Hello Media

Oops

2007-03-23T09:33:00.000+10:00

You may notice that our blog looks a bit broken at the moment. We're sorry, but we are in the process of transferring all the content over to our brand new sparkling website. We'll have this done in a few days so please come back soon and see the new stuff. There's going to be a lot more stuff to feast your eyes on!

Nomis Running Shoe Leaflet

2007-01-22T09:00:00.000+10:00

Hot off the press!

We recently produced a fold out leaflet for our favourite Australian sports company, Nomis, with the aim of creating awareness of, and raising interest in, a forthcoming product release. The leaflet highlighted the key performance aspects of Nomis' new Excel 3000 running shoe.

This leaflet was printed, folded and shrink wrapped and placed into 40,000 Nomis shoe boxes carrying Nomis' existing boot range.

The running shoe is a new market area for Nomis and, as such, it was particularly important to target current Nomis customers as they would be most likely to purchase the running shoes. By adding the leaflet to the football boot boxes, we ensured guaranteed target audience saturation.

Further promotion work for the Excel 3000 is currently in production.

Other work for Nomis:

- Branding
- Creative campaigns
- Ecommerce websites
- Sport websites
- Catalogue/Brochures
- Print adverts
- Email marketing
- Search engine marketing
- Photography
- Copywriting and editing
- Packaging
- Point of sale
- Posters/flyers

If you want to find out what we could do for you, just drop a line to hello@hellomedia.com.au

Monthly site feature: Shop Nomis

2006-06-25T00:05:00.000+10:00

We're pretty chuffed with our latest ecommerce website and it is another Nomis website! Built for four different worldwide markets, the site features four sites in one, allowing regional distributors to develop and market their individual site. We focused the design on usability, allowing the products to be the focus and the resulting conversion rates has been far above expectations, making not only the client, but us, happy too!

www.shopnomis.com

Other work for Nomis:

- Branding
- Creative campaigns
- Ecommerce websites
- Sport websites
- Catalogue/Brochures
- Print adverts
- Email marketing
- Search engine marketing
- Photography
- Copywriting and editing
- Packaging
- Point of sale
- Posters/flyers

If you want to find out what we could do for you, just drop a line to hello@hellomedia.com.au

We Love New York

2007-02-13T16:07:00.000+10:00

So we get a few requests for the artwork for the "We love New York" image. So, as we like to share, here it is: weloveny.eps

Out of interest, we used this in a marketing campaign for Hurricane Restaurants:

Xtend-Life Branding

2007-02-12T12:03:00.000+10:00

We've been working with Xtend-Life for the past four months on a complete company rebrand. Already a successful vitamin/supplement company based in New Zealand, Xtend-Life wanted a younger, more energetic brand that would improve their marketing positioning and open up new markets and sales.

Working with a company who puts quality first, we were excited to be such a key component in their rebrand.

Our work for Xtend-Life includes:

Corporate identity and branding
Bottle labeling
Packaging
Business cards and stationary
Product photography
Copywriting and editing
eCommerce website redesign
Xtend-Life Blog
eMarketing newsletters

We will be showcasing this work over the next few weeks, starting with their new identity.

Below shows a before and after - from their original branding to their new.
We had the following aims when we set out to create the new Xtend-Life brand:

A more modern looking logo that would appeal to a wider market
Representation of nature
Unique

The final result works well on a number of levels. We designed a unique logo font to enable uniqueness and with the "mark" of the logo (the shape which sits above the words), we not only created a form made of up natural elements, but created a "X" to fit with "Xtend-Life". The finishing touches to this mark saw the addition of the inner negative area in the middle of the mark that created an "inner X". This was to reflect the company's philosophy of taking natural supplements and giving benefits to yourself from within.

We also devised a new strapline for Xtend-Life. Previously the company used "Leading the way in health and longevity", which didn't really fit with the new direction Xtend-Life were taking. "Love life. Live longer" perfectly captures the essence of the brand. Xtend-Life products reflect these core values.

In a couple of weeks we will post some packaging and product work, plus their new online shop should be through the final testing stage and live, so we'll post that too... You might just find yourself wanting to try some of the world's finest vitamins!

How important is good copy?

2007-02-06T09:00:00.000+10:00

We stumbled over this article recently A Rant (Mostly) About Web Content by Keith Robinson, which bought a wry smile.

Many people don’t realise that a website needs good content to work and it is one of the reasons why we have a qualified and dedicated copywriter, editor and journalist on board. We know how important good copy is.

