One of the girls is now volunteering on a Manchester ‘Soup Run’ – an initiative Go Hungry donations will help to fund – so we thought the least we could do was raise a bit of awareness and hopefully a bit of cash among the Photolink faithful and beyond.

If you'd like to make a donation, all you need to do is skip lunch before the 5th February (Sunday) and donate the money you would have spent to Go Hungry. All money goes towards helping Mustard Tree, a Manchester-based charity that directly supports disadvantaged people who struggle to afford basic things we can often take for granted.

You can either donate via a secure Just Giving page (at www.justgiving.com/go-hungry) or by text message sending the message 'BITE12', followed by the amount you wish to give, to the number 70070. Donations can be anything from the price of a McD’s cheeseburger to the full works at your local cafe. Whatever you can spare.

The conversation revolved around the most recent brand promotion project we set for students on the Fashion BA(Hons) course and the forthcoming brief we’ve organised for students on the university’s pioneering Design Futures course. These creative briefs are giving students a chance to tackle a project governed by a real client brief that comes straight from Photolink Group Creative Director John Whalley.

Talk then turned to Yuille’s work at the RMIT and his affiliation with ThinkPlus, an innovative and incredibly interesting education project overseen by the de Bono Institute (after the father of lateral thinking Edward de Bono) that is set to revolutionise the teaching of thinking in the country’s schools. We also confirmed that we'd play host to a group of his students during the summer.

All in all, a very stimulating meeting with two very interesting figures dedicated to making sure the next generation of creative thinkers and doers are better than the last. It kind of makes us wish we were back at school really. Check out Yuille’s Media & Communication Studio online here and stay tuned for the results of the next University of Salford project on our blog.

Built around the core idea that retailers who engage, inspire and lead will come out on top in 2012 and how simple, original thinking delivered by a dedicated creative agency is one of the keys to successful retail marketing, we designed a manifesto that hopefully practises what it preaches.

Simple, original thinking led us to delivering a newspaper, because faced with a front page that implores you to 'DO MORE THAN JUST COMPETE', we'd defy anyone to resist a flick through.

We kept the editorial concise and to the point so a flick through is all it takes to get the message. Perfect. If you'd like to touch, smell and read the printed version of our manifesto yourself, just send your name and address to info@photolink.co.uk putting MANIFESTO in the subject line.

The 'Portfolios' page will feature indidual content from Photolink represented fashion photographers David Woollacott and Kirstie McNulty, childrenswear photographer Darren Taylor, and standout typographic and page design creations from our Creative and Artworks teams.

Take a flick through the books here or visit the 'Work' page and click 'Portfolios' to see the showcase.

Part of a three-cover January edition of the Italian version of Vogue’s international men’s magazine featuring Lady Gaga and Michael Fassbender, the cover shot and feature images inside were all shot in and around our very own complex of design and photographic studios in Manchester’s historic Ardwick Green.

Our favourite shots include the Premier League star walking the yellow line in the Photolink carpark (now holy ground for resident Blues) and looking pensive outside our local café The Uppercrust. We'd pull out a favourite quote but our Italian's a bit rusty.

Balotelli’s main sponsor Nike were there for the shoot (check out the footwear) and they shot this behind the scenes video which will give you a taste of how the imagery came together on the day.

Held annually, the Caterer and Hotelkeeper Web Awards are the only web awards for the hospitality community. They recognise and reward the people and organisations responsible for developing some of the most effective hospitality websites on the internet.

We helped design and build the award-winning website, and produce all of the interactive imagery and video content that marked them out from the competition, so we are doubly pleased.

According to the awards official statement, SimonJersey.com was “commended for its innovation, in particular its mobile website and video facility and its interactivity". Take a look at the award winning website here.

As the majority of our clients operate within the retail sector – as independent brands or international retail groups – it goes without saying that we have a vested interest in their continued prosperity. We’re in it together. But our interest in their prosperity goes far beyond that of a commercial partnership.

We are proud to be our clients’ chosen creative partner, so we feel an incredibly strong responsibility to guide them through an increasingly rocky retail landscape and keep them successful in the long term. And this shows through the work we continue to do for them.

Our Manifesto for Multi-Channel Retail Success In 2012 is an example of our on-going commitment to the success of our clients. It is also an expression of our expertise within and understanding of the retail industry. In short, it's a thought-provoking resource for anyone interested in what a skilled creative agency can provide for retail brands of all sizes in challenging times.

The words come from the top but their creative sentiments and industry understanding are translated into every piece of work we do. They spell out the importance of original thinking in today’s fast moving retail landscape and the added value of investment in a dedicated creative partner. Take a look at our full manifesto here and talk to us if you would like to know more.

(If you would like a printed copy of our manifesto, please send your name and address to info@photolink.co.uk putting MANIFESTO in the subject line)

Oh, and their kids came in too!

From everyone at Photolink Creative Group – elves, imps, gremlins, scallywags and fairies alike – we wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

The groups presented their work, and the ideas behind them, to Photolink founder David Walter, as well as Little Black Dress editor Nathalie Gibbins, Charlie Haworth and Sophie Needham. The diversity of creative ideas the students employed in their designs was staggering and demonstrated the wealth of talent the university has enrolled on its courses. We were very impressed.

From T-shirts to knitwear, bags to dresses, the designs incorporated elements and values from each brand and took them to a whole new level, exceeding even our own high expectations.

To see for yourself the great work the students did for the project, have a look at the BA (Hons) Fashion Presentations gallery on our Flickr account.