We are so trusting!

Having watched this I am rethinking how I operate, particularly when I’m travelling and with mobile data such a minefield outside of Europe, (god only knows what Brexit will have to offer us after a resolution), if our wonderful Politicians can put their differences behind them and put the interests of the Country and the public first for a change! (Rant Over)!

Think twice before you sign in to ANY unknown source and get some security on your mobile devices for

F-Secure sake!

Europe are sick of this and in no mood to talk! 

Join the club. 

May has been true to the crap position the country stupidly put govt. in and tried to deliver. 

Most would’ve stuck their fingers up and walked by now. 

She can’t but I can. I’m out, Can’t be bothered with the politics or the politicians. 

How do I turn it all off and get on with my life without having to listen to more of this sorry mess? 

It’s so pathetic it’s not even funny any more!

It feels like everyone who voted out has been cheated and so have all us remainers!

Bye!

About 15 years ago while working for BT, we were invited to HQ at Holborn for a design briefing. 

We’d won the BT account after pitching for an online game, that was a bit ‘dungeons and dragons’, called Shades! Nothing like the video games of today and from memory sat next to a product called Telecom Gold, which always surprised me. (Think Teletext and you’d be about in the right place).  

I believe we won the pitch on merit but there was talk after the event, of one agency blowing it by creating an advert that threatened ‘We’ll drown the kitten in the toilet! (It was precariously held over the pan), if you don’t subscribe’!  

The other agency dressed a plate of food at the ‘gala pitch presentation’ with Ivy, (way before anti-bribery and not being able to entertain clients), and got no further as the boss thought she was being poisoned! Happy days for rtfacts as BT would play a major part in our future and shape our company over the next 12 years. 

Back to the design briefing – We’d been to a few and there were always interesting people presenting, today was no exception. 

A particularly stunning young lady exec from Interbrand New York explained the latest brand refresh to the agencies gathered in the auditorium. She strutted up and down in a very distracting manor (for all the men), (and ladies of that persuasion I guess), which was quite alarming to be honest. Notably for myself as I was unable to concentrate and remembered very little of what the aforementioned stunning young lady had said! 

She did say one thing that really stuck with me and there is a new version of the same thing I’m hearing again today, so someone somewhere has yet again recycled this great old idea. 

The new BT imagery was designed to ‘create tension’ with the reader!  

Whaaat? Why do we want to make them tense? 

I didn’t get it at the time and my simple boy brain wanted to re-imagine the whole idea as a perfectly simple visual metaphor, but that wasn’t what Interbrand meant at all. 

Their notion was that the image needed to be quirky and not make total sense and not always sit comfortably within the layout. The supporting text needed to challenge and question and make people think about what they were looking at. 

The new version of the ‘Creating Tension’ is ‘disruption’.

We’ve seen it referenced recently with graphics, attitudes and culture!  

We’re in! So, if anyone wants to create some ‘disruption’ in the market-place give us a shout.  

We love a challenge and there is nothing and spark of creativity and a bit of disruption can’t achieve I’d imagine!

Have you always wanted your business to be a big business but can’t really see how that’s going to happen?

Join our happy little cooperative and perhaps it might me one day? 

Let me start at the beginning.

rtfacts have been many sizes in 25 years and I can assure you big definitely isn’t always better. Yes, big comes with bonuses.

More money, more exciting projects, more recognition, but it also comes with headaches.

I became an ‘HR manager’ and spent more time looking after staff issues than I did my beloved clients.

Wages have to be paid every Month and those exciting jobs can take Months to complete – and Invoice.

Big clients have clout and don’t want to part with their money, some want 90 days credit, which can mean 180 days (yes half a year REALLY!)

to get paid for that big exciting job!

Cashflow is generated in many ways but the quick turnaround ‘down and dirty’ jobs create cash quickly and often fund the big exciting jobs, we were ‘so keen’ to work on.

Every job has its value and we’ve learned to love and appreciate all work clients bring through our doors, whatever the size, value or excitement.

rtfacts have at times been full service. What I mean by that is we’ve had ALL the skills in-house to provide every part of the marketing mix from copy and concepts to planning and buying.

