Even Better Bankside

Better Bankside is a Business Improvement District (BID), whose main task is to make the Bankside area of London a thriving place to live, work and visit. Although it's been running a very successful website for many years, it was time for a major overhaul.

We worked together with both its in-house team and preferred developer, MediaMixer, to develop a modern site design and series of templates that would enable them to make better use of their varied content. Part of the brief was to create a site that would enhance Better Bankside's increasing social media presence, make much better use of higher resolution imagery and add more clarity and personality to the site.

Whilst the original site tended to overuse the bright magenta colour of Better Bankside's brand, we chose to use it sparingly but as a key highlight for important features and links that require the user's attention. The design width is much larger than on the previous site – taking advantage of current web standards and giving much more space for text and images, whilst allowing a little more space around items so the screen seems less cluttered.

Despite the increase in layout size, we designed the the site very much with tablets and smartphones in mind, using responsive templates to dynamically change the layout in order to best fit the screen size of whatever application is used to view the site – so it always looks its best no matter what it’s viewed on.

Better Bankside is thrilled with the new site, with Katy Barker, Business Liaison Manager, has this to say:

"tothepoint has done a fantastic job refreshing our website – we’re really delighted with it. The TTP team listened well to what we needed and came up with a design that was clean, engaging and easy to use whilst conveying Better Bankside's complicated personality and the work we do in the community. They provided relevant and helpful advice throughout the project, and were not only creative and communicative but delivered on time and budget. We had fantastic support from several members of the team, and always felt in touch with where progress was at. We've had really positive feedback on the new website from members of the community, which shows we got it right!"

And perhaps more importantly, has the new design improved anything? Well, as they recently tweeted:

"Our new website is popular so far - you're staying on it for longer & checking out more pages while you're there! :-)"

view the website here: www.betterbankside.co.uk

Making the most of Matrix

MatrixAPA, which provides promotional and consumer products for leading global brands and retailers, felt that its existing brand and marketing materials didn’t clearly communicate what it did or the range of products it offers. As such, the company approached us to help clarify its offering to potential clients, improve its presentation collateral and provide a consistent brand message for its employees.

Following a brand audit, we simplified MatrixAPA’s key messaging and toned down the existing colour palette, which often clashed. We retained the core colours of blue and white, with lime green used for MatrixAPA’s strapline, key words and statistics to ensure a consistent, professional and logical use of colour. We refined the core messaging of ‘Create’, ‘Source’ and ‘Deliver’ and created icons for these.

Once the identity had been simplified, we stripped the existing PowerPoint presentation content right back, to include only the essential information, broken down into bite sized information, with no more than three bullet points per slide. We created both a PDF presentation and master PowerPoint template to allow MatrixAPA to edit slides and tailor the presentation for each prospective client.

Finally, we developed and produced a sales and marketing brochure to act as a leave behind to reinforce MatrixAPA’s proposition and expertise. Again, this carried through the clear simple messaging and icons that we developed for the presentation tools, along with large colourful imagery to convey the scale of offering and range of products. We worked directly with photographer Owen Brown who is creating a library of images for future presentations.

The concise copy, clean layout and imagery help set MatrixAPA apart from its competitors, and Charlie Bradshaw, Managing Director of MatrixAPA is thrilled with both the brochure and presentation.

“I am delighted with TTP’s work and stakeholder feedback has also been very well received. The new look and feel of the brand is really engaging and we’re looking forward to updating the website over coming months.”

We will now be working on applying these design principals to MatrixAPA’s website and an iPad sales tool, so watch this space…

Hung, drawn and quartered

The signage and graphics installation at St Martins Quarter in Worcester continues apace, with the latest information signage, including totems and wayfinding now in situ.

Our latest graphics highlight the commercial and retail space available within the £75m regeneration project in the heart of Worcester. All of the graphics were applied to the inside of the glazing to protect them from the weather and any possible damage. As such, when designing the graphics we had to be aware of the frames housing the glass as this would create a break in any imagery and text, which could impact in the intended look and readability.

The design and charcoal grey and lime green colour palette of the graphics are consistent with the St Martin’s Quarter brand, combining the city’s heritage with freshness that the scheme is bringing to the city.

Looking down on London

On Jan 18th we were privileged enough to be invited by our friends at Better Bankside (did we mention they've got a lovely new website?) for a private viewing at the top of The Shard.

Situated almost on top of London Bridge station it's only a short walk away from our offices and, over the three years it's taken to build, we've watched it slowly (and occasionally not so slowly) launch itself into the sky.

