This made me smile so much…. soppy but great : )

Here at Provide Design we don’t like to think of ourselves as Party Poopers. We like to think of ourselves as Christmas Crackers – explosively good and containing lots of nice surprises (and the odd really bad joke). Today we just wanted to write about something which becomes very apparent this time of year.

We’re not being Party Poopers and there isn’t a humbug in sight, but as Christmas gets closer it seems a lot of us use it as a reason to panic and forget about what lies ahead until it is all over and we are comfortably in the New Year.

From a business perspective we have seen many Christmases where everything is rushed into the last few days. Suppliers drop the ball, clients ring expecting the impossible and there isn’t even time to think about the Christmas shopping! This is when detail is missed and our need to get the year over and done with can cloud our foresight and we forget about planning for the coming months.

This year we did it differently. We planned all our marketing activity, we booked our jobs in advance so there would be no need for Christmas Eve deliveries and we made sure that when January comes round it will be a solid continuation on from 2008. No drastic resolutions – just keep stuck to the business plan.

We also employed the assistance of marketing experts to guide us on what our next move should be. Designers and creatives we are, but as marketeers we have a lot to learn – always bring in the professionals to move this part of your business forward.

So this year we will be relaxed and comfy over Christmas knowing what is coming next. Nice feeling – works great with mulled wine.

So Merry Christmas everyone – have a great time. Unwind and if you’ve not done it already, at least mentally prepare for an awesome 2009 – it will be one!

I think it was Einstein who said; “The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources” , as inevitably all designers will, one way or another, draw their inspiration from a variety of sources. As graphic and web designers it’s always a good idea to keep ahead of the field and see what’s around the corner and ultimately to keep your ideas and creativity fresh.

Well, here are our favourite design related websites for 2008. We have selected these sites as they have not only inspired us, but have become the weekly read with a cup of coffee as well as useful tools and resources we call upon now and then.

Graphic Exchange

www.graphic-exchange.com

Web Designers Wall

www.webdesignerwall.com

I Love Typography

www.ilovetypography.com

Think Design Blog

www.thinkdesignblog.com

CSSRemix

www.cssremix.com

Coroflot

www.coroflot.com

Core77

www.Core77.com

ffffound

www.ffffound.com

Colour Lovers

www.colourlovers.com

The Favourite Website Awards

www.thefwa.com

FunkBunk Part 2 is ready! FunkBunk’s neighbouring office space has just been finished and is ready for carpet, cables and some new tenants. The commercial office space is available to rent from FunkBunk as desk spaces just like the original FunkBunk or if the right tenant comes along then they can snap up the entire space for an incredibly good rate.

Good parking, great location and high speed broadband are just some of the plus points.

Contact FunkBunk for more information. or call us on 0845 003 9559

Provide Design are proud to announce we are teaming up with Marketing Agency BigBird Marketing. BigBird differs from most marketing agencies by pooling the very best resources from Milton Keynes, Luton, Aylesbury, Northampton and the surrounding area and combining them into one super group.

We are surrounded by great talent in this area and BigBird have collected up the best; the cream of the crop of independent writers, designers, SEO experts, photographers, event organisers and more.

Here at Provide Design we stick to what we do best – Designing brand identities, printed materials and websites. Being part of the BigBird network has expanded our expertise enabling delivery of whole marketing solutions that can make our clients really fly.

Find out all about BigBird at www.bigbirdmarketing.co.uk (their rather special website we just recently designed and built).