - http://www.thecoolhunter.co.uk/

What’s your favourite thing to do on a weekend?
Sitting round a camp fire in the desert with good friends and good ‘soft drinks’.

What’s your favourite dance-move?
The Chatham two-step.

What’s your favourite place and why?
London – it will always be home.

What makes you laugh out loud?
Schadenfreude and 30 Rock.

What makes you cry?
E.T. and the current England squad.

If you had to sum yourself up in 140 characters twitter style, what would you say?
Pepperoni pizza/Everton/Hendricks with cucumber/table tennis loving creative Englishman living in the Arabian desert.






























































































































More Cattle, Less Class – Matt in United Arab Emirates – Part 4 of 4

My final day saw me make yet another round trip along death alley, to Abu Dhabi to see some local government guys about a website – this one looks like it will come off and combined with something we are looking at for road safety and a brief for some video and motion graphics production, it was a productive trip from a new business perspective.

Was dreading the return flight in light of how busy the outbound flight was, but to my delight it was absolutely empty and I was able to sleep off the week and, er, the Ryder Cup.

I got talking to the Business Editor of the Economist whose job it is to extract an informed opinion about the world economy, travelling the world to work out which economy is doing what to whom and why.

20 years ago he would have been searching for info that others didn’t have – now his emphasis is sifting through the ridiculous quantities of info and making sense of it so we don’t have to.

That all said, the most obvious indicator to me is that two years ago the outbound flights to the UAE were empty from London and you couldn’t get a standby seat to get home.

If my flight experience was anything to go by, the tide could be showing signs of turning again, for the UAE at least. Here’s hoping.

Monday 11 October 2010

More Cattle, Less Class – Matt in United Arab Emirates – Part 3 of 4


On Saturday I ran out of things to do.

I didn’t want to go shopping, didn’t have ski gloves to go skiing (did consider this) and I was sunburnt so couldn’t really go outside. Again, one of our suppliers came to my rescue and took us all to the beach for sunset and a cheeky glass of iced Limoncelloerm I mean Coca Cola, had a swim and enjoyed watching the very cool kite surfing – I reckon about 20 kites out – going to have to try it at some point.

I was amazed to hear how so many ex-pats never ever go to the beach despite it probably being one of the lifestyle benefits in the UAE in the first place – there are an awful lot of people living a fully air-conditioned lifestyle which seems just plain crazy in my opinion, although it does get very very hot out here and it hasn’t really cooled off completely yet.

Well rested for a change, I headed to Cityscape Global early and slipped in to the conference with a bunch of VIPs by striding through with my name badge flipped the wrong way. Had a great time following his highness, Sheikh Mohammed’s son around the show and watching the 60 or so strong entourage crowding around whilst the press snapped his photo at different stands.

It was, however, the smallest show I have seen there in nine years. It wasn’t global – in fact it was hyper-local if anything, main developers and government depts. from Abu Dhabi even electing to not take space. The other notable thing was that most of the projects on display were already completed… Individual buildings were flogging apartments which seriously downgraded the quality of the event.

I don’t know what the organisers expected, but making a switch to “global” last minute meant, from what I could see, that they were able to sell possibly one or two more stands – one from Paris and randomly, Invest in Ireland, who really didn’t look like they should be there, but in fairness they were busy!!

The usual scousers (I’ve seen them every year for nine years albeit there were less of them) were flogging Carribean pipe dreams to unsuspecting investors - it was the Cayman Islands last year. Guys, you really need to stop wearing shiny suits and you might pull in a few more Brits… “Why wait to buy land when you can buy land and wait?” Hmm let me think for a minute - cashflow, no access to funding, it will tie up what little capital you have or perhaps it’s just a plain daft, high risk idea?? Guaranteed they’ll have a viable answer for all but the last one, so I’ll stick with that thanks…

There were none of the usual suspects from the UK or Australia architecture scene – Aedas, Benoy, Hyder, SOM, Woods Bagot, Gensler and Fosters were all notable in their absence – all of which had stands last year.

