Blog
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Core tucks in to the Chinese New Year
Fireworks, dragons, prawn crackers… yes, it must be the Chinese New Year and for the Core team there is only one way to celebrate – with lots of Chinese food!
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How to succeed at your New Year’s Resolutions
The 9th January marks the end of many people’s best inentions, with more people giving up on their New Year’s Resolutions than on any other day. So what can be done to succeed? Core investigates.
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Christmas tree, O Christmas tree!
Congratulations to everyone that sent in a picture of their fabulously festive trees (link) – don’t forget the winner will be announced tomorrow!
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50 things that show that you’re not plugged-in to the digital age
Are you fully engaged with the Digital Age? Not so, according to recently published research, if you do any of the 50 things outlined here.
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Core kicks off Christmas with a trip to the Frankfurt Christmas Market!
The Core team hotfooted it down to the Birmingham’s Frankfurt Christmas Markets to toast the countdown to Christmas and spread some festive cheer.
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Trick or Treat!
Armed with spoons, knives and a whole heap of creative talent the team at Core towers decided to get their hands dirty and partake in a good old fashioned pumpkin carving competition!
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Core cakes ‘raise’ £350 for Macmillan Cancer Support
We’re rightly quite pleased at Core Towers this week, having held our third – and most successful – fundraising effort for Macmillan Cancer Support on Friday, with colleagues, friends and peckish neighbours helping us to raise over £350!
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Say cheese!
We’re an eclectic lot at Core Towers but one thing that brings us all together is, of course, a communal love of the savoury Holy Grail that is cheese.
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Pat’s a really happy man!
Today marks a very special birthday – it’s Postman Pat’s 30th year of making sure the people of Greendale get their mail!
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The great Core cake bake returns!
Join the Core team for the great Core cake bake 2011 and help us raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support.
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Dan serenades the team!
Yesterday was Core’s highly anticipated ‘big night out’ and to get us all in the party mood, PR pro Dan Hill took centre stage to provide a musical reverie.
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A bank holiday feast
Just two hours ago, the Birmingham Mail reported that 65,000 travellers will be jetting off from Birmingham Airport during the big bank holiday weekend getaway, but for those of us who aren’t flying off to warmer climates, that figure could seem a bit depressing.
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A week with Core – A guest blog by work experience student Natalie Gribben
I am now three months into my very enviable five month summer break, after completing my first year at Liverpool John Moore’s University. I am studying a BA degree in History and English which allows a variety of career paths to be opened up to me and PR particularly stands out as a career I might like. So with all this time on my hands I thought why not give PR a whirl and with Core’s impeccable reputation throughout Birmingham, who else better to come to, to have an insight into the world of PR (and beyond….)
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Third of adults use smartphones says Ofcom report
With everyone’s smartphone permanently attached to their hand, an Ofcom survey has proved – if it wasn’t obvious already – that the nation is addicted.
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Cornish treats at Core
The end of the month means one thing at Core… time for some tasty grub and a bit of a chin-wag!
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A week with Core – A guest blog by work experience student Ellie Parker offering a snapshot into a week at Core
Work experience- a phrase that fills many with dread at the prospect of endless tea runs and the hard task of photocopying and stapling. Having never done a placement before I thought this was what I was in for; I couldn’t have been more wrong. Walking through the double doors of the vast expanse of Four Brindleyplace I felt incredibly intimidated but this was put to rest the moment I entered the Core office. The relaxed atmosphere, filled with laughter makes the obviously hard working office a comfortable and friendly place to be, which was further proven throughout my week in the office.
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No more News of the World, but is Rebekah Brooks more than a human shield?
Over the last fortnight, the News of the World has undergone a metamorphosis, taking it from stalwart of populist investigative journalism, to poisoned chalice.
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Truly memorable movie posters: designing the iconic
Following Creative Review’s recent article lauding the iconic poster artwork from Trainspotting, we felt inspired to put together our own list of iconic movie posters, celebrating some of the best pieces of mass-media design.
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Creative thinking leads to savoury twist
Core account manager Dan isn’t a big fan of cake, so when his birthday came round the rest of the team had to be a little creative in coming up with a suitable alternative.
