OUGD502: STUDIO BRIEF 3 - Life's a Pitch // Studio Space

As part of the presentation, we would like to show what the studio space might in fact look like. We would like to demonstrate the space we will work in, the space which the design would, hypothetically, take place in, if we were to get our funding.

The studio space is a blank canvas almost, an empty space, ready to be filled with ideas. A clean relaxed environment, with hints of the signature sublime green throughout, to remind us who we are. The empty space is just ready to have the walls filled with works, boards and pieces, to turn the office into more of an home-office-from home, a welcoming place, where everyone is relaxed. 

OUGD502: STUDIO BRIEF 2 - Life's a Pitch // Hosting Ins and Outs

Server Hosting
Offering hosting will be one of the features of Sublime, offering hosting along with website design and development just makes sense. An all in one service. Hosting requires a dedicated on site server, which will need to be expanded over time, the more modern style of hosting is cloud hosting, which we would hopefully plan to expand the service to over the coming years, if successful.

• All in one package; just makes sense
• On site hosting
• Expansion into cloud hosting in the foreseeable future

OUGD502: STUDIO BRIEF 2 - Life's a Pitch // Banking

I've begun to research into banks, in terms of which one will offer us the best deal to start up our business. You'll need a business bank account - but don't just go straight to the bank you've used as a consumer. Find one that understands your business and who you feel comfortable with. Most banks also offer incentives for new sign-up. For example, NatWest offer two years' free banking and access to an experienced business manager.

I've decided to grace Natwest with the hypothetical privileges of giving us a loan and hosting our business account, I've chosen Natwest as the provider for our business account because they offer the best deals for us. 

As this is a start up business, we'll be free from charges with Natwest for the first two years, as we're a new business we'll be exempt. Natwest also offer an unlimited annual turnover, so hypothetically, we can make as much money with no cap on the max. 

2 years free banking
Free banking will commence from the date your account is opened and means that the charges for the day-to-day running of your account (known as your ‘service charge’) will not apply during the free banking period. Charges for “Unarranged Borrowing”, “Additional Services” and “Bankline Charges” are not part of the free banking offer. At the end of this period, you will automatically revert to the Standard Published Tariff. However, you will also have the opportunity to select a different tariff if your business banking needs have changed.

No annual fee on your Business Credit cards for the first 12 months
This offer applies to UK businesses when a Business Credit Card application has been made within 6 months of account opening. Business Credit cards for UK residents/businesses and for business use only.

15% off Business Insurance for the first year
Not available in conjunction with any other Business Insurance offer. New policyholders and over 18s only. Excludes hospitality businesses, heating, plumbing and ventilation engineers, and cover for terrorism. NatWest Business Insurance is arranged by UK Insurance Business Solutions Limited and underwritten by UK Insurance Limited trading as NIG (UKI). If UK Insurance Business Solutions can’t offer cover through their insurer, UKI, they’ll help you find a solution from their preferred independent brokers.

No loan arrangement fees
This offer is due to a £2.5bn fund, which is available as part of our participation in the Government’s Funding for Lending Scheme (FLS). It is a limited fund and all loans approved under the fund will be fee-free and offered on a first-come, first-served basis. Please note that the Funding for Lending Scheme (FLS) cannot be applied to overdrafts, or business credit cards. The offer is only available for loans. Usual lending conditions apply. Structured Finance and Real Estate Finance are excluded.

6 months’ free Streamline online card payment processing
Streamline is provided by WorldPay UK Limited, our preferred business partner for card processing.

Dedicated support

• Our teams of trained Business Managers are dedicated to providing support in helping you reach your business goals. We’ve extended the hours you can call our Business Managers to 8am-8pm weekdays and 9am-2pm on Saturdays.
• BusinessLine, our telephone banking service, is available should you wish to speak to a member of staff regarding account information such as balances, payments or transfers. With the choice of self service or speaking with one of our UK-based advisors, the service is available 24hours a day, 365 days a year. Please note, you must be fully enrolled in this service to make payments. System updates may mean the service is unavailable for short periods in the early morning.
• Online and Mobile Banking are available 24 hours a day, allowing you to carry out your day-to-day banking transactions, make transfers and payments and view up to 7 years of transactions. Our free mobile Business Banking app means you can stay in control of your finances wherever you are.
• Business Quick Deposit Facility for paying in cash and cheques at any branch without queuing (subject to acceptance).