The three main guidelines for writing for the web are:

• Be compact and to the point
• Write for scannability
• Use hypertext to split up long information into multiple pages

So, how is writing for the web different to writing on paper?

Reading from computer screens is about 25 per cent slower than reading from paper. People don't want to read a lot of text from computer screens, so you should write 50 per cent less text than usual. Users don't like to scroll down endlessly long pages, which is another reason to keep pages short. (This page, obviously, is the exception to that rule. After all, we're trying to help you!)

On the web you will need to split long documents into a number of shorter pages that are linked together. This means your users will not be presented with long pages of information that they don't want to trawl through.

A website is not like a printed publication in that you cannot guarantee where a user will enter your website. You can also not assume that they will move through your site in a lineat order as they would if they were reading, say, a book. They can enter at any page and move between pages as they chose. As such, every page will need to be independent and explain its topic without assuming the user has seen any of the other pages in the website.

Keep in mind that users may not have the necessary knowledge to understand or use a page. Proving a link to background or explanatory information will help.

Always put the most important information at the top of the page, as users do not like to scroll through lots of text in search of your key "point".

Always remember that web users are generally impatient and critical. They have chosen to visit your website because they have something they need to do or find, and they want to find the information quickly. Write in a style to allow users to do this.

Credibility is important on the web. Trust is rapidly lost if you use subjective claims or boastful statements like “best design studio in Brisbane”. Avoid "marketese” and use a more objective style.

To increase the credibility of your pages, link to other sites that contain supporting or relevant information.

Compared to many forms of print media, the web is informal and immediate in nature. Users appreciate an informal writing style.

Users will rely on scanning text to determine it’s meaning and content. You should avoid using clever headings that have no real meaning, as users may miss important information if they skip past non-informative heading.

Simpler is always better. Long sentences and confusing words are harder to understand online than in print.

The web is a fluid medium. Print is not. Pages should be updated to reflect any relevant changes. Credibility will suffer if articles show incorrect or out of date information.

Don't feel you can crack the perfect web copy on your own? Contact us and let one of our trained writers do it for you. You'll be amazed at what a difference it will make!
Email: hello@hellomedia.com.au

The Ten Digimmandments

2007-01-31T20:45:00.000+10:00

Courtesy of Wheel:

1. Thou shalt not create banners that flash and tell you how much you have won.

2. Thou shalt not knowingly encourage spam.

3. Thou shalt not indulge in techie-speak no one understands.

4. Thou shalt avoid the words "Click here".

5. Thou shalt not promise what thou canst not deliver

6. Thou shalt make thy sites accessible

7. Thou shalt not ignore thy customer's views.

8. Thous shalt place digital at the heart of the marketing mix.

9. Thou shalt architect a site according to customer needs

10. Thou shalt give digital the respect that it deserves.

Email Marketing

2007-01-14T18:53:00.000+10:00

Are you considering email marketing? Not sure where to start?

An effective newsletter design is not just a great big ad for your business or your products. It should include information of interest and of value to the recipient, whether or not they use your services or buy your products.

Why is email marketing so popular with our clients? Well, because:

- It is much cheaper than other forms of marketing
- It offers a high return for a relatively low investment
- It can be delivered instantly and at a set time on a set day
- It lets you send your message direct to your target audience
- It's easy to track
- Most people check their email regularly
- And we do great designs too!

Of course, we like to think we do a good job for our clients and below are some examples of recent email campaigns we have created. We've even had a little bit of industry recognition for some. Of course, we prefer the praise from our clients for delivering great campaigns but a pat on the back from them is also appreciated!

Our Nomis newsletter has been featured in the Campaign Monitor Gallery and here's what David Greiner had to say about it:

"The design team behind Nomis have been at it again, this time with a fantastic looking monthly newsletter. We featured their launch email design a few months back and we're equally as impressed by their newsletter design.
As well as promoting their own products, the newsletter also includes a competition, customer feedback and an interesting concept called the 'control freak' scheme. This unique program aims at getting the customers themselves to contribute to the design direction of future products.
Cool concept and cool newsletter."

Here are some more recent newsletters we have produced for our international clients:

If you want to find out what email marketing could do for you, just drop us a line to hello@hellomedia.com.au and we'll be happy to discuss.

Blest bras Catalogue 2007

2007-01-09T09:38:00.000+10:00

With 72 pages jam packed full of swimwear and lingerie for the "Blest" girls amongst you, this really is the best Blest bras catalogue yet! This one even features Jennifer Hawkins... Down boys!