I did hook up with the directors of RMJM who were attending as delegates and still have a lot on in the region who kindly introduced me to the guys at Davis Langdon, sorry AECOM, well it will be by the time I post this…

I did better at Longs Bar, watching the Ryder Cup finale which was very kindly laid on for us thanks to the weather in Wales extending it to an extra day (who would ever lay on an outdoor, weather dependent event in the middle of October in Wales and think it was a smart move? Maybe it was the same organisers as the Commonwealth games again??) Anyway, met a nice chap who is going to introduce me to some guys at a big property fund I’ve been targeting so that was great and a good round off to the evening.

To be continued....

Friday 8 October 2010

More Cattle, Less Class – Matt in United Arab Emirates – Part 2 of 4

After realising the following day that the “map warming party” might not have the impact we collectively and enthusiastically felt it would the previous evening (you should always try ideas out sober first as well) I quickly cancelled said “party” via email, citing “technical difficulties” and that we had appointed the organisers of the Delhi games to rectify the situation – this prompted amused and positive responses and we got a few meetings out of the whole exercise – job done!!

Despite the best laid plans, my intended clustering of meetings in Abu Dhabi in the first half of the week, followed by Dubai based ones in the second half went awry. I should know by now that any meeting schedule out here is indicative at best. As a consequence I was back on the highway that makes the Bolivian death road look like a relaxing Sunday morning jaunt.

Cityscape Global was due to start on Monday, so I had the chance to spend a weekend in Dubai on my own for the first time. I was lucky in that I have been over enough to establish some good friends who kindly offered to include me in their weekend frivolities.

Politely turning down a kind offer of accompanying some ex-pats to a hugely popular brunch (have done this before - give some Brits an all you can eat and drink free bar and set the stopwatch to count down – carnage ensues – fun, but seriously messy…)

I elected instead to fall asleep by the pool, get sunburnt and then head out to a birthday party where I met at least 3 other ex-pats who had done just that, so we glowed like tomato beacons around the table and chewed the fat over politics, economics and how much it costs to rent a car out here….

To be continued….

Thursday 7 October 2010

More Cattle, Less Class.... Matt in United Arab Emirates Part 1


So it would appear that funding for some of our international clients is starting to lazily make its way to the right places to kick start some projects. In the last few weeks we’ve secured work in Belgium, Holland, Moscow, Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

I’m starting to feel like Uncle Travelling Mac (perhaps Matt) from the Fraggles –(showing my age), sending postcards home and dealing with a lot remotely.

This week, I got to travel on the A380 with Emirates for the first time. I’ve been testing ways to get bounced into Business Class and so far the conclusion is offering Cadbury’s Fruit and Nut to the duty manager is the most effective strategy – unless you know a pilot of course…

Sadly on this occasion my efforts were thwarted as I was caught short with just a raisin and biscuit Yorkie which was deemed a sub-standard bribe and did not do the trick…

The other thing to note is that more people, means longer to do everything: checking in, registering at the gate, boarding – it took ages and every single seat on the entire aircraft was taken and there was a long standby list to boot.

Nevertheless, I was excited about the prospect of getting on the most spacious passenger aircraft ever built, that was until I reached my seat to find that the three of us that were due to sit with each other could have played front row for Leicester this weekend. Marvellous, and an overnighter to boot...

What is interesting to note is that 6 months ago, all outbound flights to Dubai were practically empty and all the inbound ones from Dubai were heaving – symptomatic of the exodus of ex-pats fleeing an ailing economy. I was therefore not looking forward to the return journey either.

The main reason for my trip was to assist our Creative Director and General Manager, Jon Wells, launch our long awaited new office in the media freezone within Abu Dhabi, TwoFour54, and to attend Cityscape Global to check out other international opportunities.

