The Mo Bros here at RJ are breathing a sigh of relief today, their faces are less itchy, but more chilly, as Movember has drawn to an end and we bid farewell to their menacing moustaches and grisly goatees.

A massive THANK YOU to everyone who donated to our Mo Bros’ campaign, you contributed £138 to help raise awareness of prostate and testicular cancers, and ultimately save lives.

Mo-ve over Magnum!

The air is filled with testosterone at RJDA, as this month we’re shunning our shavers, binning our beard trimmers and relegating our razors for MoVember!

The campaign has been helping to raise awareness of prostate and testicular cancer since 2003, and Mo-Bros around the world have so far raised £106million.

Despite the precision air-brushing skills of our design studio, none of these ‘taches have been digitally enhanced… and I’m sure you’ll agree our Mo Bros can give the likes of Magnum PI, Hercules Poirot and Charles Bronson a run for their mo-ney, so please show your support and click to donate to this worthy cause.

http://uk.movember.com/donate/team-details/id/336894/searchTerm/RJ+Moustache+Associates

The eagerly-awaited who’s who of the design industry has been revealed by Design Week, the magazine of choice for over 35,000 design professionals and marketers.

Derbyshire-based RJ Design Associates are celebrating 47 reasons to be cheerful after polling some impressive debut stats:

5th highest new entry, 8th place in the most bullish top 100 groups for predicted growth and 47th overall on the Top 100 design consultancy list.

RJDA installs Seal laminator to handle widest output.

Derbyshire-based design and print company RJ Design Associates (RJDA) have installed a 2m Seal 80Pro laminator as part of its ongoing drive for wider and faster large format print and finishing solutions.

The laminator, supplied by CWE Solutions, will complement RJDA’s print hardware, including its HP Designjet LX65500 latex machine. The Seal 80Pro can manage a range of substrates and applications including floor graphics, rigid indoor and outdoor boards, vinyl, back-lit, pop-up and roll material as well as enhancing RJDA’s vehicle wrapping capabilities.

“There were a few reasons for buying the Seal 80Pro. Firstly, it is a lot faster, controllable and more efficient than our current, older one”

“As requirements have increased for 2 or 3m wide print on our latex and flat-bed machines, so has finishing and we needed to be able to mount, encapsulate and laminate up to at least 1,600mm. A wider laminating solution is crucial for the plethora of work RJDA produce.”  commented Managing Director Rob Walker.

Bearings manufacturer INA FAG (a part of the Schaeffler Group) came to RJDA for some ideas for a direct mail campaign. The objective being to raise awareness  to Maintenance Personnel and Financial Directors that preventative maintenance is worthy of investment to avoid catastrophic down time in the event of machinery breaking down.

The chosen concept was based around prevention is better than cure and took on a medical approach to the visual style. The direct mail was sent out in a prescription bag, which also contained a doctors surgery styled appointment card with a call to action to meet the Schaeffler Team on stand at the Maintec exhibition at the NEC.

Along with direct mail piece an e- shot was also designed and delivered, a dedicated micro-site created and hosted, trade advertising produced and animation developed which was used on both the micro-site and on the stand.

INA FAG got a very positive reaction from this marketing collateral, leaving them in rude health at the end of the exhibition.

View the INA FAG web case study

View all web case studies

RJDA have unveiled their latest large format print acquisition for 2011, the AGFA Jeti 1224 UV HDC FTR – the fastest photorealistic industrial grade flat-to-roll (FTR) display graphics printer in its class.

The Jeti 1224′s state of the art 2.4m engine will give RJDA the best of both worlds, High Definition Colour (HDC) from each of its 24 print heads, combined with a significant increase in production capacity.

Capable of printing 110m2 in express mode the Jeti 1224 features four colour plus white in a single pass and benefits from a motor driven vacuum bed for precise registration and highly accurate dot placement up to 1200 dpi.

Right on cue and maybe a sign of things to come the RJDA production schedule was ramped up over the Easter period to roll out corporate signage across 3 sites for Progress Rail Services following their recent acquisition of Balfour Beatty Rail’s UK trackwork manufacturing business.

