The Dupe Creative Blog

Two New Websites from Dupe Creative

2008-11-11T15:36:00.005Z

It's been a busy few months for the design division at Dupe Creative. Two new projects have reached completion in recent weeks - both of which happen to be websites.

First up is deeptek.co.uk.

Deep Tek is an innovative and experienced design and development company that has its roots in the specialist deep water salvage industry. With the help of freelance designer Nick Gerrard Dupe were asked to design and build a bespoke website to show off the many areas expertise Deep Tek offer.

Secondly, artist and sculptor Stephen Hitchin came to us asking for a refesh of his current site. Eagle eye viewers may notice the similarities between his site and ours. Well, give yourself a medal - the design is based on the Dupe template. It allowed us to very quickly build a new framework that is much more flexible in terms of maintenance.

Big changes for our site are afoot as well, however. We can't say anything yet but expect a big announcement before Christmas.

SmokeFree Zombies at Liverpool One

2008-11-03T12:10:00.002Z

Dupe Creative were on hand to capture a scary sight in Liverpool City Centre last week.

Leading North West marketing consultancy Kenyon Fraser organised the event on behalf of SmokeFree Liverpool.A 70-strong group of dancers and members of the SmokeFree youth group, D-Myst, marched through the city in scary costumes to raise awareness of smoking in youth rated movies.

Smoking in movies is believed to be the biggest single influence on young people to start smoking. SmokeFree Liverpool are asking UK film regulators BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) to keep smoking out of all future films which can be seen by under-18s.

Our photographer, Matt Goodfellow, did his best to keep up with the group as they dashed from street to street, terrifying shoppers as they went (the dancers that it, not Matt).

For more information about the event, visit the Kenyon Fraser and SmokeFree Liverpool websites.

For further examples of our PR and Events photography visit our portfolio.

Field Trip - NYC

2008-10-22T11:13:00.003+01:00

One half of Dupe Creative ventured west across the Atlantic last week for some much needed recuperation and photographic invigoration.

Aside from taking in the usual wondrous sights and smells, Matt grabbed a few epic shots on his 5mp pocket camera. Proof positive that form is temporary, class is permanent ;).

We'll be uploading a couple more to our commercial photography portfolio and flickr site over the coming days.

One Park West - Brock Carmichael Architects

2008-10-08T15:00:00.003+01:00

Dupe Creative were in Liverpool city centre this week to photograph the near-complete One Park West and surrounding area (Liverpool One) on behalf of Brock Carmichael.

Established in 1974, the architects have over 30 years of experience working across all building sectors and for a wide range of clients. Working with developers Grosvenor Ltd on the £1 billion Paradise Project, the largest city regeneration project in Europe, they have helped create a new retail and residential heart for the city.

The 17 storey building will comprise 326 apartments, offices, parking, restaurants and cafes, topped off with stunning waterfront, park and city views.

For further examples of the types of stunning commercial photography we can offer visit our portfolio.

Crescendo.

2008-09-30T17:09:00.005+01:00

Artwork designed by Dupe for the soon-to-be-massive band Crescendo.

What makes a good road sign?

2008-09-26T10:49:00.002+01:00

Interesting article on the BBC site this morning.

New Work: Sean Orford Corporate ID

2008-09-18T13:38:00.007+01:00

When Sean approached Dupe to create an identity for his psychotherapy/counselling business, we knew something different was required.

Sean has been working in both traditional and complementary healthcare for many years right across the UK. Currently based in North West England he supplies staff support services to local authorities, private companies and the NHS. On top of this, he is researching and developing training courses in an innovative approach to psychotherapy. Everybody got that?

The 'logo' is more of a symbol. After initial sketches and research into areas as diverse as Chinese Philosophy, the Eye of Providence and Pax Cultura we found ourselves rather stuck. The question of how to represent history, mysticism, growth, balance, love AND Sean seemed unanswerable.

Rather than focus too much, we switched our focus to selecting an appropriate typeface. Archer proved to be just the trick. Friendly, forthright, elegant and beautifully legible it cried out to be used.

From this momentous decision came the symbol itself. Formed from two reflected and intertwined 'S's it jumped off the screen. Thank you, Hoefler & Frere-Jones. (update: Jonathan Hoefler himself emailed me saying how much he liked the logo - how cool is that?).

After slight alterations the final logo was approved in its above form. The intertwined version is designed for large scale printing, whilst the simplified version is intended for website avatars, icons and for small print.