Straight from Dubai airport, I travelled to Abu Dhabi by car which is an hour and a half on one of the most aggressively (and badly) driven stretches of motorway you will ever experience. A mixture of locals and ex-pats that choose to live in the livelier Dubai and work in the more prosperous Abu Dhabi, driving at high speed – often on the hard shoulder at 100MPH less than a foot from the car in front. I’ve stopped sitting in the front as I keep imaginary braking – if you try and sleep, you dream about car crashes which really doesn’t help…

The quarterly Twofour54 event was well attended – the media zone itself now has over 90 partners all from the creative services and early indications are proving that this was a good business decision despite the time it has taken to set up there. TDIC (Abu Dhabi’s tourist board) overviewed their museum and cultural development programme which was interesting and we met some great potential partners along the way. I drunkenly dared a PR Consultant to get as many people to our new studio as possible (for a “map warming ceremony”) to view our newly installed world domination map vinyl that we had proudly put up that day…

To be continued….

Tuesday 5 October 2010

We are recruiting.............Account Director, London

We are currently seeking an Account Director to work from our London studio.

You will have extensive experience of project and account management in the creative industries, exceptional communication and organisation skills with a proven ability to win and deliver medium to large scale projects and build lasting client relationships - ranging from Identity & Print, Web & Interactive to CG illustration & Animation - both on time and to budget.

You will be managing a small but growing team across our three offices, taking a proactive leadership role as the company expands.

You will be required to liaise with our design, sales and marketing teams and report into the Directors and Board.

Knowledge of SalesForce CRM, Access Focal Point Project Management, InDesign and Photoshop or similar systems would be preferable.

For further information or to apply for the position, please email
richard@assemblystudios.co.uk

Tuesday 14 September 2010

We are recruiting…Business Development Manager, Abu Dhabi

We are currently seeking a New Business Manager to work from our Abu Dhabi studio, alongside the UAE General Manager.

A natural communicator, you will have experience of working in both the Middle East and within the creative industries, and possess exceptional client management and relationship building skills. The role could be either full-time or part-time and you will most likely be an accomplished consultative sales executive, account manager or similar, looking for a fresh challenge.

You will be responsible for all aspects of lead generation, client relationship building and the tendering process. If you are excited by the prospect of supporting the growth of the company within the GCC regions and establishing our Abu Dhabi studio as both a market leader and a strategic international hub, then we want to hear from you!

For further information or to apply for the position, please email jonwells@assemblystudios.co.uk

Click to visit the Assembly Studios Homepage.

Tuesday 24 August 2010

Flash Update - Area Sq Website Finalist in the DADI's

The Assembly team are very pleased to announce that their website for leading independent office design and interior fit-out company Area Sq has been selected as a finalist in the Professional Services Website category of this years Drum Awards for the Digital Industries (DADI).

“My experience of working with the design team has been fantastic, from the design brief which they interpreted in a very creative way, through to the development stages where they have been flexible and extremely responsive. Our website looks great and the feedback from clients has been extremely positive. I am now looking forward to work with them on another website!” Guenaelle Watson, Marketing Manager - Fourfront Group

To learn more about how we managed to increase site traffic by 200% post launch with a fully flexible user-controlled framework, innovative integration of the PPC technology that has enabled the client to be far more targeted and efficient with their marketing budgets then click on the link below:

http://p0.vresp.com/REo3KK

We are recruiting........ Marketing Intern, London

We are currently seeking a Marketing Intern to work from our London studio, supporting the Marketing Co-ordinator and Director.

Ideally you will have an understanding of marketing or creative industries and want to develop your knowledge and experience within a young and vibrant creative agency.

You will undertake research, assist with building contacts lists, follow up campaigns, maintain and develop our CRM database and help the marketing team with bespoke activities.

For further information or to apply for the position, please email richard@assemblystudios.co.uk

We are recruiting........ Marketing Intern, London

We are currently seeking a Marketing Intern to work from our London studio, supporting the Marketing Co-ordinator and Director.

Ideally you will have an understanding of marketing or creative industries and want to develop your knowledge and experience within a young and vibrant creative agency.

You will undertake research, assist with building contacts lists, follow up campaigns, maintain and develop our CRM database and help the marketing team with bespoke activities.

For further information or to apply for the position, please email richard@assemblystudios.co.uk

We are recruiting........ New Business Executive, London

We are currently seeking a New Business Executive to work from our London studio, supporting the New Business Manager and Director.

Ideally you will have experience of new business and business development in the creative industries, exceptional communication and organisation skills and a proven ability to provide business development support.

