Blue Spire have secured significant funding and launched a new advertising campaign for international charity Point of Contact, who sell fair trade goods created by artisans from disadvantaged producer groups in Ethiopia.
In 2011 Blue Spire designed and launched a new content managed e-commerce website for Point of Contact.
In order to further develop the work of Point of Contact in selling fair trade products online, Blue Spire contacted Google and secured funding (worth £380,000 across five years) to launch a large scale online advertising campaign on behalf of Point of Contact on the search engine via its sponsored links network.
Already the advertising campaign has seen a huge increase in visitors to the Point of Contact website and a surge of interest in the work of the organisation, its partners in Ethiopia and its products.
Point of Contact's new ecommerce website designed by Blue Spire
Blue Spire Design are proud to receive a full page article in this months Lincolnshire Echo Business Supplement.
The article outlines Blue Spire’s work with Lincolnshire based charity Point of Contact in creating a full ecommerce website to sell the traditional crafts of Ethiopian artisans to an international market.
Point of Contact, which has its headquarters in Market Rasen, has been working for more than a decade to give disadvantaged small-scale producers of handicraft products in Ethiopia a means to sell their products in the UK. Until now the charity has not sold products online. Goods have been sold the traditional way: mainly face-to-face at weekly markets or occasionally in schools in the region.
Point of Contact approached Blue Spire Design with a brief to redesign their website, including the development of an online shop. The new site, www.pointofcontact.org.uk, launched at the end of July 2011. It now means the charity – and the artisans whose products it sells – can reach a much wider customer base.
Technical Director of Blue Spire, Kyle Lane, said “The new website means Point of Contact can now reach potential customers not just here in the UK, but also internationally, and it’s open 24/7. Ultimately, this means their partners in Ethiopia can sell more of their products and generate more income.”
David Young, Point of Contact’s Manager, said “Perhaps the hardest challenge… is for the poor to gain access to the global market. This is where the web can revolutionise the situation.”
Lincolnshire Housing Association and Care Provider LACE have been working with Blue Spire Design to develop a new identity for a new century. Their new logo was unveiled publicly for the first time at the Lincolnshire Show this summer.
LACE are a Housing Association with Charitable Status, who provide a wide range of Housing, Care and Support Services for Older People in Lincolnshire
LACE were keen to develop a visual identity that could encapsulate the care and traditions that have made them a trusted and preferred provider whilst also expressing a contemporary and forward looking approach.
Blue Spire Design were chosen to re-design a new logo for LACE.
Director of Blue Spire, Kyle Lane said, “Working with LACE was a great opportunity to work with a trusted and well known business. We were very keen to understand and express the core values of LACE in our design work.”
Blue Spire and LACE chose to utilise the familiar ellipse shape used in the previous logo but to embolden the shape with two colours and simplify the design using a modern typeface and innovative motif.
‘Housing with Care’ is the motto and guiding philosophy of LACE and in order to express this graphically Blue Spire developed a unique motif to incorporate within the larger ellipse, a simple but effective contemporary design portraying a caring hand supporting a house.
‘Use of the ellipse represents continuity with the past and the traditions of LACE. Their original logo utilised this shape. The motif expressing Housing with Care explicitly portrays the LACE motto whilst also presenting a new and exceptional element in the overall design. It was very important for us to understand the history of LACE, its tradition of care and support and how this should be reflected in their branding’, said Kyle.
Old Logo
CEO of LACE, Nick Chambers, said “As a Lincolnshire based organisation, we are keen to support other services located within and serving the County. Blue Spire Design is an exciting initiative. We were very impressed by their approach and commitment to understand the environment in which we operate which led to a successful relationship and excellent outcome.”
The brand new logo for LACE was unveiled publicly for the first time at the Lincolnshire Show and precedes a phased re-branding that will see the new logo appearing across LACE’s Lincolnshire housing.
Blue Spire Design recently worked with Alfred Enderby Ltd in Grimsby to promote European Union recognition of traditional fish smoking at the Humber Seafood Summit this month. Blue Spire provided a design, print and promotional service to Alfred Enderby Ltd.