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Is this the best advert of the year so far?
It is safe to say that Cravendale – or rather its ad agency Wieden + Kennedy London – has a real pedigree for producing truly ingenious adverts.
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Core case study: Hive apartments
Core has provided a marketing strategy for the promotion of Hive – a residential apartment development by Nikal, featuring 167 new-build properties and forming a part of the wider mixed-use Masshouse scheme in Birmingham City Centre.
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Happy World Book Day!
With today marking World Book Day, we thought that we’d have a little ask around the office to see what the Core team consider to be their favourite reads.
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Breathing new life into an existing brand
Now in its 8th year, euroLED has seen significant growth since its launch in 2004 and has become widely recognised as Europe’s foremost event for the LED and Solid State Lighting industry. For 2011, organisers Birmingham Science Park Aston invited Core to update the event’s existing brand to create a fresh, contemporary feel.
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Local TV in a globalised world
Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt’s plan for a network of local TV services may seem like a harmless pet project, but with massive costs and mounting opposition, does it really present a viable future for broadcasting?
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A day at the raceway
Core’s team of petrol-heads have defended the agency’s honour, taking part in an adrenaline-fuelled 90 minute endurance race.
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Happy Australia Day from Core
As it’s Australia Day we felt it only fair to insist that our favourite resident Aussie Lewanna celebrated in style. The Core team couldn’t resist joining in the fun so we’ve thrown a shrimp on the barbie and pumped the sultry tones of Rolf Harris and his stylophone through the studio all day to commemorate. What a good sport…sport!
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The winner is revealed
By popular vote in the office, the winner of the Core Christmas Crown Club competition has been revealed. Congratulations to Rupert Young of Nurton Developments for your pic with attitude, enjoy your champers!
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Happy New Year!
Happy 2011 everyone! With all the chocolate and treats polished off we’re raring to go and looking forward to an exciting year ahead. Thanks to everyone who shared their Christmas Crown pics last month -we were sent some real crackers. Winner to be announced soon – watch this space…
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Merry Christmas from the Core team
Have a fantastic break everyone and see you in the New Year! The Core team will be back in the office from Tuesday 4th January but if you need us urgently please call 0121 643 8151 and we’ll come back to you quickly.
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Let it snow….
Thanks to Pete Hayden for sending in this cheeky little snowman in his own Core Crown! Brrrr…
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How do you wear yours?
This is how our studio manager Richard Clews wears his…don’t forget to keep your pics coming in – hello@core-marketing.co.uk
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Andy Dolphin gets very merry in his Crown
Thanks to Andy Dolphin at Bowden & Dolphin Signs for this fantastic pic – we hope you sober up before any of our installations Andy!
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GVA Grimley has decorated the office with theirs!
Looks like the GVA Grimley team has decorated the office with their Core Christmas Crowns, nice work!
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The kids are getting in on the act
Even freelance designer Billy’s gorgeous children Rob and Hannah are joining in the Core Christmas fun – thanks kids!
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The DTZ office joins in the fun
Thanks to Andy Berry at DTZ for this beautifully posed pic – Any other Birmingham property agents out there that think they can do better? Send us your pics to hello@core-marketing.co.uk
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Chris Middlebrook gets in front of the camera
Thanks to photographer Chris from the Picture Workshop for getting in front of his camera to model his beautiful Chrismas Crown
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The Core Christmas Crown has made it to the Villa
Big thanks to Pete Haden for this fantastic pic of the Core Christmas Crown in all its glory at the Aston Villa ground. Any Blue Noses out there up for sending us a rival pic?
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Happy Christmas from Brindleyplace
Thanks to Kate Gregson from the Brindleyplace team for her glamourous Core Christmas Crown pic
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An unusual take on the Christmas theme…
David Bishop (aka ‘Billy’) sports an undercover Christmas look in the Core studio. Don’t forget to send your pics in to hello@core-marketing.co.uk
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Not to be outdone, Argent strikes again…
Thanks to Nikki Yeomans and Rob Groves for getting their Crowns on, looking good guys.
