Happy Mr Squid Is Happy

The desktop wallpaper is available in 6 resolutions, but if your monitor supports a different resolution than what is available, please let me know and I can make it fit!

The resolutions supported are:

1280×800

1440×900

1680×1250

1920×1080

1920×1200

2560×1440

I hope you enjoy the wallpapers, and if you do, please let me know in the comments or on the Sustaind Facebook page.

Tom (Sustaindº)

So here it is – the first image is zoomed out a bit so is not how it would look in-browser.  This is just so you can see a bit more of the page.  The second image is 100% so it’s how it would look in the browser. Or, at least, how big everything’s supposed to be.  These are both screenshots from the design in Photoshop, hence the rulers at the top and side.  As this is still work in progress, changes will still be made after this post is published.  Let me know what you think, and check out Greener Bournemouth to compare it to the current design that’s going to be gone soon.

Here is the image:

It is available in 4 different resolutions.  Click on the following links to download!

1280×800

1440×900

1680×1250

1920×1200

Thanks to anyone who downloads it and let me know what you think!!!

Tom (Sustaindº)

Untitled from Tom Wood on Vimeo.

The book was created using Apple’s iPhoto Photo Book feature.  What’s great about it is the quality of the print and the flexibility to use whatever layouts you want on each page.  It looks like the polaroid’s photos won’t be high enough resolution to print properly.  At least, that’s what iPhoto says.  I think they’ll turn out fine.  I haven’t ordered it for print yet, but probably will next week when I have some money.  It brings to mind other campaigns such as PostSecret, which is a website where people send in an anonymous postcard with a message that’s important to them.  This has been made into a few books which are very popular.

Here are 6 different badge designs.  Some will be printed as badges, some as bottle openers and some as stickers (maybe).  The great thing about these kinds of promotional material is that they’re very cheap to make and you can do almost anything with them!

These all follow the same rules, themes and colours that are used in the other branding work such as the web site, flyers, bag and seed packets.

Here is the gallery of my working on the seed packaging:

With the first, I was just seeing how I could apply the colours and branding of the website to different printed materials.  The idea of giving out seeds to guests of gigs and other events has always been one which I’ve thought about a lot.  I thought, though, that we couldn’t just give out any seeds.   If we could get in contact with suppliers, we could apply our own branding to the seeds.  There’d be no need to have a bar code or anything like that on the packaging, as it won’t be getting sold, it would be getting given away.

Here is a standard seed packaging so you can compare:

Generally, seed packaging is pretty boring.  I have tried to modernise it with my own branding and visual identity for Greener Bournemouth.  The packaging I have designed is easily legible, has illustrations rather than photos because illustrations are much easier to position text around wtihout a massive amount of editing.  I can position them wherever I like.    I am not sure where I can get these printed, but it’s something I will look into when I have an event to give them out at.  Also, even though I have only designed the packaging for tomatoes and carrots, it’s incredibly easy to design it for any other fruit or vegetable.

The main concern, which I have been getting with most of the branding material, is that it’s very dark when printed.  I don’t know if that’s just my printer or the colours I have chosen for the identity.  I might have to consider a re-brand at some point.

To download the Photoshop Format files, download this ZIP folder HERE.  Keep in mind, though, that the folder is 31Mb in size. Pretty hefty!

MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, Bebo, Flickr, DeviantArt, Faceparty… These are all websites with one thing in common:  Bringing people together.  People use social networking sites to keep in touch, to know what’s going on with their friends and family and to get involved with events and groups, of which there are many which people have made to suit anybody’s interests.

FACEBOOK

The power of Facebook has been proven in the past, with Cadbury’s giving in to 14,000 Facebook members petitioning for the deceased chocolate bar Wispa to be re-instated into the Cadbury’s line-up.

Another campaign saw “60,000 have pledged to send prophylactics to the Pontiff as a result of the call on the social networking site” as a result of  the Pope stating that condoms “aggravate” the spread of disease such as AIDS.  The Telegraph states that the Pope has been “condemned as misinformed and insensitive by Aids groups, health professionals and governments around the world, including the European Union, France and Germany.”  The article also states that “The Italians behind the initiative hope they will be joined by Facebook groups around the world, including from Britain and the United States”.

To see the Telegraph article please click HERE.

While Facebook uses groups and events in tandem to create buzz and attract people to get involved, Twitter is different.

TWITTER

Twitter is a social network of mini-blogs.  Users have a maximum of 140 characters (not words) to let the world know what they’re doing, where they are, what they’re involved in, etc… Twitter users eventually accumulate “Followers” (other people who use Twitter, who want to hear about what the other users are up to), and can follow other people.

The great aspect of Twitter is that it’s all done in real-time.  A user can write a “tweet” and their followers will know about it instantly.  What’s more is that users can also use third-party Twitter clients which can be downloaded to the desktop (such as TweetDeck) or to mobile devices (such as Twitteriffic and Tweetie).  This means that Twitter users can access their updates from almost anywhere in the world.   The advantages of using this technology are pretty obvious for anybody who wants to spread the word about an event or a worthwhile cause without having to spend any money to do it.  It’s free advertising and with Twitter’s traffic from the UK alone growing 974% between the 19th January 2008 and the 17th January 2009, it’s a great way to access a huge amount of people.  To see statistics on Twitter’s growth, please click HERE.

Companies and politicians who have used Twitter to great effect (and not-so-great and quite controversial effect) include Barack Obama announcing his victory in the Presidential Elections, the BBC posting news stories, and Apple posting their own news to get past the media doing it first.

All of these factors make it a no-brainer for me to use social networks, or at least the most useful elements, as part of the Greener Bournemouth project.  To see Greener Bournemouth’s Twitter feed, click HERE, and to check out our Facebook Group you should click that mouse over HERE (you may have to sign in to Facebook to be able to view the group).

For information on Twitter traffic, please click HERE

For a list of 100 tips on how to use Facebook for marketing and events, please click HERE

For information on the demographics using Social Networks online, click HERE

Here are 4 images.  2 are of the bag and flyers.  The other 2 are of the banner I also got printed.  The banner, you should have seen already.  I used it at the event in Bournemouth Square last Wednesday.

I’m really surprised at how well the bag turned out.  It looks really nice and simple, with the black logo really standing out and making an impression.  The bag is really nice quality too, and is very strong (I did my weekly shop with it earlier today).

The flyers are really nice too.  They feel really great and much better than the photo prints I had to use for the event last Wednesday.  I really can’t wait to get out and do more events and give out these flyers.  I was also really impressed with the turnaround for the printing for both these items.  Only a few days.

Click HERE to go to a breakdown of the event with the images taken with comments on them.

Click HERE to go to the page where I have embedded the video filmed during the event, or go HERE to go straight to the YouTube page.

So my event is tomorrow, and I have no acoustic artists signed up on the line up to play the gig.  I’ve even had my mum calling around seeing if any of her friends are free to play guitar in the square tomorrow.  I have 2 last hopes.

1) Bob Fletcher.  Bob is an old friend from school who I know plays gigs and is also interested in this kinda thing.  I’ve gotten his number off another friend and hopefully he’s going to be free.

2) I have a back-up plan.  My banner which I’ve had printed has a lot of negative space.  This space would be great to be filled up by comments and thoughts of people, and photographs and other things!  My idea is to take an instant camera down to the event, and while handing out flyers, ask the public what they think their idea of a “greener Bournemouth” would be.  Be it better public transport, more trees, whatever people say, it’ll go on the board and we’ll build up a collage of community feeling!

I guess we’ll see tomorrow.