Although its architecture and imposition on the skyline of London have been controversial, it's impressive both in its scale and engineering. As the second tallest building in Europe, it certainly towers above everything else in the city.

We'd been praying for clear skies for our visit, but then the snow hit, so we weren't too sure what we'd actually see up there. Given that the top half of the spire was shrouded in mist the day before, we were worried that the view out would be equally grey. However, it must have been our lucky day as the snow stopped just in time.

The main reception is still being worked on but you can instantly see that the plan is to make this a key tourist spot – there's an impressive video wall that greets you on the way in before reaching the inevitable ticket and security checks.

The gift shop features all manner of London related touristy stuff – in prime place we noticed 'Origami London' by our friend Mark Bolitho (who'll you remember created the bespoke Origami animals featured in our latest calendar - not seen it yet? If you missed that last month, go check it out here).

There's even a slightly forced, theme park style camera shoot before you make your ascent, where you get to see yourself superimposed on a rather poor image of the London skyline. They're poor quality and overpriced, but it's the thought that counts (and of course, you don't have to buy them!).

On then through the building and into the first lift - which is all very impressive with a video ceiling depicting 'typical English weather' – yes, you get virtually rained on as you shoot up 33 floors. It feels like you've just stepped inside when they're ushering you out again and into another lift. Yet again, there's barely a sense of movement and you're out on the 68th floor. It really doesn't feel like you've moved at all so it comes as quite a shock when you first look out at the vista.

So, the question on everyone's lips, is it worth the rather steep £25 ticket price?

Well, it's pretty damn impressive, let's put it that way! Have a browse of our photos on the link below, bearing in mind that these weren't taken with a professional camera and that the weather really wasn't great. In terms of viewing distance you'd be better off going during the day, but in terms of spectacle London looks simply beautiful at night. I'd recommend going just before sunset to get the best of both worlds, and therefore the best view.

A mere 800ft (250m) above London may not sound like much, but it's closer to being in an aeroplane than a tall building – you're quite literally looking down on most of central London. I can only imagine how far you could see on a really clear day, but even in the limited haze of a snowy January evening, it really was spectacular. It opens to the public on February 1st, but in the meantime...

» get a sneak preview of the view (at night)

» you can also view an interactive 360 panorama (via The Guardian)


For those of you who fancy a visit but don't want to stump up the £25 fee, we're giving away two tickets to one lucky reader, aren't we kind? All you have to do is fill out our short survey, answering a few questions on our monthly e-newsletter, so that we can make it even better... We'll then put all those who respond into a free prize draw and let the winners know at the end of February.

Some simple terms and conditions:
1. The closing date for entries is 12.02.13.
2. A name will be drawn at random on 13.02.13 .
3. Only one entry per person.
4. No cash or prize alternatives.
5. Only completed forms will be entered.
6. One entrant will win a gift certificate for two tickets for The View from the Shard.
7. They are open for 1 year from registration
8. Find out more from the official site: http://www.theviewfromtheshard.com

tothepoint's 2013 calendar – how it all unfolded

our 2013 calendar

Each year, we produce a desktop calendar that goes out to our clients and friends in late December. With digital calendars becoming increasingly prominent, and traditional print calendars being shunned by many, we are surprised (and flattered) that ours has remained so popular. We enjoy great feedback from clients on its usability and many look forward to receiving theirs each year.

Being a superstitious lot, this year we thought we'd turn a negative into a positive and pepper our 2013 calendar with lucky charms. Once we nailed our concept (Make your own luck) we thought it would be a doddle for a creative bunch such as ourselves to fold up 12 origami animals. Oh, how wrong we were! Even with instructions all over the internet, the most nimble fingered of us struggled to turn simple origami instructions into anything resembling an animal! To add to this, we also discovered that like most creative industry outputs, intellectual copyright also covers many origami designs.

We quickly realised that we needed to link up with an origami artist of the highest order, who also owned their own copyright. Who better then than the acclaimed Chairman of The British Origami Society, Mark Bolitho? We were delighted when Mark agreed to join our venture and after only one brainstorming session (and a quick trip to Paperchase), we were overwhelmed when he brought the 12 completed 'lucky' animals over to the office!

Mark Bolitho with his mini-menagerie

Now we just needed a professional photographer to capture these fantastic pieces in their best light. In stepped Noel Murphy. We've worked with Noel for a few years for clients including EDF and The Technology Partnership, so we knew he’d do a great job. With Noel on board, we assembled our pop-up photographic studio at tothepoint towers and set to work.