The conference brought together people from across the seafood industry in Europe and was a chance to discuss the future of the industry.
Blue Spire was also in attendance to discuss with business leaders and provide information about E-Commerce, engaging consumers online and the benefits of selling food via the Internet.
Blue Spire Design recently provided its services to Interserve Plc for the creation of a new summer brochure.
Interserve Plc are an international support services and construction company based in the UK. Their new brochure highlights the work done by Interserve Water, which provides whole life sustainable solutions for water projects from business case, through design, procurement, construction and into ongoing aftercare, creating, constructing and maintaining physical assets.
Blue Spire Design were recent guests of the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) at Whitehall during the Annual General Meeting of the UK Protected Food Names Association.
Protected Foods are foods that have been recognised by the EU Protected Food Names Scheme for their regional and traditional integrity.
Due to strong links with regional food groups, particularly in seafood, Blue Spire were advising protected food producers on ways to increase awareness of protected food status amongst consumers. Similar to the well recognised and highly regarded French classification Appellation d’origine contrôlée, Protected Food status allows producers to safeguard the quality and traditional skill that goes into their product. It guarantees authenticity from cheaper imitations.
With a growing interest amongst consumers in quality regional food and increased publicity on TV via celebrity chefs it makes perfect sense for Protected Foods to be recognised as the leading force championing British homegrown produce, traditional skills and quality tastes.
Last night Blue Spire attended the launch event of the International Wine & Food Society in Leeds. Blue Spire was representing one of its most prestigious clients, Alfred Enderby Ltd, who supplied some of their internationally recognised Grimsby Traditional Smoked Haddock to the event. Blue Spire provide design, marketing and promotions for Alfred Enderby Ltd and the Grimsby Traditional Fish Smokers Group.
The event featured star chef Stephanie Moon, from Rudding Park (soon to take part in the BBC’s Great British Menu) and renowned wine writer Christine Austin, wine critic for the Yorkshire Post, who together created a mouthwatering selection – ‘perfect pairings’ – to introduce the pleasures of matching delicious food and wine.
The event celebrated local produce and local business from Northern England and as key promoters of regional food Blue Spire was proud to support such an endeavour.
Blue Spire Design is working with the University of Lincoln Faculty of Business and Lincolnshire County Council to help local business utilise the power of the internet successfully. The project is called Robust Futures: Solutions for Business and is being funded by the East Midlands Development Agency. In an official capacity Blue Spire Design is providing design expertise and consultancy to Lincolnshire businesses.
The internet presents an ever growing opportunity for businesses and the University and County Council are keen for this to be understood on a local level. With a range of experience in developing web solutions for both international and local clients Blue Spire Design are happy to provide their expertise in developing a more web focused local economy. Blue Spire is supplying both consultation and design work to local businesses as part of the EMDA funded initiative.
Key aspects of the initiative are helping local businesses to maximise the benefits of internet marketing, E-Commerce, web technologies and corporate branding. The goal of Blue Spire Design is to lead the way for local businesses to exploit the great opportunities inherent in the world wide web.
This initiative has been designed to provide practical support to businesses as they emerge from the recession. It creates an opportunity for the private and public sector to work together to generate insight into local economic conditions, and respond effectively to changes as they occur in Lincolnshire.
This initiative is well supported by research. Google recently issued a detailed report called the Connected Kingdom which examined the huge and growing impact of the internet on economic growth in the UK.
The results are a powerful testament to the developing power of internet business:
Small business online sales are growing at 43%, even faster than big businesses
In 2009, the Internet contributed £100 billion to the UK economy. That represents 7.2% of GDP.
The UK is the number one country in the world for e-commerce and is a net exporter of e-commerce goods and services, exporting £2.80 for every £1 imported.
The Internet economy is expected to grow by 10% per year.
In collaboration with L’Oreal, Racoon and Tigi, Blue Spire Design has just launched a new website for Energy Hair Salon. This site has been created by Blue Spire Design as part of a new marketing initiative for the year ahead.
Located near Bailgate in Lincoln, Energy Hair Salon is at the high end of the fashion and style industry, offering a top quality service with the best possible products.