Getting a Loan to start the business

No product fees. No early repayment charges.
At NatWest, we’re committed to backing British business. That’s why we’re giving small businesses the opportunity of fee-free lending with our Fixed Rate Business Loan. You can borrow from £25,001 up to £250,000

Funding for Lending Scheme
This is a Government initiative designed to incentivise UK banks to increase their lending in support of the UK economy. The Funding for Lending Scheme will do this by providing funding to banks for an extended period, thereby creating an ability for NatWest to offer a fee free product.
This is a limited scheme and will be available on a first come, first served basis.

What our Fixed Rate Business Loan gives you:

• A fixed rate – that gives you certainty of cash flow for the fixture period. 
• No early repayment charges – giving you the flexibility to repay your loan at any time. 
• Fee-free borrowing – no arrangement fees for new borrowing. 
• Choice of loan amounts – borrow from a minimum of £25,001 up to a maximum of £250,000. 
• Repayment holidays – take a break from making capital repayments. Interest is charged during the repayment holiday and your monthly payments may increase afterwards.

To find out more about the Fixed Rate Business Loan, talk to your Relationship Manager or call us.

Funding for Lending Scheme conditions
Usual lending conditions apply. Structured Finance and Real Estate Finance are excluded.

Take 3 steps to lending success
For all the information you need to help you choose the right lending for your business and prepare an application, see our new section on Business lending.

OUGD502: STUDIO BRIEF 3 - Life's a Pitch // Web Hosting Research

As part of my area of research, I've been asked to look into web hosting, how it works, what it costs and all the ins and outs of hosting, but, more importantly how it can be applied to our team/company. 

What is Web Hosting?

"A web hosting service is a type of Internet hosting service that allows individuals and organisations to make their website accessible via the World Wide Web. Web hosts are companies that provide space on a server owned or leased for use by clients, as well as providing Internet connectivity, typically in a data centre. Web hosts can also provide data centre space and connectivity to the Internet for other servers located in their data centre, called colocation, also known as Housing in Latin America or France."

The basic job of web hosting is to provide the accessibility to a website by making it readily available to the public, by hosting the files which contain the website's date. Basically. 

"The scope of web hosting services varies greatly. The most basic is web page and small-scale file hosting, where files can be uploaded-via File Transfer Protocol (FTP) or a Web interface. The files are usually delivered to the Web "as is" or with minimal processing. ManyInternet service providers (ISPs) offer this service free to subscribers. Individuals and organisations may also obtain Web page hosting from alternative service providers. Personal web site hosting is typically free, advertisement-sponsored, or inexpensive. Business web site hosting often has a higher expense depending upon the size and type of the site.

Single page hosting is generally sufficient for personal web pages. A complex site calls for a more comprehensive package that provides-database support and application development platforms (e.g. PHP, Java, Ruby on Rails, ColdFusion, or ASP.NET). These facilities allow customers to write or install scripts for applications like forums and content management. Also, Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) is typically used for e-commerce.

The host may also provide an interface or control panel for managing the Web server and installing scripts, as well as other modules and service applications like e-mail. Some hosts specialise in certain software or services (e.g. e-commerce), which are commonly used by larger companies that outsource network infrastructure."

Web hosting requires a hosting computer, if you're able to host your own website, however, you need to assure you're connected to the network at all times, which means having a reliable ISP. Otherwise, the site will appear down, and the users will be unable to access it. 

Examples of Web Hosting

As website I've used in the past to host some of websites i've created is wordpress. Wordpress host blogs and websites, and offer a series of templates and default layouts for those who wish to use the site. 

When you're creating your website, you can download wordpress and install it to your website, then you upload the files for the site, and wordpress hosts it for you. Alternatively, you could choose an existing template on wordpress and customise the HTML and CSS to suit your needs. 

Wordpress offers an interface where you're able to easily manage your website, this is known as a content management system. 

Wordpress also offers plug ins, such as e-commerce, which I've used to create a web store in the past.

Domains

Domains can be purchased from third party sites, then applied to websites. An example of a domian supplier is TSO Host, who I also use to obtain my domains, they offer one click wordpress installs, which allow you to transfer the domain address to your website, easily and quickly. 