Noel keeps quiet while shooting elephants

Once we were happy with the photography and artwork, it was over to one of our favourite printers, Scanplus, who help us with the calendar every year. This time, Linda and new recruit Katie watched the guys in action, experiencing the quality and attention to detail they deliver on every job. Of course, this year’s calendar was no exception…

the calendar rolls off the press

We’re extremely happy with the results of this year’s collaboration of experts. Forging close working relationships with other specialists is both inspirational and effective in achieving great results, whatever the project.

We hope that our calendar brings you a little extra luck and wish you a happy and successful 2013.

For further origami inspired stuff, including wallpaper downloads, a free screensaver and our 'Flight of a Thousand Cranes' game – head on over to our origami page!

P.S. if you haven't received a copy of our calendar already please let us know and we’ll send one over (if we have any left).

Energising EDF's Upstream brand

EDF Energy, one of the largest UK home and business energy suppliers, asked us to give its business division Upstream an impactful presence at its internal leadership conference through highly visual banner stands and digital presentation. These were then used as part of Upstream’s internal leadership strategy roadshow across all of the division’s sites.

The deadline was pretty tight, with just two weeks from brief to the first conference. So, we got to work creating a series of colourful banners, with images relating to each area of the business, and accompanying bold text, to bring the brand to life. A core part of the brief was to ensure the banners were highly visible at the conferences, whilst portable enough for one person to set up, manoeuvre and break down easily.

We then carried these concepts through to an animated slideshow to be played at each conference and brochure design to ensure a consistent brand identity.

EDF was delighted with the banners and video, which were really well received at the leadership conference. Theresa Stinson, Communications Consultant at Upstream, EDF Energy, said: “TTP found the ideal solution and also turned the project around to very tight deadlines.”

So, a nice way to end 2012!

Helping Centrica Energy stay safe

Tight deadlines are always interesting, they keep us on our toes. And so the design, build and testing of a bespoke questionnaire-based microsite in around a week did just that!

As part of its safety at work campaign, Generation Safe, Centrica is running a series of interactive workshops at its Grimsby renewables base, designed to find out how employees would react when placed right at the heart of a variety of safety situations.

To measure and monitor the effectiveness of these workshops, internal communications specialist Mat Rumbelow asked us to create a custom built microsite to capture delegate and session data from each workshop. This needed to launch before the first workshop on 4th December, as employees are asked to log in and complete a short 'pre-work' questionnaire, which is used in the training session. The site also asks participants to add their personal information and gives them contact information and a route to the training location.

During the training sessions, participants are given an iPad and asked to log back into the site, review their previously submitted answers and complete each session's questions as the events of the day unfold.

We built a content-managed site that offers a simple 'back-end', which means any registered administrator can log in, edit users' information and access all submitted questionnaire answers – as well as exporting the data in a variety of formats.

The deadline was incredibly tight as we had less than a week to put this all together. But with the client on hand to test the system with us we managed it – even adding and tweaking the functionality so that it worked exactly as they wanted. Once launched, we made further additions to streamline the system and make it easier for admin staff to manage.

Mat Rumbelow said: "There aren't many designers who could deliver a fully-functional website in a matter of days, but as always, tothepoint rose to the challenge. It helped that the team understood exactly what I wanted from the outset, which meant there was virtually no to-ing and fro-ing over design and content. Even with a myriad of last-minute changes and tweaks, everything went smoothly."

The training sessions will continue into the new year, however, once complete, the plan is to add new content and features to the site, extending this into a safety-focused 'hub' for Centrica Energy's power business.

The End is Nigh – Part 2: Back it up

In our last blog we left you with a shopping list of items to help you survive the aftermath of an apocalypse. This month it’s time to look at what you’ll need to save your digital self (because your back catalogue of Backstreet Boys albums will be essential for rebuilding civilization…).

To refresh your memory, the world is going to end on 21st December 2012! (Note. if you're reading this on or after December 22nd this could be embarrassing). This is because this day marks the end of the 13th bak’tun in the Maya calendar. Whilst the Maya believe that this date will mark a full cycle of creation, and in turn an exciting new chapter in Earth’s life, apocalypse observers would have you believe it symbolises the actual end of the world. Now, whilst science has sided with life after the 21st, Hollywood prefers the morbid glamour of an apocalypse.

