This is Photolink

Over the last few months we’ve been honoured to host some of the brightest and fastest names in British cycling in the Photolink Studios.

Thanks to our strategic positioning between the BBC Studios at Media City and the Manchester Velodrome, we’ve had world champion cyclists Sir Chris Hoy, Mark Cavendish, Bradley Wiggins, Victoria Pendleton and world champion BMXer Shanaze Reade passing through our doors on an almost regular basis.

So seeing as there are just under 100 days to go until their collective moment of truth at the London 2012 Olympics, we thought we’d take this opportunity to wish them all the very best of luck and point you towards the latest Sky campaign they're starring in.

Featuring imagery that was produced and shot in the Photolink Studios, the campaign will be almost impossible to miss on a series of 48-sheet billboards across the UK as build-up for the forthcoming Olympic Games starts to reach its peak.

Let us know if you see them elsewhere in the country as we've only managed to snap the ones around Manchester on our lunch break! You can guess how proud we all are, can't you?

News, Photographic, Production

Having your name in lights is a dream for most of us. So seeing our hard work – in particular our creative design, production and photographic work for BANK Fashion's latest advertising campaign – on a series of massive billboards nationwide is just as good. If not better.

Spearheading BANK Fashion’s spring/summer campaign, the billboards feature concepts and imagery creatively conceived, directed and produced by the Photolink team led by group creative director John Whalley and fashion production manager Claire Smith.

The photography was shot by Jamie Rowan and the final campaign collateral was designed by Photolink designer Charlotte Bradley.

The campaign centres on the brand’s own exclusive brands Blonde + Blonde, Ribbon, Nanny State, and Rivington, so we worked closely with BANK to develop a concept that would highlight the products’ perfect fit with forthcoming summer trends as well as express the cool and confident nature of the mother brand.

We were asked to help create and produce the entire campaign after an early spring campaign for BANK Fashion had the desired effect. It also tied in nicely with the recent heatwave when it launched. Let’s just hope the weather stays as bright for the latest campaign!

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Creative, Design, News, Photographic, Production

Last month we sent a team to London to film TV presenter and ‘Face of Regis Salons’ Emma Willis joining a handful of prizewinning bloggers for an exclusive makeover under the expert supervision of Regis UK creative director Guy Cammarano.

All were invited to the brand's flagship salon in Debenhams on Oxford Street for a morning of pampering. As Regis UK’s creative partner, we were there to film every last snip, clip, colour and polish.

Bringing a beautiful end to the ‘Locks Rock & Load’ competition on the Regis UK Facebook page and blogger outreach campaign we devised and orchestrated for the salon brand at the end of last year, the day was a reward for fashion, beauty and 'mummy' bloggers who helped promote the campaign.

The first of its kind to be implemented by a hair salon, ‘Locks Rock & Load’ was a unique way for Regis Salons to engage with their clients online, asking them to upload their favourite hairstyle onto the Regis Facebook page.

The campaign was supported by email, display and Facebook ads, and we also provided imagery and creative for in-store promotions to neatly dovetail with the online activity. It all helped campaign gain press coverage in a number of trade, regional and national press publications, including NMA, The Drum and the Manchester Evening News.

Find out more about what we did for the ‘Locks Rock & Load’ integrated campaign on the Photolink Work page. To find out what Regis UK creative director Guy Cammarano and the team did for the ladies, take a look at Emma Willis' blog about the day here.

Creative, Digital, News, Photographic

Last week a group of BA (Hons) Design Futures students from the University of Salford's School of Art & Design came into to Photolink to present responses to a brief we'd set a month earlier. As part of an on-going creative mentorship programme we're running with the university, we'd asked them to interpret the brand application process or brand engagement channels in their chosen medium.

The idea was that it could then be used to help clients navigate the increasingly complex network of brand touch points, clearly displaying the benefits of engaging with their audience in certain areas.

One by one the groups delivered confident and cohesive pitches supported by well-executed creative presentations and delivered concepts with a freshness of thinking that potential employers will find invaluable. We weren’t there to judge this time however, just give them a real world sounding board for their collective ideas.

Have a look at all the concepts the groups presented (see right). In sequence, we had: a brand constellation map with application and engagement channels clustered and joined up to aid categorisation; an 'infomercial', app and menu for the ‘Photolink Diner’ where patrons can pick and mix creative services on a plate; an ingenious touchable brand touch point quilt that can be customised as new marketing platforms emerge; and a creative services colour swatch and wallchart based on the iconic Pantone Matching System.

Brilliant ideas, brilliantly presented.

All in all we were very impressed with the preparedness and ingenuity of the University of Salford students as well as their clear understanding of the brief. We'll certainly keep a close eye on what they do in the future and keep you posted.

Creative, Design, News

In a consumer landscape where the development of almost every retail brand is enthusiastically brainstormed, methodically researched, thoroughly tested and regularly reviewed, I find myself desperately trying to imagine the thought processes and meeting scenarios that came up with this one.

Undoubtedly one of the strangest retail concepts ever, I first saw ‘The Small Alligators of Switzerland’ some years ago when passing through Brussels airport. It fascinated me then, and it continues to do so today, as I recently spotted it again in the same airport.

