BANK HOLIDAY MONDAY!

Bank Holiday Monday. A day for rest, relaxation and refeulling your energy resources for the upcoming summer. Its is a chance to sit back and think of how far you've come so far this year and also where you are going in the remainder of it.

Toftly View have been doing just that, but not just over a bank holiday weekend but since they became one of our first customers in 2005. Their website has undergone radical changes since it's conception four years ago and today we get to launch the newest version to coincide with a recent interior refresh at The Old Vicarage.

Barbara and Neville Hobbs welcome you to Toftly View with the warmest of welcomes and proceed to spoil you rotten with wonderful homemade cakes and luxury products in your room. They really have created an exquisite home from home for you to relax in.

For more information about Luxury Bed and Breakfast accommodation in Newton upon Rawcliffe, near Pickering please visit www.toftlyview.co.uk

DIDN'T THEY DO WELL! NOELLE'S COTTAGES WIN GOLD!

We are proud to say that on 23rd April in York at the Railway Museum our clients Tim & Noelle Thornton of Noelle's Cottages won Gold!

'2009 Self-catering Holiday of the Year Enjoyengland Award for Excellence'.


Well done to Noelle and Tim (and everyone else who has been involved over the years) for all their hard work in turning the Applestore, The Barn and The Coach House into stunning Self Catering Accommodation.

After winning the Yorkshire Tourist Board White Rose Award for Self Catering Holiday of the year 2008 at the back end of last year this came as no real surprise to us as we know first hand how much effort they put into making their guests so welcome.

Since we started working with Noelle and Tim in 2006 we have had a fantastic time helping them acheive their vision of Luxury Self Catering Accomodation online and in print. Our close working relationship has ensured the enormous effort they put into making Noelle's Cottages so beautiful and inviting is represented to it's fullest in their website and brochures.

For more information about Noelles Cottages please visit - www.noellescottages.co.uk and to see Tim's ever increaing collection of fabulous photographs visit their Flickr page - www.flickr.com/photos/noellescottages

HOT OFF THE PRESS! OUR MAY 2009 PERIOD HOUSE MAGAZINE COVER STORY

Hot off the press indeed! The front cover of the May 2009 edition of Period House Magazine features our country cottage home. Pages 62-69 feature the article about us, view a PDF version here.

Back in November we did a photo shoot and interview at our home for Period House Magazine which was a fantastic couple of days full of laughs, cake and plenty of coffee! It also got us out of the studio for a change which was nice too.

We had such fun dressing the cottage for the shoot. We are both eternally grateful for the amazing jobs the photographer and journalist did in capturing the true essence of our home in the article. Our dog Freckle was a hit and quite rightly so a she is such a lovely little dog. She turned out to be such a poser! She loved having her photo taken and was trying to muscle her way into every shot...this one below is so cute...think 'His Master's Voice'.

So after a few months of anticipation and excitment about seeing the article in the magazine we were absolutely blown away with it, and to be featured on the front cover with our relatively modest country cottage was a privelage, Period House, you did a great job with the article!

We wanted to use the article in Period House to cross promote other local business and friends of ours who have all played a part in making our home so lovely that someone would want to come and photograph it. A lot of the quirky little ceramic items and cushions we have bought from Anne Reed at Made & Found in Pickering, a lovely little shop above her newsagents in the Marketplace. All of the flowers throughout the cottage were lovingly made by Linda Jones at The Scented Garden in Scarborough.

The opportunity for the article came about through Cheryl-ann's Knitwear exhibtion 'Dress' which she undertook at The Ryedale Folk Museum From August to October 2008. We met the journalist when he came to The Studio to write and article about Cheryl-ann for Yorkshire Life Magazine.

It was good in a way that the magazine came out on the 2nd of April because we think if someone had said we were on the front cover of Period House Magazine the day before (April Fools Day) we may not have believed them!

You can buy the magazine in most good newsagents and it costs £3.50

Click on the images below to view in a larger format.

EXHAUSTING TIMES? NOT IF YOU PLAN AHEAD

I've been meaning to blog for the past week or two but kept getting sidelined by various things, some fairly trivial and others very, very important (more on the very, very important will appear in our blog very soon) but one thing's for sure, the snow has gone...for now!

Something happened the other day which set my mind off thinking about how we run our businesses and make decisions on how to progress with them.

Before Christmas we were thinking of buying a new car, when I say new I mean newer than the one we currently have. Our car, the little treasure that she's been, had started to cost us more and more money and we felt like we were throwing good, hard earned money down the drain. After lots of deliberation, and test driving (the fun part) we decided that we weren't going to buy a new car just yet and that we would get another 6 months out of the one we have as it had just been MOT'd and taxed...makes sense right? Well, not quite...