You will be working closely with the New Business Manager and Director in supporting the new business efforts of the company including research, planning, campaign follow-ups, networking and event co-ordination. The role will involve you working closely with the marketing team, project managers and account managers to ensure that all the marketing and sales activities are joined up.

Knowledge of SalesForce CRM, InDesign and Photoshop or similar systems would be preferable.

For further information or to apply for the position, please email richard@assemblystudios.co.uk

We are recruiting........ New Business Manager, London

We are currently seeking a New Business Manager to work from our London studio, supporting the New Business Director.

Ideally you will have experience of business development in the creative industries, a proven ability to undertake pro-active new business activities, exceptional communication and organisation skills and the ability to manage business development processes and teams.

You will be working closely with the New Business Director in planning and implementing the new business efforts of the company including research, planning, lead generation, campaign development and follow-up, tender submission, networking, event co-ordination, long-term relationship building, and new sector channel development.

The role will involve you working closely with the marketing team, project managers and account managers to ensure that all the marketing and sales activities are joined up.

Knowledge of SalesForce CRM, InDesign and Photoshop or similar systems would be preferable.

For further information or to apply for the position, please email richard@assemblystudios.co.uk

We are recruiting........Senior Account Manager, London

We are currently seeking a Senior Account Manager to work from our London studio.

Ideally you will have experience of project and account management in the creative industries, exceptional communication and organisation skills with a proven ability to deliver medium to large scale projects and build lasting client relationships - ranging from Identity & Print, Web & Interactive to CG illustration & Animation - both on time and to budget.

You will be managing a small but growing team across our three offices, taking a proactive leadership role as the company expands.

You will be required to liaise with our design, sales and marketing teams and report into the Directors and Board.

Knowledge of SalesForce CRM, Access Focal Point Project Management, InDesign and Photoshop or similar systems would be preferable.

For further information or to apply for the position, please email richard@assemblystudios.co.uk

Wednesday 4 August 2010

Meet the Team - Matt Fairman


Name
Matt Fairman

Role within Assembly
CEO

What’s your favourite Assembly job you’ve worked on and why?
Project Lootch in Moscow for Horus Capital because of the grandeur of the launch event, the success of the project and the genuine friends we met along the way – oh and the fact they had an ice sculpture of the logo we designed.

The one that got away - I missed out on going on film shoot location to a remote Mexican mangrove because our cunning account manager at the time said I needed to speak Spanish to go – which wasn’t true…

What’s your favourite typeface / artist / building and why?
Arial always gets a good reception….

What’s your favourite thing to do on a weekend?
Mixed martial arts with my very own Karate Kid son, Ben followed by touch rugby in the park, followed by an ice cold beer in the bath in the afternoon listening to final score. Or spending time with my better half, obviously. Snowboarding or something on the ocean is the holiday option.

What’s your favourite dance-move?
So many to choose from and never 1 in isolation is the secret. Pink panther, stir the pot, BFLFCB or some eighties numbers such as the windmill into caterpillar (been a while since I could do that one…)

What’s your favourite place and why?
Top of a mountain after a huge snowfall, out to sea, the golden heart pub in Spitalfields – all are a brilliant way to spend a few hours and not really remember how…

What makes you laugh out loud?
My son recreating the Meercat Adverts – simples.

What makes you cry?
R&B and any singers that think that vibrating their voices is a legitimate and entertaining use of their talents. Politicians making short term plans that focus on staying in power rather than making a difference.

If you had to sum yourself up in 140 characters twitter style, what would you say
Proud dad; entrepreneur; Marketer; relationship builder; duracell bunny; communicator; sports, food and people junkie; sometimes funny, often loud and never grumpy...

Assembly Visit the Koolest Haus in Town.....

Assembly visit the koolest haus in town, check out the leaning façade of Piano and watch a Scottish prototype amphibious coach take to the harbour – all in a day’s work in Rotterdam…

So it would appear that the European markets are picking up a bit and this week saw myself and our London head of CGI Toby Ritchie, heading over to Rotterdam for a couple of meetings – both commercial projects that are starting to get some traction and are looking to move forwards.

