Speedypancake Creative Website Design Edinburgh

Ten top tips for creating a better website

admin — Wed, 02 May 2012 13:00:57 +0000

Don’t you hate all those stupid lists dressed-up as meaningful content?

We do too, so we’ve kept this list nice and simple.

Whale thoughts…

admin — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 10:44:36 +0000

On a recent car trip with the kids one of them suggested that whales have massive brains, and that it follows they are probably capable of extremely deep and complex emotions.

On the buses…

admin — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 12:17:47 +0000

Just launched a nice wee campaign for the Ben Reid Garden Centre in Aberdeen.

By brightening-up the backs of the local buses, we hope the posters will encourage people to think about their gardens and how they use them. We also added a new section on their website & set up a gallery where customers can post pics of their own gardens. Check it out at: http://ben-reid.co.uk/your-gardens/

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How to beat the “double dip”…

admin — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 16:14:45 +0000

"Double Dips"

Well, it’s official – we’re now set for a “double-dip” recession.

For those of you trying to run a business in these taxing times, it won’t come as any surprise. But with a bit of imagination and extra creativity you can beat the odds, and your competition.

Against a backdrop of austerity measures & cut-backs, many of you might be considering cutting back on your marketing budget. But we’d suggest another approach. This is the perfect time to re-evaluate your marketing. Make certain you are getting the most bang you can for your dwindling buck.

You don’t have to spend a fortune on your marketing to get results. In fact, the less you spend, the more creative you have to be, which is always a good thing when it comes to marketing.

So why not start with your website? Is it pulling its weight? Could it be better-looking, more effective and easier to manage?

If the answer is yes, we’d be delighted to hear from you. Our prices start at just £30 per month, or £500 if you want to buy it outright

End of marketing message.

Almost Ready…

admin — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 15:55:07 +0000

We recently took a week out and put together our new office / log cabin. It arrived on the back of a lorry as a thousand-piece giant wooden jigsaw puzzle. But we soon got the hang of it and it was up & watertight in a couple of days. We can’t wait to move in and get all “creative”, but we’re still waiting on some replacement floorboards. Oh, and an electricity supply.. but it won’t be long now.

At a distance of 20 metres from our front door, it’s an easy commute (for me anyway). A lot easier than the daily 80 mile round trip to the ad agency in Glasgow where I used to work before starting Speedypancake. Most of all, it will be great to finally have a proper space to work, and reclaim our house for the family.

And for those of you concerned about the state of that fence behind it – that’s all been replaced now, honest

New Office…

admin — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 11:58:01 +0000

"Before"

Now getting excited about the arrival of Speedypancake Creative’s new office / summerhouse / log cabin.

It’s getting delivered on Monday 2nd April & we’ll hopefully have it up and ready to move in a week later….

Speedypancake Creative – new site launch

admin — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 16:28:03 +0000

Congratulations to Speedypancake Creative!

Our brand new website went live today. Can’t wait to get creating better sites for everyone.

We’ll be adding loads of cool new designs here all the time, so “watch this space”

Digital retro

admin — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 11:08:00 +0000

Earlier this year we helped out by supplying some creative ideas & concepts for a digital services company.

Here’s what they said…
“We really loved both concepts for the emails / facebook campaign. Great job at interpreting our brand persona! Concept 1 is our winner for sure. It fits exactly to who we and the product are.”

How to write a creative brief

admin — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 10:37:00 +0000

Short and Sharp works best

How to write a creative brief:
If you’re going to use an ad agency or a creative consultancy like Speedypancake to help with your advertising, it’s useful to start with a good creative brief. So grab a pencil and a blank sheet of paper…

A good brief saves time and avoids confusion. Done right, it will be inspiring and can lead to great advertising. Fuzzy briefs generate confusing, and erm.., fuzzy messages… which are no good to anyone. A creative brief sets out:

Who you are & What you hope to achieve

Who do you think you are?
Jot down some background info – who you are, any company history and exactly what you do. Not your life story, just any relevant key points. Also describe your typical customers, your competition and any current or previous promotional activity.

Next, try to pin down that one special thing that makes you different or better than the rest. Why should anyone eat your pies or use your widgets? Start with “People love our pies because…” and take it from there. If you’ve written more than a couple of lines, try and boil it down to one simple sentence if possible, or a short list.

Always tell the truth, using hard facts where you can. “Our pies only contain natural ingredients which makes them taste better” is more meaningful and helpful than “They’re Mmmmmighty tasty”.

If BMW = performance, and Volvo = safety… what do YOU stand for?

What do you want?
Be realistic. Good advertising can work wonders for your sales line, but don’t expect to cram an entire product catalogue into a tiny local press ad and then sit back as the orders roll in.

Again, keep it simple; We want people to try our new range of pies. Or get more people to visit our website.

What happens next?
With your company, products or services, customers, competition and unique selling points clearly defined, you’re ready for the fun bit – the creative. This is where your brief is transformed into an imaginative, fresh and attention-grabbing message your audience can relate to and act upon.

You can download our creative template here:
Just fill it in and email it to us. We can then have a think about ways we can help and give you a good idea about any costs involved.

You might already have a type of media in mind eg. A TV or press ad, web banner or some direct mail. If you have a budget then be up front about it. This is one area where you should be open to suggestions. A strong creative idea coming from a solid strategy will work well across all types of media.

I don’t know what I want…
There will be occasions when you really have no idea what you want. Creatives can be useful here. Asking questions and “blue sky thinking” can be fun… But do expect to pay for this. And ultimately it will end up back in the same place – The brief.

Share the love…

admin — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 11:29:24 +0000

Having a news or blog section for your company is a great way to inform and engage with your clients and customers.

Updating it once a week lets everyone know you care about your business and keeps your online image fresh and exciting.

You can recruit a member of your staff to help with this. Share your news & happenings. What do your staff get up to at the weekends? Christmas party pics? (maybe not)… but share anything that’s interesting or fun.

We can add a blog to any of our designs at no extra cost. We can even add image teasers or sliders about your recent news, happenings and events on your home page which helps to keep your site looking fresh and interesting.