I’m sure by now you’ve clocked a good number of doom and gloom related propaganda, from one man and his Ark to the comedic stylings of Mae Martin and cute indie films staring Keira Knightley, even this gem from Old Spice! And although these are all great responses to the threat of Earth’s destruction, we’re going to talk about something a little more practical than spending your life savings on an Ark (as fun as that may be). So, we’re going to talk about data back up…

Now, I’m sure that if you fear impending doom, then backing up your data is going to be the last thing on your mind (unless you strongly feel the pictures of that night need to survive…). There are also those who would question how useful this data would be after an apocalypse, however, these people always have a criticism and are known as pedantic party poopers…

We reckon that whether you’ve sided with science or Hollywood, it’s still important to know how to back up. After all, losing your data could spell the end of your world regardless…

Your Digital Self

With all of this hullabaloo going on, not to mention the million different buzzwords flying around, it’s easy to feel a little lost when it comes to the mystical world of data back up.

For the tech savvy it’s easy, but for those more inclined to pen and paper, it’s a bit like surviving the end of the world. So, hopefully the next few paragraphs will make it all a little more digestible…

External Hard Drive

The humble hard drive might be a common little thing, but it’s also a good option for backing up your data. There are, however, as many of them out there as there are ex-Sugarbabes, so it can be a little daunting to find the best one.

So we recommend a quick search online, as this will give you a plethora of reviews from industry experts such as Wired, Techradar and PC Mag. These are normally pretty handy, and they don’t tend to be full of the techie jargon that can make choosing a hard drive a total headache!

There are a few out there that could have apocalyptic suitability and are more rugged than the average hard drive, one being the LaCie Rugged Thunderbolt, which not only features fast upload and download speeds but also a pretty hefty case that promises protection for even the clumsiest user. LaCie’s USB keys are also pretty rugged, promising water, scratch and drop resistance. Handy if you only need to grab a few bits and pieces before you flee for the escape pod….

However, the LaCie hard drives pale in comparison to this next product, the Holy Grail of indestructible hard drives. This video sees the SP A80 set on fire, kicked over a football field and put through a car wash, each time it comes back stronger… seriously impressive!

Cloud Storage

We’ve all heard this word batting around the atmosphere and it’s largely thanks to Apple’s iCloud. But what does it mean?

Sadly, it’s not as romantic as it sounds. Simply put, it’s a service provided by a third party that allows people to access online storage. That means you could have access to your files from anywhere without needing to carry an external hard drive.

They do often whet your appetite with a little bit of free storage to start with, but for something more substantial you’re likely to have to pay a monthly subscription. Of course, this will vary depending on the amount of space you go for, however, ultimately the space available could stretch on… and on… and on…

There are things to keep in mind when selecting a cloud storage service to ensure that your data is safe. Things like encryption, back up copies of your data and high tech robots guarding the server rooms….

However, that said, there are no guarantees that the servers where your information is kept will be equipped to survive an apocalypse. Although, one Singapore-based company is clearly taking the threat of apocalypse seriously having recently released Lockcube, a cloud service that is reported to have been built on a military-grade data security infrastructure.

If you're decked out with all of the latest shiny Apple products, then iCloud could be the cloud service for you. However, for those of us not on that bandwagon then it's good to know that industry experts suggest there are three main cross platform competitors that really stand out in terms of cross platform cloud storage: Google Drive, Microsoft’s Skydrive and Dropbox. All offer very nifty apps that allow you to sync your information across all your devices and in turn, get your mitts on your data from any device that you’ve synced to the cloud.

Automatic/Timed Data Syncing

Do you have a mind like a sieve or are just too preoccupied with Earth’s impending doom to remember to back up your life? If so, this ones for you. There are two main programmes that essentially take a “snapshot” of all of the data on your computer at a certain time; this snapshot can be set to save to an external device such as an external hard drive.

These “snapshots” allow you to essentially travel back in time and view the contents of your computer at a certain date. It’s not quite Marty McFly, but it does mean you can retrieve previously saved and possibly lost files.

Apple's Time Machine, which essentially does what it says on the tin, is for Macs, and for PC there is Genie 9.

Hopefully all the doomsayers are wrong and we’ll be back with another round of news in 2013 (lucky for some we hope!). In the meantime enjoy playing our Crane Game and we wish you a very merry Christmas and a happy new year.

The End Is Nigh! (surviving 21/12/12): Part 1

...well, according to the conspiracy/prophecy theorists anyway.

The idea of doomsday is certainly not a new one, as the succession of judgment day / natural disaster / zombie take over films suggests our strong fascination with the idea of impending doom. From Nostradamus to Harold Camping, the latest apocalyptic prophecy comes in the form of the Maya Calendars, and the fact that they come to an end on the 21st December 2012.

End of the line?