You're able to search the domain you wish to purchase, and see alternatives if it's already take

OUGD502: Personal and Professional Practice 2 // Study Task 2 - Contacting Agencies

Investigate a list of methods you can employ to contact other Creatives, studios or agencies.

• Studio visits, by e-mailing a studio and asking for a visit, recently I visited Numiko, the web design agency, based in Leeds. We simply asked for a studio visit, following a recent talk they did in University a few weeks prior. When we visited the studio, we had the creatives right there with us, so we were able to ask them questions about their creative process and also ask them about work placements - to which they told us how to apply and that they do in fact pay their interns (...yay).
• Attending Events, it's important to attend events which exhibit the areas of creativity which interest you. It's likely that there will be professionals there, which are the leading creatives within your interest, gateways to highly renown professionals. By meeting them and befriending them, you're more likely to collaborate with them. An example of this is Leeds Print Festival. I managed to meet loads of professionals who use the methods which interest me, and obtain their contact details. 

OUGD502: Personal and Professional Practice 2 // Task 1 - PPP Fundamentals

1. Reflecting on your Summer what is your most memorable event and why?

• The most memorable part of my summer was being able to design for my first 'real' client. I was able to design the business collateral for a small brand, located in Malton, North Yorkshire. Seeing my work being used a real environment, rather than within a hypothetical sense, as done with typical educational briefs. 

 2. Have you made any contacts over the Summer that you feel could be helpful over the coming year or so and what outcomes did you feel you achieved?

• I haven't really made any new contacts over the summer unfortunately. As much as I would have liked to improve my creative scope and meet new contacts, I was engaged with commitments and festivals/stuff. 

 3. How did you meet/contact these contacts (methods used or how it happened)

• None applicable. 

 4. If you didn’t make any contacts, why? too busy working? holiday? commitments?

• I spend a large portion of the holiday engaged in commitments, I managed to work on a small project, but there were no creative contacts gained. I spend a large amount of the summer training for a series of obstacle races, know as the Spartan Race, and spending time with family and friends.

 5. What methods of contacting creatives can you think of and what would you ask?

• To contact creatives, you're able to use LinkedIn, which is a less personal approach, but it's an effective way to present your skills and contact circles and communities of designers through suggestions and common ground. You can also contact creatives by e-mailing them directly, perhaps asking them about what they do, or ask for a studio visit. 

OUGD502: Personal and Professional Practice 2 // Why is Networking Good?

Why is networking good for ME personally? 

• Networking is good for me personally, as I'm able to explore the creative industry around me, as someone who's quite split between the physical and digital elements of Graphic Design, I find it's useful to see creatives around me and see what they've done, what they're doing and where it's taken them. Doing this helps me plan out what I would enjoy doing, and if the road to which it leads is suitable for me. It also helps me find new people, friends of friends, colleagues and family members that offer unique skills which I can utilise to enhance my practice, or work with to produce something fantastic. 

For what I may get out of it is it worth it? YES/NO 

• Yes, yes it is. 

WHAT can I get out of this? 

• I can get a great deal out of networking! I'm able to expand my creative links by meeting new people, using the common ground we might have. Using this, I may be able to get work placements, employment, attend events, and boost my creative knowledge, to a level far superior to what I might obtain left to my own devices. I could also get the chance to collaborate with other creative individuals, or companies, from which I can learn new skills. 

Am I doing this simply because I am being asked to? 

• To begin with, I was doing this because I was asked to. However, once the ball started rolling, I began to quite enjoy networking, attending events, where I was able to meet and learn about creatives within our community. Whilst also building my LinkedIn profile, which represents me as a professional. 

WHAT do I think that I am NOT doing as far as networking? 

• I feel I could be attending more events, I've only been a limited number, thus limiting my networking abilities. If I were to increase the number of events I attend I will be able to meet more creatives, and expand my scope of social links, to which I can draw upon in the future. 

Do YOU think that in this kind communication, language is a major barrier?

• To an extent, I do feel that there is a language barrier in this kind of communication. However, in this industry, I feel the quality and production of an individual's work and say more about them than a strip of text, or a speech. Of course I won't be able to understand their justification of their work, but there's always software available to translate texts, roughly.