The results are simply amazing but don’t just take our word for it, check out our new kit in action.

Whatever your large format print requirements from signage, banners and portable displays, through to hoardings, billboards and point of sale you can be confident RJDA can be your perfect large format solution partner.

Got a large format print job? Contact us now for a quote….

Every year Ecobuild attracts more & more visitors and for Stancliffe Stone this years event at ExCel proved no exception.

The combination of careful planning, and the launch of a new range of tactile marketing collateral has given Stancliffe an edge within the stone industry, something which Marketing and Communications Manager, Beverley Hill reflects on with a great deal of positivity.

“Working closely with RJDA’s creative team our Box of Stone branding was born”

“Packaging and distributing natural stone samples can present its own unique challenges. RJDA’s creative team, through their expertise and sheer perseverance delivered a winning formula.

The box of stone brand is both practical and versatile and has proved an overwhelming success.”

Understanding and communicating the essence of a fledgling business is the key to successful branding, none more so when the positioning required is one of a high-quality, sophisticated look and feel.

When a touch of class was required for Chesterfield based Klasse Vibe and Klasse Spa for their mind, body and well being business rebrand, RJDA distinguished themselves from the competition by delivering the complete marketing solution.

A new suite of logos and the launch of 2 newly created websites will herald a much improved web user experience, utilising social media feeds, data capture, and customised Google maps.

Both sites have been built with valid HTML/CSS techniques and significant improvements to the content have also been made through using the latest SEO-friendly design techniques.

View our web design portfolio.

The race is on for this years RJDA annual staff charity event – The British 10k London run.

Up to 10 RJDA staff members, 25,000 runners and 40,000 spectators will be assembled along part of the route used for next years 2012 Olympic Marathon.

Join the RJDA team on the start line at Hyde Park corner on July 10th at 09:35 as the race winds its way past London Eye, Big Ben, Downing Street and other famous London landmarks.

Confirmed RJDA race goers as of going to press include Andy, Ross, Lee & Studio Manager Chris Reynolds aka Rocket Renner the road race veteran.

Will Chris’ knee hold, Billy’s stag weekend materialise or Lee’s ankle actually mend in time to even start training?

Please help us to help our chosen charities, as always your donations are always very gratefully received.

Quirky, pocket sized, durable and versatile were just a few of the buzz words that went into the creative mix to make up RJDA’s latest brief.

Add to that a combination of digital and litho print technology, die cutting, print finishing and collation and RJDA’s most recent project for Balfour Beatty Plant & Fleet Services (BBPFS) was sure to present a few challenges.

First Things First outlines a drivers daily check routine to ensure BBPFS vehicles are kept safe and roadworthy each and every day of the year by detailing an 18 point maintenance regime.

Commenting on RJDA’s creative approach, Fleet Services Compliance Manager Gemma Heasman was full of praise “The swatches and handouts look absolutely fantastic and will go a long way to helping Balfour Beatty on its journey towards Zero Harm.”

The countdown is on for this years Design Week Top 100, the magazine of choice for over 35,000 design professionals and marketers.

It’s that time of year to make ready your financial figures and prepare them for the annual Top 100 design consultancy’s. With business on the up and investment in new large format print technology planned for the second quarter of 2011, RJDA have their sights set on an impressive debut.

The deadline for applications is 2 March, and the Top 100 survey will be published w/c 26th May.

More to follow…

The internet as we know it may have a myriad of uses but one fact remains certain, little over 20 years ago the World Wide Web exploded from an unknown entity to one which now pervades every aspect of our digital lives.

“What should they call this new browser. The Mine of Information? The Information Mesh? When a name was settled on in May 1990, it was to be called the WorldWideWeb…and so the worlds first web page was sprung”

Matt Underwood, Web Development Manager at RJDA and Web Designer Kat Wesley, who together boast an impressive 16 years combined web experience between them, are well placed to reflect on just how far the web has moved on from its humble inception in 1989. Fast forward over 2 decades and who could have predicted there would be…

240 million – registered domain names
2 billion – hits a day for the webs most popular site www.google.com
$16.5 million – the value of the worlds most expensive domain www.insure.com
166 – different web browsers

Accurate as of May 2010 netcraft.com

“As web designers we keep up to date with the latest trends and technologies so we can build flexible and future proof websites. We constantly strive to push the boundaries of creative design whilst complying to web standards and accessibility guidelines”

“We’ll take time to examine visitor trends and map out a typical journey through each website we create to maximise usability and enhance visitor interaction.”