Transavia (Dutch no frills airline) was an early start from Gatwick and subject of much amusement that “menu item 3” of the duty free was a set of headphones and a Twix as a combo?? –bizarrely this was exactly what I needed – great stuff.

Clearly the service / airline industry is getting more and more tailored to individual tastes - how did they know?? I wondered if this gets replaced with a kebab and a packet of resolve for the return flight….

As part of our new social media activities I duly tweeted and to my delight got a response almost immediately from Transavia.com cheekily making sure I didn’t get the two combi’s mixed up.

After contemplating setting up a picture of me with the headphones in my mouth and a couple of twix’s in my ears – we fired out an equally cheeky response and decided to get on with some real work…

First stop was Rem Koolhaus’s Office for Metropolitan Architecture which was suitably interesting both in terms of the chat we had with a number of their team leaders about their approach to articulating their projects to wider audiences and because their offices were not what I was expecting – very understated, elegant and engaging. A very Kool Haus all in all so nice one Rem….

After finishing up swiftly we went over to see a high end developer that is heavily involved with some large scale projects in Amsterdam and Rotterdam with lots of big named practices on the masterplans – had a great meeting and potentially great collaborative opportunities there for us.

Very contemporary office space (think Lords Pavillion) which led me to another tweet which to my astonishment resulted in the Lord’s cricket ground taking an interest in our twitter activities – social media knows no boundaries it would seem…

So after watching a Shearings coach take to the harbour full of slightly alarmed tourists (seriously its one of those saga holiday type coaches that floats) and chugged past the excellent hotel New York, an original hotel at the old ocean liner terminal dating back to the turn of the 1900s when the ferry actually went all the way to the big apple - we decided to head into town to check out the town centre.

It’s a buzzing light industrial town, with bikes and everyone is friendly, with bikes. There are several vehicles (and bikes) that we don’t have in London (until today thanks to Boris and Barclays) that can hit you if you don’t watch where you’re walking – crossing the metro / tram / road / bus and bike lane is plain mental and the mopeds can ride down the bike lanes but not the motorbikes, I think??

Confused – we were, so we went for a beer in the highly recommended Café Pol.

People watching was great – people watching people on bikes was even better with their flagrant disregard for road safety. In fact, the only sign of a Helmut was a sturdy looking barman next door.

The conclusion is that Rotterdam – is easy and cost effective to get to, buzzing economy, decent architecture, lots of bikes and definitely good beer – we’re hopeful that the future is bright for us here, the future is not just Orang-e-boom…. Well not after they closed that brewery down anyway…

Matt, CEO

Meet The Team - Rich Conner

Name
Rich Conner

Role within Assembly
Managing Director

What’s your favourite Assembly job you’ve worked on and why?
Making the tea. Because it’s a job I never actually have to finish – or start for that matter ;-)

What’s your favourite typeface / artist / building and why?
Jon Anderton’s apartment in Minority Report, and / or any Bat Cave. They’re just very cool.

What’s your favourite thing to do on a weekend?
Dancing - Tango

What’s your favourite dance-move?
Medio Corte – look it up on You Tube – you’ll know why.

What’s your favourite place and why?
The top of a deserted snow-capped mountain on a bright sunny day. No obstacles means you can go fast ☺

What makes you laugh out loud?
Uggs (I’m very serious) and going fast.

What makes you cry?
Uggs (I’m very serious)

If you had to sum yourself up in 140 characters twitter style, what would you say:

A fast moving tea round dodging space architect with a GSOH, a healthy appetite for sushi, tango, and snowboarding but not at the same time.

Friday 23 July 2010

Breaking through the pain barrier letter by copy written letter

Newsletters have been around for ages. The first I remember was based around a multi-user game played by my older brother called Green Sun. The difference with this game was that it was paper based and mailed in the post and was about 30 years ago. That’s scary I can remember that far back. I’m sure it took an incredible amount of energy and effort to coordinate and maintain this method of client interaction.