Yesterday, after 2 months the exhaust fell off on our way to a meeting, not only making us late but costing us another round of money and no doubt will cost us a bit more over the next few months as you can sense that something else will no doubt go wrong with it! So, thoughts again turn to buying a new car but it is a big thing to find and spend money on something like this so we want to be sure that it will be worth it.

The reason that this random story got me thinking about our businesses was that it is very easy to 'carry on regardless' and 'make do for now' which can lead to all sorts of unseen problems. The new car analogy works particularly well in this instance as we no longer feel safe in the car we have and confident that it is going to help us get from A to B without breaking down on the way!

We all want to be successful in business and want to be the best, it's natural, but we don't always think logically about how we are going to get there in one piece safely. Would an investment in a new car a few months ago have saved us from the exhaust falling off or something similar...maybe? But it sure would have been a wise step in terms of our safety. Yes, it may have cost us a considerable amount of money in the first instance but it would have been a step we would have had to take some time.

Sure, everything breaks down and needs reapirs at some point whether it's a car, a lawnmower or a website but planning ahead and setting yourself up correctly to deal with the previously unforseen can give you a head start and not leave you stranded by the roadside waiting for the AA.

So my point is this, do as much as you can to prepare your business for the future and you will always be one step ahead of the game. It's simple but not always executed, even by us at times, but as long as you can accept that you need to plan and prepare you will be onto a winner.

To talk about the possibilities of how you can bolster your business against the 'Doom and Gloom' merchants of recent times please give us a call at The Studio on 01751 460 161 or email thestudio@design-farm.co.uk we will be more than happy to talk through what Design Farm can do for your business.

LET IT SNOW, LET IT SNOW, LET IT SNOW!

Waking up to a white-over front garden feels the same now as it did when I was a kid! The first thought that goes through my head is...'YES! No School!'...then I realise that I left school 11 years ago! So the next thought is...'YES!...No work!'...then I realise that my studio is only 20 metres away from my house! So my final thought is...'Better get the log burner going or it'll be a cold day at the office!'

Most people would jump at the chance to hide away on a cold winters day like this if they had the choice but we seem to be compelled to carry on as normal and make the most of what could have been a wasted day. Don't get me wrong, I will throw a snowball or two later but that thought will only spur me on to tackle the tasks in hand for the day then relax later on. When things are tough, and for a lot of people they are tough at the moment, you still need to keep your focus and battle on becasue if you don't then someone else will. So i suppose my thought for the day is ' No matter how cold, crappy and bleak you may think things are, if you loose sight of what your goals are then you'll definately get shut out in the snow!' (excuse the analogy...but it is snowing!)

Now I must tend to the log burner or my fingers will surely drop off!

CONFIDENCE IS KEY!

Barack Obama's election as the new President of the USA was a truly inspiring moment for billions of people all around the world. It was a moment that spoke out to people who have doubts about how successful they can be in their life by saying 'if you beleive enough in yourself and what you stand for then it can be acheived'. Yeah I know that he didn't just do it overnight or that that it was by any means an easy task but he believed in himself and his message so much that he made it happen becasue he had the belief that he could make a difference. You can take from this what you want but it is no doubt a great lesson to everyone that there is hope no matter what you do in life. Whether you're trying to be the next Prime Minister, make your first million or simply make your worklife easier to manage, self confidence is key.

So take great encouragement from 'Barry' Obama's rise to the top and use it in your life, business or whatever to keep on going and believing in yourself or your business. Confidence is key to being successful!

NOW IS THE TIME!

With all the gloomy forecasts given by the media for business in 2009 there are a lot of people out there not feeling too confident about how things are going to play out. Probably the best thing to do to overcome this fear factor is to start planning and actioning your vision for 2009 now.

What do you want to acheive this year with your business? What opportunities are there for growth? How could you position yourself to appeal to a wider audience? Just a few questions that you should be asking yourslef at the moment if you haven't already. You need to define your goals and set about acheiving them straight away. There's no sense in waiting to see if the fog lifts, you need to get yourself to the top by taking on the task of making your business successful rather than leaving it in the hands of the scaremongers.

When you do start to look at things with a more positive eye then you find that the ideas and confidence in your wares grows enormously. Speaking from experience, confidence in yourself, your business and what you provide for people is the starting block for any business. Being designers we are challenged every day with putting your thoughts and ideas about your business into a visual format that will show the viewing public what you offer is better than the next business. We have to keep ourselves motivated and fresh constantly which can be very difficult at times if everyone around you is predicting doom. The only way to get over this is to remove yourself from it and be confident in yourself and the ideas will come.

