bloom's blog

Riding High

There’s been a bit of a change in the reading material causing a stir in the Bloom office this week. Instead of the usual copies of Design Week and Creative Review, we’ve all been pouring over the April Issue of Horse & Rider. That’s because this month’s issue features our very own Account Director, Francesca Newman.

The six page feature shows Francesca, a seasoned competitor, demonstrating the tricky art of dressage riding. 

 

 

Live Advent Calendar

To celebrate Christmas at Bloom, this year we've decided to have a live advent calendar where each day someone would bring the Christmas cheer to Bloom.

As one might have imagined, much food was consumed and much cheer was had.

Here's a little snippet of all the activities...

 

We wish you all a Merry Christmas and a jolly good 2013.

We'll be back next year. 

 

Bloom's Children in Need fundraising

Today we've had a special day at Bloom: Request Fridays. A song could be requested to be played at Bloom's offices against a donation, all in aid of the BBC Children in Need.

We've raised a nice total of £300. Thanks to everyone who donated.

We've also thought of sharing the spotify playlist for all the curious ears out there.

 

Pleasure in a pop-up

It is no longer enough for brands to deliver satisfication simply through a quality product. Brands today, must 'excite me, involve me and respect me as an individual'.  No small task for businesses who historically drive profit margins through uniformity and volume. Hence the rise of the pop-ups.

Pop-ups are the perfect platform - a single-minded branded presence on the high street offering pure brand theatre through experience and engagement. Cost effective against the exposure they generate, they offer a visible and real channel to celebrate the brand by creating something special if only for a limited time.

So hats off to Magnum who have just opened up a pop up store in Westfield Stratford (conveniently near to a certain global event starting in a few days). We recently heard about the 'Make your own Magnum pop up store" and had to go check it out. All in the name of research, of course.

With 2 types of ice cream (vanilla or chocolate & caramel), 18 toppings ranging from caramel swirls to coconut shavings to edible rose petals, 3 dipping chocolate sauces (white chocolate, milk chocolate and dark chocolate) and the option to drizzle some more chocolate on top, there are over 104,500 different possibilities to create your own Magnum. 

 

Magnum-inspired cocktails were also available at the bar.

 

Twitter campaign to go hand in hand with the pop-up store

Our creation was a chocolate & caramel Infinity ice-cream dipped in white chocolate topped with hazelnuts, popping candy and brownies and finally drizzled with dark chocolate.

If that wasn't enough, once you've created your guilty indulgence you are invited to sit in the 'Pleasure Pod', to measure the pleasure that you give out whilst eating it.

 

The pod records your sensory output through measures of skin tension, facial expression, deglutition (aka swallowing) and heartbeat to capture your responses and displays them through a series of visual animations chart the pleasure journey.

This is just a short interpretation of the visual animation inside The Pleasure Pod.

 

Congratulations to Magnum and Unilever for creating such a compelling brand experience. So Mars was wrong...here is an example of Pleasure you can Measure.

5 questions in 5 minutes - Performing in the Olympic Ceremonies

With one week to go before the start of the London 2012 Olympics, Bloom has some exciting Olympic news.  Anna, one of our client servicing team, can finally reveal that she will be performing in both the Opening and Closing Ceremonies. Keen to know more we've managed to interrogate her between client meetings and rehearsals for a quick 5 questions in 5 minutes. 

Q: So Anna, what are you going to be doing?

A: My title is "Placard Bearer" in the Opening and Closing Ceremonies which basically consists of leading athletes round the stadium.

 

Q: Sounds exciting. How did it all come about?

A: It all started in April 2011 - I saw an advert on the Olympic website inviting people 'to get involved in the Opening and Closing Ceremonies". After I applied, I was called for a dancing audition which was a bit of a concern as I am NOT a dancer - I think that soon became apparent at the audition, because they changed my role to a Placard Bearer!

 

Q: What's your overall verdict of what you've seen so far?

A: Amazing! Crazy, unpredictable and very entertaining.

 

Q: Looking forward to it. Do you secretly wish you're dancing now?

A: The dance routine will amazing on the night but I'm really happy with my section. It's probably best that I'm not dancing.

 

Q: And finally, can you tell us a Bloom exclusive? For example, what nation will you be presenting or what colour is your outfit?

A: mmm... Can't really tell you anything - but it's definitely not one specific colour. (That narrows it down) All will be revealed on the night...

 

So true to her obligations she's being tight lipped about the detail. We tried.

Good luck Anna! We're sure you will do your adopted nation proud. We'll be looking out for you in what will no doubt be the greatest global spectacle of the year. 