RJDA are at the forefront of the very latest web trends offering fully integrated web solutions such as web video, search engine optimisation, digital marketing as well as e-commerce systems, content management solutions and secure off-site hosting.

RJDA’s multimedia team have recently completed the following web sites and are ready and awaiting their next challenge!

Click here to view our web case studies

Profile, personalise and profit.

Personalised content can significantly boost customer loyalty, sales conversions and return on investment. Your customers like it, your competitors are probably already doing it and your kids are definitely buying into it…in short personalisation works.

Personal by definition describes how relevant, connected, or applicable something is to a given matter and RJDA are perfectly geared up to respond to these same exacting requirements.

If you are looking to drive business and profit through the following channels, Web to print, DM, Personalised URL’s, E shots or Digital print make sure you speak to an RJDA Account Manager today – 01159 445 428.

3 months FREE trial offer

Ask about our 3 months trial offer for Marketing IP, THE next generation web to print portal that everyone is talking about.

When RJDA were briefed on their latest web based assignment it certainly whet the appetite of RJDA’s multimedia team, Matt Underwood & Kat Wesley. The task ahead was to create a content managed, database driven, interactive map for Balfour Beatty Rail to infinitely link locations across a range of group companies.

Six months on and after hours of development work the Property Locator is live and more than surpassing its original brief.

Speaking on the functionality the new site delivers, Corporate Services Property Manager Rob Harrison enthused: “The Balfour Beatty Rail locator map is a digital asset to centralise our estates portfolio across a range of group companies. It provides key information at the click of a button and can be frequently updated with the functionality to password protect sensitive data as and when required.”

Adding Value

“What has impressed me particularly working with RJDA’s multimedia team is their ability to add value and deliver over and above our original expectations. The locator map is hugely versatile and I am confident we now have a powerful resource in place to drive the different areas of the business forwards in the coming years.”

Fortunately for RJDA their latest creative brief for Derbyshire County Council, entitled Smart Rider, did not end with the infamous Norman Tebbit colloquialism ‘On your bike!’.

Instead DCC’s Road Safety Team were a lot more glowing in their assessment of RJDA’s creative delivery, which featured a brand identity and hand drawn illustrations with a digital twist.

Improving road safety is a top priority for DCC and RJDA have certainly played an important role by project managing the design and digital print of a new suite of training literature to help shape the future of cycle proficiency in Derbyshire.

If you would like RJDA to review your company branding, illustration requirements, or simply explore print management opportunities why not get in touch with our creatives. Email studio@rj-da.co.uk

If you would like to find out more about Smart Rider email roadsafety@derbyshire.gov.uk or click on www.derbyshire.gov.uk

Luxury salon The Hairdressers proprietor Billie Ragosta approached RJDA to look for ideas of how to launch her new Beauty Salon.

When the builders started work on the premises on Castle Boulevard two boxes of letters were found under the floor boards. The correspondence dated back to the 1870′s and many were in Russian, and seemed to indicate a love affair that crossed between Nottingham, France and Russia. The letters and envelopes had an lovely aged patina to them and the handwriting was immaculate.

RJDA used visual elements from letters and rippled this across the new corporate branding to give a sophisticated and bespoke feel to all the marketing elements.

RJDA designed and printed a beautiful brochure with some special finishing techniques employed to give it very high quality feel, along with a new website, photography, copywriting and eshot campaigns.

View The Hairdressers & Beauty Salon website

RJDA are delighted to announce their recent success in a 3 way creative pitch to Warrington based Environmental Protection Group (EPG) for a new logo, corporate ID and content managed website.