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Simon James we salute you
Thanks Simon James of Nikal, we don’t think we’ve seen anyone so excited to be wearing their Core Christmas Crown – loving the grin
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The Shaylor Group boys are ready for their close-up!
Thanks to Ben and Ian at Shaylor Group for this graduated pose in the Core Christmas Crowns – nice use of the stairs boys.
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It’s getting Christmassy at Centro
Thanks to Alex Burrows at Centro for the Core Crown pic.
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He printed them, now he’s modelling them!
Thanks to Bob Hawley at The Lemon Press who turned around a fantastic print job for us once again. We love our Christmas Crowns, but clearly not as much as our studio manager Clews and printer Bob himself!
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An early contender for the prize….
Definitely one to beat… Thanks to Rupert Young at Nurton Developments – loving the attitude Rupert, work it!
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The Hollywood Monster boys join the Core Crown Club
Thanks for the pic guys, hope you’re feeling festive over in frosty Tyseley.
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Argent get excited about their Christmas Crowns!
We’re delighted to see Ian Clark and James Heather of Argent looking so excited to be wearing their Christmas Crowns!
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TheBusinessDesk.com team wear their Core Crowns with pride
Marc Reeves and Tamlyn Jones from TheBusinessDesk.com get festive -thanks guys!
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First Core Christmas Crown Club pics are in!
So the Core Christmas Crowns are beginning to drop on desks and we are already seeing some rather glamorous pics coming through – thank you Mike Murray from St.Modwen! Please send us your pics to hello@core-marketing.co.uk. We’ll upload as many as we can to the website in the run up to Christmas.
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Core’s Christmas Crown Club
Christmas comes round so quickly each year, particularly at Core where we start thinking about our annual Christmas card several months ahead of the festive season. Find out more about our Core Christmas Crown Club here!
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Property Marketing-Refresh of Colmore Plaza compact brochure
Following the success of the compact brochure created to communicate the flexible space options available at landmark office building Colmore Plaza, Core was tasked with updating and refreshing the existing design to reflect the building in its occupied state, to attract potential tenants.
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‘Best of the Best’ for Argent
The Core team was delighted when client Argent’s landmark property Eleven Brindleyplace was voted the UK’s best commercial workplace and crowned the overall ‘Best of the Best’ Workplace by The British Council for Offices (BCO). They set out to communicate the building’s latest success with its wider audiences….
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Wanted! One awesome account manager…
We are currently looking for a talented PR account manager with strong social media skills and experience in the business to business sector, to join our team.
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Core reveals ‘tailor made’ signage at Thirty5 Newhall Street
Property Marketing Thirty5 Newhall Street
As part of an integrated marketing campaign to let the high quality, flexible office space available at Thirty5 Newhall Street in Birmingham, the Core design team were tasked with creating eye catching external signage to further raise awareness of the space on offer – here’s how they got on…
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i-spy – Core takes a look at Britain’s newest daily newspaper
Today sees the launch of i, the first new national newspaper for a generation and one which is described as ‘the paper for today’ by parent publication, The Independent. So what do the Core team make of this new 20p daily?…
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My Experience of Core – A Blog from Zoe King
Core’s latest work experience candidate Zoe King blogs about life at Core and provides an insight into the world of work experience.
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We’re recruiting!
Following a fantastic array of applicants we are now at the interview stage of appointing a new full time receptionist to join the Core team.
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Does the end of Big Brother mark the coming of age for reality TV?
Can you believe it? After all these years, the King of reality TV shows ‘Big Brother’ is finally coming to an end. With the last series, ‘Ultimate Big Brother’, now in full swing, we’ve decided to take a look back over the history of the show and the impact the end of series will have on world of reality television.
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The role of online shopping within the fashion industry
Zoe King is currently on work experience with Core. A student at Manchester Metropolitan University studying Fashion Marketing, Zoe takes a look at the rise of online shopping and the effect this has had on many well-known high street brands.
