The National Open Garden Scheme is an incredible venture that gives the public access to more than 3500 outstanding gardens in the UK whilst raising huge amounts of money for nursing and health charities through admissions, and sales of tea and cake.

“Thanks to the generosity of garden owners, volunteers and visitors we have donated over £63 million to nursing and health charities, and in 2021 donated over £3 million. Our beneficiaries include Macmillan Cancer Support, Marie Curie, Hospice UK and The Queen’s Nursing Institute.” - NGS

Can design help us live alongside climate change? How do we navigate climate change when it comes to growing food, maintaining ecosystems, managing floods and droughts and protecting our landscapes to withstand weather extremes?

A number of years ago we ran the social media accounts for a fantastic fresh produce company in The Netherlands. Every Friday we would photograph 'giant fresh produce' for a fun post to lighten everyone's day. Enjoy some of our images from the archives! We would love to hear how you would caption these images.

A while ago we had the privilege of working with M&S and the Royal Thai Government to deliver a campaign to raise awareness of Thai fruit in the UK. With products ranging from drinking coconuts to rambutans, we attended consumer shows, wrote press releases, ran a social media campaign and were also lucky enough to take two influencers for a tour of Thailand, visiting plantations and farms, as well as experiencing some of the sights and historical landmarks that Thailand has to offer.

Business is competitive, and the need to stand out is relentless. We all believe we have a great product, but perhaps in our more cynical moments (if we are really honest with ourselves), we wonder whether what we offer is really any better than what our competitors are offering. The reality is, it might not be. As a result we can often become fixated on finding our point of difference and this can end up being a little forced or unconvincing. Instead, why not focus on doing exactly what you do, really well? It is not always about finding something new or different, but often about paying close attention to detail and being memorable for the right reasons.

Personalisation sells, everywhere. Websites such as NotOnTheHighStreet are incredibly successful in the world of gifting because many gifts that they sell can be personalised. The trend doesn't end with gifting. Personalised nutrition, fitness plans, shopping experiences, adverts, and even gut health analysis are all ideas that are entering our consciousness at the moment.

Foraging is becoming increasingly popular across various industries, particularly in food and beverages, cosmetics, and in health supplements. In this article we look at 10 brands using foraged ingredients as well as exploring the reasons why this activity is so on trend at the moment. Not only is it a practice that promotes sustainability and connection with nature, but there is also a significant educational aspect to it as well. 

Stoke-on-Trent is known as the home of the pottery industry, with over 300 years of ceramic-making across the six towns. There now remains only a handful of working pottery factories in Stoke, with many of the towns falling into economic decline. I wanted to create a photography project that reflects on what life is like in Stoke-on-Trent now and how some of the remaining industrial areas appear today. Looking at the reflection in the photo to the right, you can imagine how the kiln may have looked in its prime, with the reality of today’s abandoned junkyard hidden from view. Although now derelict, these kiln sites are beacons of what the city once was, reminding locals of the vibrant and creative industry that once boomed here.

I was speaking to a company recently about the importance of not just showing a product, but of creating a usage occasion to give people a reason to purchase it.

In 2021 I visited New York in November, fulfilling a dream that I’d had for many years. It was everything I hoped for and more, and there is something incredibly magical about seeing all the landmarks you have grown up seeing pictures of, in real life. We packed a lot in to the 10 days that we were there, including an ice hockey match, a show by Cirque De Soleil, pancakes, the 911 memorial, a run around Central Park, the views from the One World Trade Centre, FAO Schwartz, Tiffany, the whispering gallery at Grand Central Station, walking The High Line, Lady Liberty and Staten Island, the Christmas lights of Dyker Heights, and much, much more. I love to document my experiences with photography and sometimes the photos speak better than words, so I hope you enjoy experiencing New York with me here.

In recent years the packaging industry has come under close scrutiny for its environmental impact, and the pressure is on to reduce ‘overpackaging’ and waste. Where packaging designers had been guilty of prioritising form over function (or even by starting with function but adding excessive gimmicks), there is a new joy in trying to optimise function with as few materials as possible.

I had the privilege of visiting The Wonderful World of the Ladybird Book Artists at Victoria Art Gallery in Bath, which exhibits a fabulous display of books and original artwork from Ladybird’s ‘Golden Years’ between 1940 and 1975. Embarking upon a journey that illustrated the origins of the famously beautiful board books that are iconic in size (we will talk more about the reason for this later), feel and appearance, the exhibition takes you from Bunnikin’s Picnic Party right through to the fairy tales we know and love.

A number of years ago we took on the UK email marketing for Zespri, alongside its annual marketing activities. When we took on the newsletter it had 300 recipients, and recipient interaction was poor. In just six months we had built the mailing list to 15.5k, without ‘buying’ recipients. It was all about having a good content structure, mailing with consistency and good design/development practice, and using smart ways to get people to sign up to the mailing list.

By altering plant genetics, this company has come up with a way to create a plant that will remove and recycle harmful pollutants from/in the air, with the combined effectiveness of up to 30 of the most popular air purifying houseplants. Starting at $179 this is not a plant you would want to kill by mistake, but if you want to buy it, there is a waiting list.

This week we love companies that are creating waves in the recycling, repurposing and repairing industry to close the loop in industry waste. Many companies are identifying the need to take responsibility for the full lifecycle of their product, including what happens to it when it is no longer useful. We have featured five interesting concepts.

The battle over getting branded produce onto UK supermarket shelves has been going on for decades, but what if there was a way to revolutionise the whole system to increase profitability and market share?

We are excited to launch the new Stationery Club from Brandbloom, which is your opportunity to have beautifully illustrated stationery delivered to your door every month. Alternatively, it can be purchased as a gift subscription, or as a one-off purchase.

I was lucky to attend the launch of the new Morris & Co wallpaper, paint and fabric collection recently at Kelmscott Manor, with Cotswold Curtains.