It's easy to get yourself one of these free catalogues, just head over to Blest bras and follow the links! Otherwise, just give us a call and we will be more than happy to send one out to you.

Click "read more" for full article.

The catalogue continues our ongoing relationship with Blest bras. We like them, and because we are now in our third year working together, we think they must like us too!

What we've done for Blest bras:

• eCommerce website
• Catalogue/brochure
• Print ads
• Photography
• eMarketing campaigns
• Photography
• Copywriting and editing

If you want to find out what we could do for you, just drop us a line at hello@hellomedia.com.au

Well, thank you!

2006-12-24T23:58:00.000+10:00

We like it when we make our clients happy.

Leanne from Blest bras sent us these kind words recently after a recent eMarketing campaign:

"Thank you! Looks great. Once again you have gone above and beyond the call of duty!"

Well, thank you Leanne... We look forward to making you write more words of happiness in 2007!

News Update

2006-09-17T17:34:00.000+10:00

So it's been a month since we managed a posting in our blog... Sorry, we've just been far too busy working for our clients instead! Here's a quick catch up on what's new.

We've recently picked up the account for Hyperion Flagship Investments after a two-way pitch - our first foray into the Australian financial sector. We hope to be launching their new website in a few weeks time. We've still got a 100% record on pitches so long may that continue!

Our work for Xtend-Life Natural Products is almost complete. The branding has been finished, the packaging is being printed and the website is having the finishing touches done. We are very excited about this project, not only a great job to work on but a great team at Xtend-Life to work with. Their company is now moving in a new direction. We're just working on some product photography so expect some of the work to start appearing soon.

Nomis is going from strength to strength and having seen Harry Kewell wear some of our branding on his feet, it seems too good to be true! There is a lot more work coming soon for Nomis as we embark on creating and delivering their first global marketing campaign. It's a great campaign and really relates to the brand, their products and way of thinking.

We are still on the look out for more Brisbane based Junior designers and developers to join the Hello team. If you think you have a creative or technical spark, please get in touch.

We are also on the lookout for a new office space to house our growing team and work load.

No nice pictures in this post, but some coming soon.

Office artwork: mini

2006-08-12T20:11:00.000+10:00

We like to encourage creativity within the office, and Trish has come up with the goods with these hand painted/screen printed mini paintings. They're so good we might start selling them!

From the archive: Select Model shoot

2006-08-01T14:19:00.000+10:00

Whilst clearing out the backups this week I stumbled upon some test photography for a Select Model shoot. Before I started Hello Media I was an Art Director for Box in London. One of the many great accounts I worked on with them was Select Model Management. Click on the "read more" link for more photos.

Jason Akermanis Doll!

2006-07-19T22:29:00.000+10:00

I nearly choked on my cornflakes when reading through the morning paper and I saw the Jason Akermanis doll! This has to be a first - the branding we worked on for Nomis, has clearly made it on to the dolls. If you pop by a Rebel Sport be sure to check out the boots on the doll. Next time we see the big fella, we'll get one signed and allow it a very prominent spot in the office. Highlight of the week!

New Zealand

2006-07-07T07:39:00.000+10:00

Another whistle-stop trip to New Zealand to meet with Xtend Life. The new branding is almost complete so it's full steam ahead on stage 2 - website and packaging. Not to sure about the weather down here though, it's a climate shock from Brisbane for sure!

Wanted: Junior designer & developer

2006-07-02T13:18:00.000+10:00

Due to the recent influx of new accounts, we are now on the look out for a junior designer and an ASP/PHP developer. Flexible working conditions and access to our sweet machine! Brisbane based applicants only please.

In the first instance, just drop us an email with some work examples and try not to break our mail server with your attachments!

Designer Resource 1: Vector Maps

2006-06-28T13:06:00.000+10:00

In need of a vector map? We've built up a small collection over the years, so to kick off our "Designer Resource" series, here are some for download. Enjoy!

World Map (ps/2.1MB)- Including relief, glaciers, lakes and borders
World Map (ai/520KB) - Simplified
Australia (pdf/720KB) - Very detailed
Australia (ai/280KB) - Simplified
Australia (swf/8KB) - Simplified
UK (ai/230KB) - Simplified
Europe (eps/320KB) - Simplified
Europe (eps/168KB)
Brisbane (pdf/300KB) - Detailed

Hello wins Xtend Life creative pitch!

2006-06-25T17:37:00.000+10:00

Picking up another international client, we are proud to announce the new account of Extend Life. Winning a 3 way pitch, we have been chosen to rebrand the New Zealand vitamin company and implement the new brand across a new website, labels, packaging and more! Watch this space for more info.