As Managing Director of Assembly I’m gradually working my way around areas of our business that need attention on both a system level basis and content creation basis. I’m working in the business on both a strategic level and tactical level which basically means I get a little time to think about what needs to be done and quite often because we are now a much smaller and more focussed and specialised team I get to actually do technical work of the business too – at least until the systems and designs are in place.


One of the first areas in Marketing I’ve been looking at is Newsletters – in themselves a very simple and innocuous piece of marketing collateral. But oh how very difficult it has been to actually create, systemise, coordinate – it’s a classic case of your own company being the last place you actually practice what you preach.


It’s amazing how many doubts creep in when you are creating a piece of external communication. You of course want it to work (keep your suspects, prospects, and clients informed and maybe trigger a few enquiries and who knows maybe a sale or two) and you want it to be ‘on brand’ and communicate your offer in the best light but there’s always a worry it will fall flat and your list will unsubscribe in droves. There in lies the rub – we struggled with the purpose of a newsletter – does it just ‘sell’ and communicate how great you think you are so a prospect will agree the same on a regular basis? The only value for the readers here as I see it they may remember how capable we are and that may solve an immediate problem for them – all well and good but my ambition for our first newsletter from the outset was to attempt to make it more educational at the same time as having a voice and opinion about the subject matter for which we profess to be experts.


To be on-brand the newsletter (which in this case focuses on our Visualisation and Animation expertise and is targeted at Architects and designers) had to communicate our values as well as something useful and educational. Given the nature of the 3D work undertaken by the team and our constant strive for perfection in everything we do led us to name the newsletter Virtually Perfect (perfect in the Virtual world – or almost perfect in the real world – never quite there as there’s always room for improvement!). The strap line caused us more difficulty. Although showcasing latest work we want Virtually Perfect to evolve into a piece that educates and comments. To honour this sentiment the strap line shouldn’t be about the company Assembly, or the Visualisation Team, but it should be about the newsletter and what it does. The distinction is subtle but important.


After much re-working we arrived at ‘Exploring the moving image of communication.’


We all believed this reflects the exploration inherent in any creative work and also played on the moving image or animation (3D, movies, animation) vs. the moving image of communication as an ever-changing and evolving medium. We think the content of our first newsletter lived up only in part to its purpose. In future issues we hope to develop our voice and that of the team to enrich the content beyond a simple show-and-tell. No matter how beautiful your work may be you still have to keep a reader engaged. In essence you can’t ignore the fact that you have to communicate with them not at them.


This leads me nicely to the tactical issues one faces pulling together and issuing a newsletter. Once you’ve herded your creatives, marketing consultants, and copywriters (this may be one person or many!) it’s all about creating the HTML document and issuing it. We’ve adopted Salesforce CRM with Vertical Response as an App that integrates nicely with Salesforce to allow you to issue and track all sorts of valuable data. Once you have this kind of control and information you start to ask yourself the oddest questions at the oddest times….


When’s the best time to send an email newsletter? No I mean when EXACTLY is the best time?

Will architects be doing all nighters and just delete or click?

If I send it twice will they think they’re subscribed twice and unsubscribe?

If I’ve sent an email once and the recipient hasn’t opened the mail (computer says so) is it acceptable to send it again…and again….and again…and again….


It’s still early doors on our newsletter – suffice to say that it’s absolutely needed – along with social media. However I do know how many of you have opened and clicked and as a result for the first time in my life boy do I feel powerful. Beware! Our next project is our Agency wide newsletter - names on an e-flyer please.


I’ll finish with a comment about company, business and office culture. I believe any outward communication is a reflection of what’s going on inside your business – ‘you don’t say’ I hear you cry – but wait – if there is no cultural habit of communicating, writing, debating, documenting, analysing, critiquing, educating, your prospects, clients, employees, staff, management, board, department, company, group, no matter what size you are will not have a voice or opinion. Habits are the unseen mechanical subconscious processes that lead to meaningful communication that helps you and your customers solve problems and move forwards. Once you’ve developed the habit, a newsletter that actually has something to say may be in sight!


So to all you unsubscribers out there (9 of you as of 14:07) I say ‘watch AND read this space!’ http://p0.vresp.com/EQFwON


Rich

MD