The symbol means many things. Its tree shaped body symbolises growth, the intertwining unity, its heart-shaped upper portion = love, whilst the capital S, of course, stands for Sean. Its simplicity should provide the right balance for Sean - a balance between his commercial and spiritual interests. It is a symbol intended to stand the test of time.

Letterheads (printed on the finest possible paper courtesy of Tapleys, Bebington) and envelopes will be followed by business cards and a complete website, also to be designed by Dupe Creative. Watch this space for updates.

What is Graphic Design?

2008-09-18T10:39:00.002+01:00

"Wanky, trendy, crap." Amongst other things ...

The New Facebook Debate

2008-09-16T15:21:00.001+01:00

Facebook is a phenomenon. With over 100 million users it plays an increasingly active role in people's daily routine. I myself must confess to being an addict.

All is not well in the community, however. Recent changes to the layout have caused a backlash against the clever guys in charge of the site. Whilst it is difficult to judge the proportion of people against to those in favour (who wants to hear a positive news story these days?) I thought it worth an in depth look ...

The new look layout came into effect a few months ago. Users were given the option to 'try' the layout by clicking a button at the top of the page. The clever boys and girls at Facebook HQ (of which there are over 600) also included a 'send feedback' link so as to iron out any issues before the big change-over.

Quick to sample the new version, I immediately saw the improvements. Gone were the mile-long profile pages. No more scrolling through hideous Super Walls, Fun Walls, etc just to get to your friends Wall. Users information (birthday, favourite films, etc) is stored cleverly at the top in a separate 'widget' (the same goes for photos and, should anyone wish to, any number or applications they feel the need to add).

The home page is a vast improvement to. A constantly updating feed from all your friends/contacts which can be viewed by the latest status updates, photos, and posted items - all, of course, at the click of a button.

Most websites now include the option to post an interesting story/video/photo straight to your profile. You can even easily install a shortcut to you browser toolbar. The easy posting has led to the abolition of Fun Walls and Super Walls - not a moment too soon either.

It's worth remembering that Facebook is a very young resource/application. Anyone expecting it to remain in it's past or present state for more than a year or two clearly has little concept of technology. And, for those of you still disheartened by recent changes to everyones favourite social networking site just be thankful you're not using MySpace.

For further information read on here.

Noah takes a photo of himself every day for 6 years

2008-09-15T14:19:00.002+01:00

For a more information about the (ongoing) project visit the project website.

See The Simpsons paradoy here.

The coming week

2008-09-12T14:48:00.003+01:00

Next week promises to be a busy one for the blog, with a lot of new work to show.

The long awaited Sean Orford logo is complete - we're VERY happy with the outcome, keep your eyes peeled for the grand unveiling. Dupe Design has also been hard at work on a major web project. Due for completion any day now, check back soon for the link.

Photography-wise, Matt has been a busy boy this last couple of weeks - undertaking a number of client commissioned projects.

If you haven't already seen them, be sure to check our external sites. Flickr has a selection of our best non-commercial photographic and design pieces, and our Tumblr site is used to document the best of the work that we find on our daily travels around cyberspace. Do people still call it cyberspace? I meant the web.

Over and out.

September at Dupe

2008-09-04T12:25:00.003+01:00

The nights are getting longer and there's a slight chill in the air, but far from gearing up for hibernation, we're ready for the long hard winter ahead. Economic decline? Recession? Yesterday's news. A busy month ahead for Dupe. Places to go and people to meet.

Call yourself a film lover?

2008-09-02T15:17:00.001+01:00

Then whatever you do DO NOT watch Guy Ritchie's latest. Here's why:

Event Photography, Barnston Dale

2008-09-01T15:03:00.000+01:00

First of all, apologies for the lack of updates recently. Summer has been and gone for Dupe, expect far more updates over the coming weeks.

This week saw Dupe head to The Barnstondale Centre to shoot for a recent launch event. I have particularly fond memories of the centre having spent a weekend there many moons ago whilst at primary school.

Things have really moved on there of late. They offer the opportunity to experience a wide range of moral building outdoor pursuits offsite such as canoeing, rock climbing, orienteering and problem solving to children of all areas and backgrounds.

For more information about the centre, click here. A few more images from the day can be found in our events photography portfolio.

12 Things You Should Never Say to a Client

2008-08-29T15:04:00.001+01:00

Great article titled 12 Things You Should Never Say to a Client, by Mason Hipp over at freelancefolder.com.

Cast Study 01 - The Dupe Creative Logo

2008-08-04T15:37:00.008+01:00

This is the first in what should become a series of studies into the design and photographic processes we go through at Dupe. What better place to start than with ourselves, we thought?

