MUSGRAVE - Web site Design, Graphic Design, Cumbria, Barrow-in-Furness, Manchester

ATIC ATTACK

We're pleased to announce the lanch of the brand new ATIC Records web site. Home to artists including AIM, Niko, Gripper, Crowhead and Death of The Neighbourhood the ATIC site features a brand new store selling classic and new tracks on vinyl and MP3 along with other cool merchandise for discerning music lovers. Thanks to Andy and Nicole for furnishing the studio with ATIC sounds and for my nice new AIM shirt. Make someone happy - buy them some ATIC today!

This month we're also stuck into some great new projects including a web site for Chetham's School of Music in Manchester. We got the Chets gig after a three-way pitch and were selected on the strength of our creative interpretation of the brand and digital project credentials.

Meanwhile a really varied mix of branding, graphic design, software development, search engine optimisation and e-marketing projects are keeping us busy.

We always make room for more though. So don't be afraid to knock on our door!

As our friend Bob says, "Keep smiling".

Paul Musgrave
Creative Director

It seems safe to say that significant discovery, really creative thinking, does not occur with regard to problems about which the thinker is lukewarm.
Mary Henle

The Musgrave Newsletter

Who we are

We are creative thinkers and digital innovators. We are creative consultants, designers, website developers, information architects and champions of good practice.

We like people. We like listening to people getting passionate about their own ideas and ambitions. Helping to make ideas real and empowering people to achieve ambitions is what really makes us tick.

We are not cheap but we do pride ourselves on our ability to work creatively with any budget to deliver maximum impact and return on investment. We (and our clients) place a realistic value on our creativity and the benefits that it can bring.

We only work with people who value the expertise and experience that people like us can offer - people who want a genuine relationship that will be mutually beneficial in personal and business terms.

What we do

Creative Consultancy, Brand Identity Development, Web site Design, Digital Media Design and Consultancy, Information Architecture, Digital Marketing Campaigns, Graphic Design, Advertising, E-Marketing campaigns, Graphical Interface Design, Content Management System CMS development using Joomla, Mambo, ASP.net, Umbraco, CMS made simple.

We do all this and more for people all over the UK and abroad.

Right now we're busy in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, Lancashire, Manchester, Ulverston, Liverpool, Grange-Over-Sands, London, Kendal, Carlisle, Windermere, Merseyside, Bolton, Leicester and New York.

Why it matters

Because creative ideas make a difference to the lives and businesses of our clients. The difference comes in many forms:

Increased return on investment, loyal customers, more sales, wider audiences, greater market awareness, enhanced perception of brand identity - all of which are aims and objectives for building a better business and a more satisfying customer experience.

We help you to create reasons for the people who use your products or services to keep coming back for more. That's why it matters.

How to see

Our work with The Ruskin Foundation began with an invitation to deliver an identity and website for their "How to see" project. Four of the Musgrave team went on a 'school trip' to Brantwood, John Ruskin's former home on the shores of Coniston in Cumbria, to learn all about the great man and his theories on sight and vision. Mightily inspired we returned to the studio full of ideas about creating logos derived from optical illusions and ways to bring Ruskin's ideas to life in digital media. We also returned full of homemade cake from the fantastic cafe at Brantwood.
A month or so later and the fruits of our labour went live at what was reported to be a fantastic launch event. Unfortunately the Musgrave team missed the launch but we do look forward to exploring the shores pf Coniston with our Looking Tubes when we next visit to discuss the forthcoming interactive piece entitled "Heartsight". Watch this space...through a looking tube if you like. See the "How to See" website here.
BLAST FROM THE PAST VOL.2: Beetham Organization website

Launched back in 2005 The Beetham Organization website is still one of our finest achievements in open source web development.
Developed in collaboration with Uniform, this website broke the mould of content management. The bespoke components we developed allow the client to update all content including image-based flash panels. We even pushed the boat out back in the day to include features such as processing of live webcam images into flash sequences 'on the fly'.
We continue to work with Uniform to further develop the site and a number of the site components are now under reconstruction to meet changing marketing needs.
DigITal ambITion

In Manchester we worked with the MDDA (Manchester Digital Development Agency) to develop brand identity, digital branding and website design for the AmbITion project. AmbITion is a £1.2m Arts Council England project run by our friend and prolific blogger Hannah Rudman and Manchester Digital Development Agency, working together with Cambridge University; some of the sector’s most senior change and technology consultants; and Arts Council England’s Organisational Development: Thrive! programme.
We're excited about the AmbITion project and its goals, which the MDDA site sums up best:
"AmbITion will enable arts organisations to develop effective use of digital technology across all areas of their business and artistic practice, improving their offer and competitiveness in a 21st century market."
It's digital - we dig IT all!
BLAST FROM THE PAST VOL.1: Arts Mag.net

Arts Magnet takes us back to 2004, when Musgrave developed the brand identity.
Arts Magnet, the digital development agency for the arts sector in the North West at the time, supported the arts sector in its future strategies for the use of Information Technology in meeting its artistic, audience, and business aspirations.
The popular typographic look and feel of Arts Mag.net is being developed further for a new project called AmbITion (see news above).
Picture perfect
A simple site for our friend Caroline and her perfect products at Picture Perfect - another great business based in Cumbria. Honey I've blown up the kids...check out the website.
Football Crazy!
We designed this logo for Lanternhouse International back in October but the more I look at it the more I love it so I decided to post it to the site. Football Iliad - The finale of the Trojan War as a football match. Two opposing sides, Greeks and Trojans in an all or nothing local derby. Football mad!
Random exploration at The Bluecoat