The longest of the Maya calendars is the Long Count calendar, which is divided into cycles called bak’tuns that began at the Maya creation date. The winter solstice of 2012 (Dec. 21) is the last day of the 13th bak'tun, marking what the Maya people would have seen as a full cycle of creation.

Contrary to popular belief, the Maya are far from being an extinct, ancient civilisation, and have regularly spoken out about the misinterpretation of their calendars, both ancient and modern. At the start of the 21st century, there were an estimated 7 million Maya living in Central America and Southern Mexico.

Science vs Hollywood

Scientists have recently uncovered new etchings that support the existing Maya people in suggesting that the 22nd December was simply the start of a new calendar cycle, not the end of the world! BBC – May 2012

However, despite this around 10% of people worldwide still believe the Maya calendar predicts Earth’s destruction on the 21st December 2012, whilst 15% of people also believe they will see the world end in their lifetime. Reuters Survey – May 2012

So, it looks like there are two camps to fall into when it comes to the 21st December: science or Hollywood. While science (and possibly common sense?) has sided with life after the 21/12/12, Hollywood, however, prefers the morbid glamour of an apocalypse. Of course, if science and the Maya are wrong, Hollywood has at least taught us that it is possible to make it through/be immune/triumph over aliens. So, here is our “End Of The World Survival Guide.” stay safe out there…

Bring on the gadgets!

Of course no doomsday survivor would be without the classics: Swiss Army Knife, Maglite, waterproof matches etc. (FYI, Amazon has a very handy Zombie Apocalypse Supplies page!) But, there are a few modern day essentials to add to this Scout list.

Firstly, the smartphone, which is surely the gadget of gadgets. They can be used for GPS Navigation, to identify any edible finds (see the Wild Edibles app) and not to mention Instagraming the aftermath of Judgment Day etc. (how we’ll laugh at those retro ‘Lo-fi’ style photos later). But, they will need protection. And possibly an external power source. And working cell-towers. And GPS satellites still in orbit. And the Internet. And… well you get the idea.

Otter Box is an American based company who offer some pretty hardcore smartphone and gadget cases. These bad boys protect from impact, dust and water on a Bear Grylls scale. You only need a quick search on YouTube to see them being put through their paces, although they’ve not been tested in a post apocalyptic world.

But, I hear you cry “My iPhone battery has the life span of an X Factor contestant!” Do not fret my lithium-polymer challenged friend; those clever Americans (I say that through gritted teeth...) have a solution!

Introducing the BioLite camping stove. This ingenious device uses nothing but the twigs you find along your way, so no need for petrol or gas. It then converts the heat from the fire into usable energy, meaning you can charge your phone whilst you cook. Bonza!

Whilst your steaks are sizzling on your BioLite camping stove, throw in the Eton Rukus Solar sound system and I think you might have a right old knees up! After all, there’s no use in moping about the state of the world, you’ve just got to face the music and dance!

Finally, we leave you with a selection of escape pods to help you ride out the storm, hopefully in some level of comfort. Although I would suggest having some old fashioned wood and nails to hand, just in case these don’t make it to market in time.

Hopefully, we’ll be back with another blog soon, where we'll be taking a look at saving your digital self in the End is Nigh Part 2, but just in case, we’ll send it out before the 21st December. Coincidentally, this is when we close for Christmas and if the scientists are right, we’ll be back on the 2nd January! If not… do send us your Instagram pics of the End.

Over and out.

Sporting foundations

Earlier this year we blogged about working on an illustrated brochure for the Charities Aid Foundation – which helps improve the way charitable donations are made and managed – to convey the breadth of its services to a corporate audience. Well, the brochure has now been published and we’re really pleased with the end result.

As the brief was to come up with an engaging and inspiring concept that conveys how CAF works, including community investment and social responsibility planning, we originally thought what better way than to illustrate this than through a timely Olympic theme? The brochure implementation stretched on beyond the Olympics, but the theme was still relevant.

CAF uses a continuous red line as its illustrative style to highlight key ideas and messages so we created a variety of sports themed illustrations throughout the brochure. This included a starting block for the front cover illustration, synchronised diving to reflect CAF’s sustainable partnerships, the relay for effective employee engagement and the long jump to convey its long-term strategy. The brochure concludes with an illustration of a marathon runner breaking through the ribbon for the back cover.

The continuous line proved quite a challenge, especially when drawing two figures for a single illustration but it was a great project to work on, and one to add to our charitable portfolio. If you want to find out more about CAF and its services visit https://www.cafonline.org/