 

 

Red, white and Bloom

Today, at Bloom, we gave a nod (and had a toast) to Queen and country with a red, white and blue dress code.

 
We wish you all a wonderful Jubilee Bank Holiday Weekend.

 

 

Bloom's hiring new talent

We're looking for a Senior Designer and a Mid-weight Designer.

Both will get to work on some of the world's biggest brands. Our client list includes Diageo, Nestlé, General Mills and PepsiCo. We also work with non-FMCG challenger brands and start-ups like Mr & Mrs Smith and Cowshed.

As a top 20 design agency experience, passion and professionalism are givens. What we're really looking for is wow factor. We want to see people and portfolios with creative flair. We want to see proof that you think differently, challenging and pushing briefs into provocative and unexpected areas. And we expect you to intuitively work in 360° terms, sharing our belief that brand design isn't just a pack or a logo, it's everything.

 

Senior Designer

Presenting skills and drinks experience a must. 

Mid-Weight Designer

At least 4 years experience in FMCG packaging

 

For the chance to join our growing team, and work with some of the best in the business, please contact Ally Watson - ally@bloom-design.com.

 

 

 

Andy does Barcelona

Congratulations to our very own Andy Wallace, who completed the Barcelona Marathon last weekend in a very respectable time of 3hrs 48mins. Andy was raising money for Dementia UK and The Prostate Cancer Charity.

Cycling to work

Since over a third of our staff here at Bloom cycle to work everyday it would be a shame not to dedicate at least one blog to the noble bicycle.  We've had a look at what's hot in the world of two wheels and selected a top 5 to share with you.

1. Another use for your iPhone 

This white horn is a nifty little iPhone 4/4S accessory that will blast out your favourite tunes or read you  directions whilst you are out and about. Not only this but it also provides an entirely washable, dirt, scratch and splash-proof protective cover for your iPhone 4. Unlike headphones this accessory doesn’t isolate you from other surrounding sounds, although you may get a few strange looks depending on your music taste.

2. A manifesto for living life to the fullest, on bikes

Holstee is a lifestyle goods company with a conscience. The founders, brothers Mike and Dave Radparvar, have created a nice manifesto to live your life by, which ties nicely back into the brand. 

The Holstee Manifesto is a call to action to live a life full of intention, creativity, passion, and community.  "Life is about the people you meet and the things you create with them, so go out and start creating,", its about "making real, creative contributions to the world". This manifesto neatly communicates the idea of personal freedom through a series of people on bikes, transportation's symbol of freedom both in the open countryside and built up cities. 

 

 3. The city bike - Philippe Starck

The latest city cycle project was recently unveiled in France in collaboration with the legendary French designer, Philippe Starck. Starck was asked by the City of Bordeaux to develop a ‘Bike of the Future’ which will eventually become the new model for the city’s bike sharing program.

Starck’s design is a hybrid of a bicycle and scooter. A foot plate is integrated into the frame in front of the pedals providing riders the ability to safely push start the bicycle.

Bordeaux has seen a threefold increase in the number of bike riders in the last 15 years and is now one of the world's leadng bike friendly cities. 

4. Cycling in any weather

If a little rain doesn’t deter you from taking to the road, a rear mudguard is a must for keeping your bum dry as seasoned cyclists will know. Full Windsor’s Quickfix, is a clever little gadget that can be swiftly attached (and removed) with a couple of snaps-no tools required.

 

If you're a night rider, or simply want to have the coolest bike in town why not make your whole bike glow-in-the-dark as illustrated by the Blackberry Bold 9900 advert.

 

We've had a look online and the DIY experts recommend phosphorescent paint for a lasting glow. You won't fail to be noticed. 

 

5. The London bike map

London has been busy building bike-lines in recent years to coincide with the Boris Bikes pay and ride scheme. The city has even built bike "superhighways" to easily zip cyclists from the center of the city out to the peripheries. But the city has lacked a detailed and helpful bike map...until now.

Simon Parker has attempted to codify the various bike routes of London, which he found to be confusing and poorly marked. It's inspired by the iconic London tube map, which is credited with making the tube more accessible and increasing ridership.

Parker has created various routes, which he's color-coded and numbered. There are five possible colours - orange, red, cyan, navy, and green. 

Now all that's required is for the City of London to adopt it. There is a petition to get the City to do just that which could make our journeys both easier to navigate and safer.

Happy Cycling!

Happy Halloween

Well done to Johnny Shirley, the winner of Bloom’s annual Pumpkin Carving Competition.  We really like the creative use of pumpkin seeds for his wailing baby.

And the runners-up...