We at Design Farm are always available to meet up and discuss options for development of your visual communications on any level. We love a good cup of tea and a natter so give us a call and we can help kickstart the shift in confidence that you need. We'll bring some nice biscuits with us!

2009 HERE WE COME!

Happy New Year! After a fantastic Christmas break we are back in the studio preparing to bring you an even better service than ever before! We have been hard at work over the past few weeks refining the services and way we operate here at Design Farm.

Over the coming months we will post regular articles and link to various stories online that will help, benefit, alarm, shock, motivate and inspire you to achieve your goals in business for 2009. We’ll be there alongside you to make the most of the opportunities that come your way.

2008 ended with the ‘Doom and Gloom’ merchants telling us that the economy has gone to pot and there’s nobody out there spending money anymore. We’ll that’s not exactly true is it? I saw plenty of people spending their hard earned cash on the high street during Christmas Week without a second thought! I also saw plenty of people making the most of the massive Sales after Christmas too - in the shops and online! We were two of the many millions who logged onto the internet on Christmas Day just to see what was on offer during the sales.

Granted, a lot of people have been hit by this mess created by those in the big chairs but not everyone has. There are still millions of people in work with millions of pounds and they want to spend it. All we need to do is work together and show them that you are the people they should be spending it with. The soul purpose of Design Farm is to show your customers, potential and existing, that you can provide them with the very best product/service. We aim to show you the best and most effective ways to do this to suit your business.

We acknowledge that there has been a major shift in the way things are being perceived in all areas of business at the moment so our aim is to bring you as much help and guidance as we can to keep your business thriving online. We want to give you a greater advantage over your competitors in this supposed ‘Economic Crisis’ and help grow your business to its full potential.

For more information on all Design and Marketing Services at Design Farm then please contact us at the Design Farm studio on 01751 460 161.

FAREWELL 2008

Well, as 2008 draws to a close it seems only right we take a look back at the developments and progress made by Design Farm over the past year. For us it started in a very positive way promising new and exciting people to work with as well as revisiting existing clients and offering additional services to help them develop their businesses.
The year started with a bang as Tim Wilson from The Ginger Pig came knocking on the studio door wondering if we could take over the development of their website. This was an amazing start to the year as we were already big fans of The Ginger Pig shop in Pickering. Tim, David and all the guys up at Grange Farm in Levisham have been an absolute pleasure to work with and we have developed a fantastic relationship and understanding and continue to work with them on many aspects of The Ginger Pig’s promotion and marketing.

In June, Design Farm had it’s 3rd birthday which for us was a great achievement and testament to the hard work we have put in to making a difference to the people and the businesses we come in contact with. We have always worked our hardest to provide you with bespoke, personal and high quality services and hope to keep on improving over the years to come.

In the summer, working with Pickering based artist Tim Bulmer was a great fun as his humour and incredible work ethic was a real inspiration for us and we hit it off straight away. It was such a pleasure to spend time in the company of Tim and Sarah Bulmer and also get the opportunity to spend hours looking through his enormous catalogue of illustrations to bring to life on his website.

Months of preparation through the summer saw the unveiling of Cheryl-ann’s new Knitwear Exhibition at The Gallery at Ryedale Folk Museum on August 23rd. The exhibition, entitled ‘Dress’ was a huge success for The Gallery and for Cheryl-ann personally and ran until 19th October. This was a slight shift away from her usual knitwear sample design business, Knitwit Design, but was a very enjoyable experience. We would like to thank everyone involved with the exhibition at The Ryedale Folk Museum and especially the Curator, Andrew Dalton for having the vision to bring the exhibition to the public.

Noelle and Tim Thornton at Noelle’s Cottages worked extremely hard to develop a dilapidated barn at Middleton Hall into a fantastic and unique holiday property in 2008. The Barn proved an instant hit and played its part in helping Noelle’s Cottages win the Yorkshire Tourist Board White Rose Award for Self Catering Holiday of the Year which they thoroughly deserved.

Design Farm rebranded and fully revamped the existing website to bring it inline with the new developments and it has proved to be a great success with Noelle’s Cottages being shortlisted for the UK Self Catering Holiday of the Year!

In November, we did a two-day photo shoot at our home for a magazine article which will be published in the New Year in a number of international interiors magazines. We’ll keep you posted on this as it goes to press.

Towards the back end of 2008 one of the UK’S biggest label printing companies based in Bradford, The Label Makers Ltd, came to Design Farm to oversee the development of a new website promoting their products and services. The project is due to be completed early on in 2009.

So much happened in 2008 to have put into this blog but you can visit all of the websites we have developed in Sites by Design Farm links on the right.

We would like to thank everyone we worked with and befriended and look forward to working with you all again in 2009, thanks for your custom and support.

Gary & Cheryl-ann.