Our design and development for Phase 2 of The Bluecoat website delivers a beautiful new random navigation experience. Visit the site and click on the 'browse' menu item to see it in action.
The Bluecoat in Liverpool will re-open on March 15 2008 with a mission statement "To provide an innovative contemporary arts experience shaped by and going beyond, the unique building that houses it." Our vision for the website and other digital media developments for the Bluecoat mirror this intention and the planned launches in early 2008 will see The Bluecoat lead the way in using creative web technology to connect people, culture and communities.

Put the big light on

Our website for Lanternhouse International in Ulverston, Cumbria went live and launched a new brand identity in the process.
We're now looking forward to more good coffee, good company and good conversation as we work on monthly content development together.
Park Life
We delivered a website and brand identity for The Park Leisure Centre in Barrow-in-Furness and the launch of Club MAX - a new youth gym - and the refurbished pool, gym and sports complex. We worked closely with the architects and interior designers DV8 Designs, fitness equipment providers Pulse, and the Leisure Centre management team to create a fresh and dynamic image befitting the exciting development and new facilities at The Park.
A good idea wins every time

We delivered a brochure design and CMS based website for The Chetwynde Hotel in Barrow-in-Furness.
I think our all-out creative approach and desire to raise people's expectations of design gave us the edge over our competition - and we really enjoyed transforming the image of this lovely place.
The sound of a busy studio

Paul Musgrave,
Sun, 20th January 2008
The last two weeks has been so busy we've met ourselves coming backwards. Projects have been landing thick and fast creating a pace of work that means there's a buzz about the studio that puts a smile on people's faces. As our designer Welshy said "It was a pleasure this week to see our client's enjoying what we had worked hard to produce."
With the majority of projects being completely or partly confidential I'm stuck for what to write here except to say that many people are thinking 'Green', but a deeper green that isn't just jumping on the bandwagon of going paperless or offsetting carbon footprints. We'll talk more on this when we can.
So rather than list links or post pics of work in progress I've decided to post the most frequently played tracks on the studio sound system this week. I'll kick off with my Sunday shift playlist and we'll add the most played tunes as the week progresses so watch this space...
The Rurals - 10th Chapter:
Full album (nice website too)
Babyshambles - Down in Albion:
Killamangiro
Joni Mitchell - Shine:
Shine (lyrics to make us all think)
Wolfman feat. Pete Doherty - For Lovers
Mark Ronson - Version:
His Website (www.markronson.co.uk)
Radio 1 & Kerry's iTunes
We fancied a bit of variety
Paul Horn - Inside the Taj Mahal 1&2
Recorded inside the Taj Mahal in 1968 - Listened to this sitting off with a sketch book in Jon Barraclough's kitchen
Flowered up - Weekender
System of a Down - Mesmerize
www.systemofadown.com
Lanternhouse International leave the big light on

Formerly known as Welfare State International, Lanternhouse International approached us when they needed a very fast change from their existing website to a temporary but still effective and informative homepage. We called in for a brew with George and Stephen and within one working week we delivered a fully content managed home page, which in fact delivers full news functionality to provide project updates.
We continue to work with Lanternhouse in 2008 to develop a new web strategy and phased delivery of a new website.
Premex Site Launches

On the 18th December 2007 we launched three new websites for the Bolton based Premex Group of companies.
Premex Services is the UK's largest provider of medico-legal reports and services, including rehabilitation and diagnostics, to the legal profession and the insurance industry.
We delivered an ASP.net solution to compliment internal IT strategy, providing an extensible website and content management framework for the entire group.
Dan Chesney, Marketing Manager at Premex became an honorary member of the Musgrave team while we worked very closely over a short timeframe on an intense design and development path. Our work with Premex on their web development and digital branding programme continues in 2008 with the launch of the Premex Group website and creative emarketing campaigns.
www.premexservices.co.uk
www.accuro.co.uk
www.premex-insight.co.uk
Musgrave shows young people that Business Rocks!

Business rocked at this year’s ‘Business Rocks’ event at our HQ, the Canteen Media & Arts Centre in Barrow-in-Furness.

As part of their Enterprise Week, Furness Enterprise organised two half-day music industry workshops for pupils from local schools. The Year 10 pupils were challenged to come up with a name and logo for a pop group, perform and produce its first song and film an accompanying music video in one day.

Our designers Paul Welsh and Kerry Wicks worked with the youngsters on names and logo designs while East Beach Studios and Northern Riviera Productions, also based in the the Media & Arts Centre brought their music and video to life. Our team enjoyed the challenge and we were proud to see the work that the young people had produced at Musgrave when it was showcased at the Furness Enterprise AGM. Participating in events like this is important to our commitment to developing employment opportunities in the local area and to enhancing the profile of the Creative Industries in Cumbria.
You can see pictures from the Business Rocks event here and read more about the event at http://www.gofurness.com/