That’s fine when everyone is as in demand as each other, but not so much when your highly paid copywriter isn’t working for two weeks as you have nothing to write. (I’m talking pre-blogs and social media where downtime could be actively beneficial).

As the dynamics of our business have changed we have swapped the ability to make money on every element of our design for web and print processes and instead, partnered with like-minded and compatible businesses, so we have a broad product offer but no responsibility for anything other than our passion – Design for print and web.

So an rtfacts client may come to rtfacts for Design for web and print projects but can also take advantage of the world-class PPC Google experts we have on site – www.mymustard.co.uk. If you need Photography we can put your team www.intheframephotographyltd.co.uk. An Event that needs AV and all the trimmings can be managed by www.eventsfocus.co.uk and after all that you may need to relaxxxxx – www.nutmegspa.co.uk isn’t in the office but it’s a few doors down and offers a unique spa experience. If you’re looking for some serious heavyweight IT staff recruiting http://www.entasispartners.co.uk can likely help.

And if you really want some really discrete service, Just Waxing sort of says it all and is based at 109, although not a lot of people know this yet.

We have one room free Air conditioned, fibre broadband and 247/365 access for the right partner?

I’d love it to be a programmer or writer or accountant startup that wants

Out of the bedroom and into boardroom?

If you read this and think Hemel old town might be for you, or a friend get in touch. It will probably be the best call you ever make.

Be the Best has been synonymous with the ARMY for as long as I can remember. 

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There are many companies with slogans that really could do with looking at, (not because they are not PC or Inclusive), but because they are rubbish and don’t reflect their businesses in any way but, BE THE BEST sort of sums up the ARMY and needs no attention in my humble.

I have shown a couple of example below to illustrate why our countries ARMY slogan should never be made more politically correct and Inclusive and why it must always be supporting the notion that the best is the least the ARMY will accept?

ARMY

ANYONE & EVERYONE,

ARMY

QUITE GOOD IS GOOD ENOUGH, 

If that’s OK with you guys?

Seriously!

I was in the Fleet Air Arm aged 16.5 years and from that early age was told that we didn’t like the crabs, the pongos, bootnecks, or the smellies for that matter but, that was simply Forces banter. When push came to shove all the Forces combined into a well-oiled machine ready for anything. 

My Brother always tells people I was attracted to the Navy because of their slogan – Join the NAVY Feel a Man (pre homophobia and no idea what a PC was frankly), but If that made you laugh fair dinkum! 

I’m bound to say – If you wish for peace – prepare for war so

Keep the ARMY slogan!

Is it elitist? YES – That’s exactly the point! We should all want our ARMY to ‘be the best’, I for one hope they don’t dumb it down.

The caps in the top image we did for our friend Loucas Davenport (Dave to his ARMY friends), and I’m still proud to wear mine.

Let’s talk

That’s me at the start of the ramp! Invincible and the first Sea Harriers. And just hanging about!

We have produced every kind of printed literature over the years but converting them to sliding or turning pages has always been a technological ‘belt and braces’. This example was produced specifically as a slider and all the better for it i’d say?
Click the CONTENTS top left to see what it can do.

https://threalestate.com/mipim-2017/#page=1

These look stunning, are so simple to put up and you’ll wonder why you ever thought magnets were clever! Years of service and easily replaceable components to keep the message relevant. Give us a call and let’s have a chat about your fabric pop up stand.

Is a double sided hand held banner naff?

Half of me says it is and the other half says, “at the right event these could be as annoyingly fantastic as Voo voo zelas”?

If you’ve got the right event, I’ve got the annoyingly great banners!

We love working with Colleges and Universities but it’s not easy getting your foot in the door.

Pitching can mean a lot of work and if you’re unsuccessful it’s a bitter pill, but the work is great fun and can still work for us.

Our pitch for University of Beds included the extremely campaignable illustrations and covered prospectus, online and outdoor media, all our favourites in one package.

If you’re a College or University and you’re looking for something
Less Ordinary 

Give rtfacts a call

07831700081 and ask for Roger, Tony or Emma!