I am no Attenborough, but to my knowledge Alligators, small or large, are not that common in Switzerland, and my O level geographical expertise places Brussels quite firmly in Belgium.

Wouldn't you just love to have been a fly on the wall during those brand development sessions, or even better, a spectator during the customer research sessions? Alps, Roger Federer, chocolate, yodelling, watches...alligators (small). Reverse psychology, perhaps?

You can't knock 'The Small Alligators of Switzerland' for the confidence it has in its product though. The strap line of 'Only the best!' reminding customers that the small alligators available elsewhere are clearly of an inferior quality.

Such a pity it had closed for the day.

Anyone know of a more obscure brand?

Creative, News

To mark 30 years since Manchester's iconic nightclub the Haçienda first opened its doors, sportswear brand ellesse and FAC51/The Haçienda have come together to create a series of limited edition polo shirts. The three shirts will feature design elements and original materials from the building including buttons made from the entrance tread plate trod on by over 3 million revellers.

We were asked to create a collaboration positioning presenter for retail that included garment branding, swing tags, retail branding, point of sale and promotional activity strategy to help market the range to the country’s top department stores. It would also carry a short introduction to about how the Haçienda inspired a generation, defined an era and put Manchester on the map as well.

We didn't have to look far to find good quotes and anecdotes for this part. As a music venue, the Haçienda was almost too good to be true, playing host to now-legendary bands New Order, The Happy Mondays, The Smiths and pioneering DJs Mike Pickering, Sasha and Graeme Park. As a sustainable business model, however, it was too chaotic to last, leading co-founder Tony Wilson to utter the infamous line: "We made history, not money." What has accrued over the years, though, is the strength of the brand identity.

Visionary, controversial and unforgettable by association, FAC51/The Haçienda has become one of the most powerful and meaningful brands to come out of Manchester – if not the UK – in years. Needless to say, the prospect of working with it was as exhilarating as it was daunting.

We impressed current brand guardian, and former New Order bassist, Peter Hook when he came to Photolink to discuss and approve the creative direction of the presenter, however, and were buoyed by his overall enthusiasm for the project.

Take a look at how the final document came together on our ‘Work’ page here. We'll post another update when the shirts hit the shops.

Creative, Design, News

We’re very pleased to announce that Argos has won Product Innovation of the Year at the Oracle Retail Week Awards 2012. The retailer, a long-standing client of ours, beat off stiff competition from Halfords, B&Q and Debenhams to win the award thanks to its successful revival of struggling toy/childrens clothing brand Chad Valley.

After buying the brand following the collapse of Woolworths in 2009, Argos managed to “reinvigorate and extend the brand … increasing sales in a market that has declined by value.” said the judges.

Photolink-represented photographer Darren Taylor shot all the imagery across the latest Chad Valley ranges - imagery that has played a key role in reversing the negative perceptions of the brand among its core consumers (aka mums with kids).

We produced the shoots but it was Darren’s ability to capture the genuine enjoyment of kids at play and showcase a variety of products in their best possible light that has given Argos the perfect creative collateral to lift the Chad Valley brand. This being just one of the many reasons why he's our kids and childrenswear photographer of choice.

Check out Darren Taylor’s stunning portfolio here.

News, Photographic, Production

Last week the Photolink Studios were visited by photographic royalty as internationally-renowned photographer Nadav Kander - a man who counts portraits of Barack Obama, Brad Pitt and David Lynch as highlights in an epic portfolio - spent the day shooting exclusive images for a new exhibition commissioned by the National Portrait Gallery.

The exhibition is the culmination of a three year project called Road to 2012 which is creating a lasting record of the people who are dedicating their energies to the games. This was Kander’s second commission for the exhibition; his first being a portrait of young British sprinter Jodie Williams (right).

On the day he was joined by Zoe Tomlinson, an ex-Photolinker who is now part of his production team, while Photolink fashion producer Tarnia Armitage helped arrange the smooth running of the shoot from our side.

Kander's subject (who will have to remain a mystery until the exhibition starts in July) was shot in the Parish Rooms (Studio 5) and is another red hot tip for London 2012.

Take a look at how the project/exhibition is shaping up here and see Kander’s serene portrait of Jodie Williams in context. There’s also a very interesting interview with the man himself on YouTube which goes into great detail about the art of turning a picture into a portrait. Inspiring stuff.

News, Photographic, Production

In December we set a brief for fashion students at the University of Salford to design a one off piece of fashion that could be given to clients or used as a marketing tool to promote Photolink as well as in-house brands Littleblackdress.co.uk and consumer insight and strategy department HT&E.

We gave them five weeks to come back and present their finished designs to Photolink founder David Walter, group creative director John Whalley and Little Black Dress editor Nathalie Gibbens.

The idea was that this judging panel would then choose a winner from each of the three groups. But as they were so impressed by the overall standard of every entry in response to the brief and in execution, they couldn't decide.

So we put the entries to a company vote.

With all ballots counted it was decided that there were three stand-out favourites. We presented the winning teams with their prize (a day's studio time) at the University of Salford last week. Here’s a link to a small book about the project we put together with design intern Naeem Mitha. So who are the winners in your book?

Creative, Design, News