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Is the world of Photojournalism coming to an end? Team Core Investigates…
As a full service agency, we know only too well the power of photography in both marketing and journalistic material. Here, we delve into some of the ways in which the photographic world has changed over the years and why.
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Nuvo – launching Birmingham’s latest lounge bar
In May 2010, Core project managed the launch of Nuvo, Birmingham’s latest lounge bar situated in Eleven Brindleyplace. Here’s how we launched it in style…
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Destination marketing – the mix 8 hits the shelves!
Designed and produced by Core, the latest edition of Brindleyplace’s popular magazine the mix is now on the shelves…
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Nuvo – the creation of a new Birmingham brand
Birmingham’s most elegant new lounge bar Nuvo is now open and we are proud to have helped create this new brand…
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The real winners of the World Cup – Core’s prediction competition results
Now all the World Cup fun is over, we are pleased to announce that although nobody correctly predicted the first, second and third results in entirety, we did have two entries that were pretty close and therefore are the winners of the Core predictions competition.
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Destination Marketing-A taste of Birmingham fun this summer….
It’s that time again… Core gets ready for a weekend of indulgence and culinary delight at Taste of Birmingham this July.
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Creating a Monster – How Core rebranded the Midlands signage giant Hollywood Monster
When Midlands based Hollywood Signs and sister company Monster Digital merged to form the biggest signage and graphics company in the Midlands – Core was asked to work with them to create a new brand – Hollywood Monster.
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Core’s Graphic Design Team Gets Shirty – The Final!
So here you have it, the final collection of our specially-designed football shirts from Core’s graphic design team. Any thoughts on which has been your favourite?
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World Cup Celebrations Continue As Core Graphic Design Team Gets Shirty – Part Two!
Here is the second installment in our our series of specially-designed football shirts from Core’s graphic design team.
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World Cup Celebrations Continue As Core Graphic Design Team Gets Shirty
The FIFA World Cup South Africa is now in full swing and here at Core we just can’t get enough of it! Hopefully you’ve played our World Cup Predictions game and you’ve challenged yourself with our fun keepy-uppy game, but you didn’t think we would stop the fun and games that quickly did you?
To continue with our World Cup celebrations, Core’s graphic design team have designed their very own range of alternative football shirts.
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Football Fever Grips Core
It only happens every four years, so forgive us for being more than a little excited about the World Cup! We’re all looking forward to the drama that lies ahead, from the action on the pitch to simply enjoying the fun, if not slightly tense, atmosphere when our teams play.
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Going Dutch – thoughts from graphic design student Koen IJssel
In March Core welcomed graphic design student Koen IJssel from Deltion College in Holland to embark on six months of work experience within our design studio through an exchange scheme with Bournville College. We get an insight into his experience so far…
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Destination Marketing – Launch of the Rewards Lounge at The Mailbox
As Birmingham’s premier shopping and lifestyle location, The Mailbox is the ultimate destination for designer shopping in the Midlands, offering international brands as well as chic salons, spas and restaurants in one central Birmingham location.
To complete the offer, The Mailbox promotes an exclusive Rewards scheme that provides cardholder members fantastic offers and promotions throughout the [...] -
Marketing Omega as a desirable destination
Omega is an exciting strategic regeneration project located at Junction 8 of the M62 and sprawling 575 acres. The site is owned by Omega Warrington Ltd (a joint venture partnership between Miller Developments, a subsidiary of the Royal Bank of Scotland plc and Homes & Communities Agency). To be phased over 25-30 years, the prestigious [...]
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Compromise on costs not cachet – how to host an unforgettable event on a budget
The events industry has been drastically affected by the current economic climate but there are still ways to host a great event that reflects your brand, by simply taking a closer look at how and where you allocate your budget.
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Prime Ministerial Debates – Round Three – The Final!
The third round of the UK’s first ever prime ministerial TV debates was hosted by the BBC in Birmingham last night and the gloves certainly came off off for the final round. So who inched closer to Downing Street and who surrendered to defeat?
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Brindleyplace destination marketing strategy
One of our longest standing clients, Brindleyplace asked us to produce a new 2010 destination marketing advertising campaign to showcase the diversity that the estate has to offer.