Campaign Monitor feature

2006-06-25T23:43:00.000+10:00

We're chuffed at this one. Arguably the best email newsletter and list management tool providers, Campaign Monitor, have picked our Nomis email newsletter to showcase on their site. (It is quite nice - even if we say so ourselves!)
View the Campain Monitor feature /or/ Just view the design.

New account news: Mayfair Realty

2006-06-25T23:24:00.000+10:00

June's getting busy! We are really pleased to have picked up our first realty client. Like our ecommerce business packages, we are designing and building a realty package aimed at the independant real estate agent. We are already busy underway with this one and hope to have Mayfair's new website up and running soon.

If architects had to work like web designers...

2006-06-25T20:16:00.000+10:00

Dear Mr. Architect:

Please design and build me a house. I am not quite sure of what I need, so you should use your discretion. My house should have somewhere between two and forty-five bedrooms. Just make sure the plans are such that the bedrooms can be easily added or deleted. When you bring the blueprints to me, I will make the final decision of what I want. Also, bring me the cost breakdown for each configuration so that I can arbitrarily pick one.

Keep in mind that the house I ultimately choose must cost less than the one I am currently living in. Make sure, however, that you correct all the deficiencies that exist in my current house (the floor of my kitchen vibrates when I walk across it, and the walls don't have nearly enough insulation in them)...

Click "read more" for full article.

As you design, also keep in mind that I want to keep yearly maintenance costs as low as possible. This should mean the incorporation of extra-cost features like aluminum, vinyl, or composite siding. (If you choose not to specify aluminum, be prepared to explain your decision in detail.)

Please take care that modern design practices and the latest materials are used in construction of the house, as I want it to be a showplace for the most up-to-date ideas and methods. Be alerted, however, that kitchen should be designed to accommodate, among other things, my 1952 Gibson refrigerator.

To insure that you are building the correct house for our entire family, make certain that you contact each of our children, and also our in-laws. My mother-in-law will have very strong feelings about how the house should be designed, since she visits us at least once a year. Make sure that you weigh all of these options carefully and come to the right decision. I, however, retain the right to overrule any choices that you make.

Please don't bother me with small details right now. Your job is to develop the overall plans for the house: get the big picture. At this time, for example, it is not appropriate to be choosing the color of the carpet.

However, keep in mind that my wife likes blue.

Also, do not worry at this time about acquiring the resources to build the house itself. Your first priority is to develop detailed plans and specifications. Once I approve these plans, however, I would expect the house to be under roof within 48 hours.

While you are designing this house specifically for me, keep in mind that sooner or later I will have to sell it to someone else. It therefore should have appeal to a wide variety of potential buyers. Please make sure before you finalize the plans that there is a consensus of the population in my area that they like the features this house has. I advise you to run up and look at my neighbor's house he constructed last year. We like it a great deal. It has many features that we would also like in our new home, particularly the 75-foot swimming pool. With careful engineering, I believe that you can design this into our new house without impacting the final cost.

Please prepare a complete set of blueprints. It is not necessary at this time to do the real design, since they will be used only for construction bids. Be advised, however, that you will be held accountable for any increase of construction costs as a result of later design changes.

You must be thrilled to be working on as an interesting project as this! To be able to use the latest techniques and materials and to be given such freedom in your designs is something that can't happen very often. Contact me as soon as possible with your complete ideas and plans.

PS: My wife has just told me that she disagrees with many of the instructions I've given you in this letter. As architect, it is your responsibility to resolve these differences. I have tried in the past and have been unable to accomplish this. If you can't handle this responsibility, I will have to find another architect.

PPS: Perhaps what I need is not a house at all, but a travel trailer. Please advise me as soon as possible if this is the case.

Superman

2006-06-25T22:33:00.000+10:00

With the current Superman movie due for release, it reminds me of a very surreal experience when I was a kid... Having the sketcher and inker for Superman sitting in my lounge (unknown to me at that time). When we started chatting about design/art and they said they did cartoons and offered to doodle one for me - you can imagine the expression on my face when they gave me this:

Say hello to our new blog!

2006-06-24T23:30:00.000+10:00

Finally, after what feels like an eternity, we've found 5 minutes to set our blog up. We really wanted to be able to give you a much more personal and inside view on the day to day running of our design agency. We'll also be posting some really useful and interesting bits and pieces, which we hope will help educate and inform, plus news on work, projects, people and, of course, the office cat.

We hope you enjoy! Michael.