In case you didn't know, Lennon Design has an alter ego, can I introduce you to Lennon Art.

Art and Design were never meant to separated; the worlds for me are connected. The work shares a common language - both embrace clarity and simplicity; exploring the potency of unspoken communication.

I've alway been drawn to the figure, intrigued by subtle, simple human gestures that seem to be charged with energy and loaded with meaning. I love it the moment the spirit of the painting appears from the oils, when the rough daubing of oil paint and a splash of solvent takes on life.

I won't say that painting for me is a way to relax, in fact it's often a struggle, but like design, every venture opens up new challenges and can be hugely rewarding.

Enough words though, I can't talk about unspoken communication and then witter on! I'll let the work speak for itself. Let me know what you think.

What is it, what does it do and how do we get it right?

History tells us that the word brand derives from an old Norse word 'brandr' meaning to burn, hence branding cattle enabled people to claim ownership. Fair enough. Its modern context and usage though tends to tie us up in knots - brand equity, brand engagement, brand expression, brand this and brand that and all said and done most people think it's a logo!

Just to clarify, here are the definitions:

Focusing your website design

The first and most important thing that most people overlook when deciding they want a website is what they actually want on their website. It seems like such a basic idea that, generally, everyone skips right over it and starts working out colours and logo ideas. In their excitement they rarely consider the main objective of their site.

When it comes to building and designing websites we're being forced to consider what the most important content on the site actually is. 

This is not a bad thing. Taking a step back and re-evaluating what you're trying to achieve helps refocus your ideas and energy. 

How to write web content that sells

Every page on your website should have an objective. It could be to inform or engage your audience, or get them to buy something from you.

When it comes to selling products or services online, you need to tread a fine line between being too ‘salesy’, which may put people off, and not ‘salesy’ enough, which might not convey your important sales messages effectively.

Here are ten tips to writing effective promotional copy for the web, aka copywriting:

The web has changed a lot over it's relatively short lifespan - it started off as a way of sharing ideas and opinions (along the lines of Geocities style personal pages), then it became about sharing media (think Flickr, Youtube and myspace) and now (in our humble opinion) it's about consuming content wherever you are and wherever you go. We expect to be able devour new information on our phones within seconds of unlocking it. Due to the ever increasing ways that users are accessing websites we need to realise something very important: the definition of "design" is changing.

Previously design, in the context of the web, referred to the layout and general style of a site, now though it seems to be more along the lines of "how can we present this information in the best way possible". These two ideas may seem very similar, and they are, but there is a subtle difference. 

Time for a Refresh?

January, traditionally a time where we take stock of who we are and resolve to make these changes to reinvigorate us for the year ahead. The gym beckons, the cork goes back in the bottle for a few weeks and we sign up for that obscure evening class that we'd talked about. Easy.

What about our business though, are we happy with the bottom line, is the competition getting tougher could we reach a new audience, is our brand up to it or does it need revitalised? Like people, the company can start to look tired, worn out and not feeling particularly energised.

Putting the zing back in

Completely rebranding is not always a good option, it's expensive, time consuming and risky. Instead we can put a fresh face on the business with a brand refresh strategy. What's this?