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Property development marketing through HTML campaigns
In a business environment dominated by electronic devises, Core has driven the creation of HTML email newsletters as part of wider property development marketing campaigns for many clients, helping them communicate swiftly and cost effectively with their target audiences.
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Prime Ministerial Debates – Round Two
How we rated the prime ministerial candidates in last night’s second live election debate…
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Prime Ministerial Debates – Round One
How we rated the three prime ministerial candidates in last night’s first ever televised debate…
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Hot off the press, Marketing Birmingham Brochure
Working on behalf of Marketing Birmingham and Locate in Birmingham (Birmingham City Council’s inward investment arm), Core designed a 32-page brochure in response to the Ian Smith Review, with the aim of promoting Birmingham as a key destination for public sector organisations looking to relocate.
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Nuvo Marketing Campaign
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A PR perspective on the highs and lows of celebrity endorsement
What do Lily Allen, George Clooney, Gary Lineker and Iggy Pop have in common? The answer is that they have all used their celebrity status to promote everything from clothing to car insurance.
Here at Core, we decided to delve deeper into the relationship between celebrity and brand from a marketeers perspective.
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There’s still a place for printed marketing literature
As the creative industries’ focus leans further towards the benefits of using online as a marketing tool, less is being said about that old faithful, printed marketing literature.
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A Core guide to creating good logo designs
If a picture speaks a thousand words, then a logo speaks ten times that. Creating an original and effective logo design is more important than ever during 2010 and regardless of trends, there are certain fundamental principles that should be adhered to. Here are Core’s golden rules of how to create a logo with impact.
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The elements of good typography in graphic design
Interested in what it is that differentiates good typography and design from bad? Read the latest installment from the graphic design team here.
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Paper and ink: A Core marketing case for eco-friendly printing
Sustainability and the environment have become important considerations for many businesses, Core included.
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A Core guide to the marketing and design of the iPad
The iPad is being hailed at the publishing industry’s saviour; and it isn’t even available to buy yet.
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How to successfully secure a work experience placement – Part Two
Here’s the second instalment of our tips on how to secure the right work placement for you.
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Cheesy chocolate? Our thoughts on the Krafty bid for Cadbury
Our thoughts on the imminent takeover of Cadbury by Kraft Foods. What does this mean to the brand, business and Birmingham?
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How to successfully secure a work experience placement – Part One
Want to find out how to make your work experience application stand out from the crowd? Read on to see what makes an application great and you could be writing our next blog!
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A guide to your Social Media Resolutions for 2010
If you’re going to do anything this year make sure you begin engaging online. We’ve put together a list of Social Media Resolutions for 2010 which will give you a good starting point.
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Director and Finance pod’s top 5 TV adverts
Inspired by the Evian Roller Babies advert hitting our TV screens, Core’s Director and Finance pod has narrowed down its list of favourite TV adverts to create a top 5… bring on 80’s nostalgia, dancing and animal magic!
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Planning gives twitter more power
Tweeting or micro blogging is now viewed as an important component of most of the integrated communications strategies we implement.
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Core takes flight with digital expansion
Brindleyplace based full service communications agency Core has strengthened its digital portfolio with the launch of three websites over the last two months, all of which have been designed by Cores in house team.
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The Super Pod’s top 5 children’s books
Core’s Super Pod had a nostalgic moment this week and formed a list of their favourite childhood books – do any of these match your favourites?
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The evolution of the moving image
The internet has come a long way since the early days of room-sized computers and huge processing units. What was at first used by scientists and librarians is now used by billions of users worldwide. But what do you look for once you’ve logged on?
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Studio’s favourite 80’s childhood cartoons
After an ‘animated’ chat in the studio today, we’ve posted our favourite five childhood cartoons below, which we believe highlight great 1980’s design.
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Christmas cheer from Core
The Christmas decorations are up, the Christmas party is booked and communal Core Christmas pudding eating has begun in earnest.
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Don’t miss out! Birmingham’s favourite bird is about.
Follow Core on twitter during December and be in with a chance of winning a bottle of bubbly.