The combination of a clean design, classic typeface, revitalised colour palette and a bit of web WOW formed the basis of RJDA’s pitch winning proposition. EPG’s corporate rebrand will be finalised with the launch of their new look website www.epg-ltd.co.uk, which goes live later this month complete with a content managed news section.

The pitch marks the second success in as many months for RJDA, following the East Midlands Agencies appointment to manage the marketing and PR activity for Carbon Composites Manufacturer Atlas Composites.

Following the hugely successful launch of www.idealheating.com earlier in the year who else would Hull based Ideal Commercial turn to redevelop their B2B website rebrand than RJDA – particularly after the aforementioned website ranked no 1 with Google after months of Organic Search Engine Optimisation (Organic SEO) by the RJ-DA team.

The start of August heralds a new beginning for www.idealcommercialheating.com.

The SEO friendly site has been redeveloped with a CMS system, database driven product search tool and social media widgets.

The Ability to register warranty and request project quotation online adds to the browsing experience and there are further plans to include a servicing and training DVD over the coming months.

“It’s not everyday we finish such a big project with such lavish praise”, enthused Web Development Manager Matt Underwood, referring to the thumbs up received from Tom Anderton, Marketing & Product Manager for Ideal Commercial.

“Thanks so much for all your hard work on our new website. RJDA’s technical expertise was only superseded by their friendliness, openness and willingness to make all the amends needed. I truly believe this is one of the best websites of it’s type in the B2B sector and I’m extremely proud to be associated with it.” enthused Tom.

Click here to view the new www.idealcommercialheating.com website.

Click here to find out more about RJDA’s web design services.

Minimising your carbon footprint with www.rjdisplay.co.uk

LARGE FORMAT PRODUCTS & SOLUTIONS

Following the appointment of Damon Piall as Visual Communications Director RJDA are delighted to announce the launch of www.rjdisplay.co.uk – a product driven website to help maximise your large format print output whilst minimising your carbon footprint.

“With environmental print and green printing very much to the fore www.rjdisplay.co.uk represents a perfect combination for clients as RJ-DA’s marketing experts are perfectly placed to ensure campaigns achieve maximum impact from concept through to print. Add into the mix exhibition print, vehicle graphics, vehicle wrapping, portable displays and rolla banners and the brand new RJ Display.co.uk site delivers a powerful blend of eco friendly solutions for large format print in Derby, Nottingham and the East Midlands.” enthused Damon.

If you have been tasked with improving the sustainability of your large format print make sure you visit www.rjdisplay.co.uk.

Alternatively pop in and check out our new environmentally friendly product range, we are located just off junction 25 of the M1 near Derby and Nottingham.

View our range of Green Products

View our range of Niche Products

View our range of Standard Products

View our Green Machines

Sunday 25th July at 15:26 signalled the end of a tantalising wait for RJDA’s skydiving quintet.

The moment had come for Andy, Ben, Chris, Lee & Ross to finally climb aboard Langar Airways, a true no frills airline, destination 13,000 feet with no seats or landing card!

It was time to put up or shut up and it seems most of the team, notably Rocket Renner, did just that. With barely a word spoken the in flight entertainment was severely lacking and the required altitude was reached all too quickly.

A tap of the shoulder and with rolla shutter doors up there was no backing out now…awaiting our Guys in the Skies the first part of their jump, a 45 sec, 120 mph adrenaline fuelled freefall. Gasping for breath, pulses racing and with ice particles in their beards from a band of thick grey cloud (well Ross at least!) the first 7,000 feet was negotiated with dignity mostly still intact.

With parachutes safely deployed things got a little more sedate and the majority of the team (sorry Renner you did look to be suffering there) could savour the remainder of the experience as they wound their way down over the Nottinghamshire countryside.

With feet firmly back on solid ground the Guys in the Skies would like to say a massive thank you to all of you who have pledged your support and we hope the pictures were worth it.

We’re all agreed Skydiving was an awesome experience but we still have a way to go to hit our sponsorship target of £2,000.

If you haven’t already it’s not too late to sponsor the team…

http://www.justgiving.com/RJDAskydive