For those that don't know, Dupe Creative is a small but perfectly formed graphic design and commercial photography studio. Based in the North West of England it consists of its two founder members - Matt Goodfellow and Edward Lamb.

First, of course, we had to agree on a name. After scouting around we struck gold with 'Dupe'. Aside from it's slight negative connotations, we felt it would help set us aside from the many boringly named rival companies (you know the kind, the type that tend to over-use the word 'solutions' in their company skill-set) and, as soon as wrote it down (see below) I knew we were on to a winner. Nice shape.

After my initial sketch, I quickly threw myself into Illustrator to play with a few typefaces. However, it quickly became apparent that a custom job would be needed to realise the circular, balanced, distinctive look I had in my head.

Each of the four characters is based on a circle. Various sections were added or re-shaped using Illustrators fantastic tools until I was happy with the look of each individual character. Finally, I adjusted the space between each letter and, for balance, added the registration symbol at the top right.

Next, I picked an appropriate font. Something unique, but super-simple. I decided upon Interstate, designed by a clever man named named Tobias Frere-Jones, better known now for his amazing work at Hoefler & Frere-Jones.

The logo and the typeface has been the base for all of our corporate stationery so far (see letterheads, business cards and CD wallets) both online and offline, and will hopefully survive in its intial form for years to come.

Most people know the importance of having a consistent set of rules for a business. If you don't, and think that we can help, then get in touch for an informal discussion about how Dupe Creative can help.

Liverpool Vision PR Photography

2008-07-31T14:39:00.005+01:00

Dupe Creative were on hand in Liverpool last night to shoot an event organised by Liverpool Vision.

Over 70 delegates were invited to the launch of a publication produced by English Heritage and the city's new economic development company. The company will enable Liverpool to complete and accelerate the economic recovery and growth of the last decade and build a sustainable economy - one which can compete more effectively in international markets.

If you have an upcoming event that needs capturing, you'll find that our PR Photography service is second to none.

Radiohead and Marketing

2008-07-31T10:52:00.003+01:00

Love them or hate them, it's more than likely that you're aware of them.

The above video demonstrates pretty clearly how and why they are still such a dominant force where other bands who emerged during the mid-nineties have crashed and burned.

We at Dupe like to think that we understand technology. Spending an unhealthy amount of time on the internet is just a small part of our design process.

What's on for Dupe this week?

2008-07-28T11:51:00.002+01:00

• Working on over four full days of photography for 3 separate clients
• Seeing completion of phase 1 seanorford.com > Logo & Identity design
• Making phone calls
• Trying to ignore the giant ball of fire that's hanging in the sky

Business card design

2008-07-23T16:00:00.003+01:00

Dupe offer tasteful graphic design to satisfy even the most demanding of visually astute customers. Visit our graphic design portfolio for more information.

Aerial Photography - Parade of Sail

2008-07-22T15:27:00.004+01:00

Monday July 21st saw Matt Goodfellow taking to the skies to capture the spectacular Parade of Sail on the River Mersey - the highlight of the weekends Tall Ships Event. A client commissioned shoot, perfect weather conditions allowed us to provide some stunning images.

As you can see from the image above, we were fortunate enough to have one of our shots published in todays Liverpool Echo - pick up a copy, if you can.

The weekend has surely been the most enjoyable of Liverpool's Capital of Culture programme so far, with thousands of people taking to the streets across the 3 days to see the 70+ magnificent vessels.

To see a good selection of Matt's shots, visit out Parade of Sail aerial photograph page. You can now also view a much wider selection of aerial photographs of the North West on our portfolio page.

Think we can help your business/organisation? Then get in touch!

Choppy Waters

2008-07-21T11:57:00.003+01:00

Keep your eyes on the skies at 2pm over Liverpool ...

2008-07-18T15:17:00.002+01:00

What better way to sharpen skills on a Friday than by creating the odd Dupe Desktop. Head here to download the first version, I dare you.

Potentially big week for Dupe next week - watch this space for updates.

This week ...

2008-07-14T12:53:00.005+01:00

... Dupe will mostly be:

• Putting together a potentially major photographic pitch.
• Continuing R&D for the Sean Orford design job
• Working on three separate photographic jobs
• Spending too much time reading David Airey's blog
• Listening to the Coldplay album, trying to work out if it's great or just good
• Stealing blog titles from Binky the Doormat

Zip-Egg

2008-07-12T13:40:00.002+01:00

Says it all, really. Click here for a better look at zip-egg.