7th October 2011

Latest & current projects have been added to the portfolio sections. Have a look at what we have done recently & what we could do for you, should you choose to join our revolution!

11th March 2011

The Design Social are helping Commercial Vehicle Solutions in their support of Temwa & Top Banana, two charities that help people in Malawi & Botswana respectively. We have provided & hosted the charity website, see the 'Web' page for details.

20th December 2010

News of a new, fantastically exciting project will soon be released. Check back soon for more details.

29th September 2010

Please feel free to cast your eye over the portfolio pages, new projects have been added in all disciplines.

31st August 2010

As you can see, we have finally found some time to sort & re-launch our own website. The portfolio sections on each of the tabs will be added to as more work rolls in, so please check back frequently for updates on what we are up to.

28th June 2010

Well, it has been a busy time here at The Design Social. Work on the Museum Of Liverpool has been put on hold, so I have been freed up a bit to concentrate on other projects. I have been doing quite an amount of work for Age Concern in Rutland, working with & meeting some very interesting people. I have also been doing more web design working for Stylecrown in Nottingham, their website will be launched soon.
We're also moving into website hosting as well, it seemed a little absurd to design sites & then turn them over to someone else for hosting. The web hosting is just starting up, so if you are looking for cheap hosting, or know anyone who is, point them towards us.
So all in all, ticking along quite nicely really.

31st March 2010

Work has started rolling in! I am working on the Museum Of Liverpool for Beacon Display as well as doing some work for the Age Concern charity, working on domestic improvements for the good folks of Rutland.

However, I know what you are really waiting for is pictures of the studio. I wasn't really wanting to post anything until the garden was back to normal. However with work picking up & the weather turning horrible, I haven't had opportunity to put fence panels back in & clear out & remove the old shed. So here it is, in all it's unfinished glory:



I'm sure you can appreciate where we are heading with this now!

8th February 2010

As you will have no doubt noticed this blog hasn't been updated for a while. I have been busy chasing work & have picked up a few bits & bobs. I have also agreed a deal with the guys who are building the new studio, we are doing some branding & graphic design for them, as well as some planning drawings. To this end I rang around the larger of my friends, to get them to come & help move my shed from the spot the new studio will be going & help dig a trench for the cabling. In the tradition of makeover items, here is a before shot:



& afterwards:



Now I appreciate, that things actually look worse in the after shot, however it is certainly a huge leap forwards to being ready for the new studio. So many thanks go to my friends who pitched in willingly & managed to turn my back garden into a building site, in just one afternoon, solely sustained by beer, tea & biscuits. Thank you guys!

14th January 2010

Well I've finally received some redundancy from the government, at last some capital to stick in the business account!
Work-wise everything seems really quiet, a lot of companies are waiting to see if they have won jobs, before commiting to anything.
As far as the studio/cabin goes, I'm still trying to work out the best way to get electrics, power & data 30metres to the bottom of the garden, either pay someone to do it, or get my long-suffering brother to do it & labour for him. This latter method will require building control though & it's a bit of a nuisance to get an inspector, as they will only come out during the week. Ho-hum, I guess all great revolutions had their teething problems!

6th January 2010

Went to see the company that are probably going to build me a studio at the bottom of the garden. They do quality work & coincidentally are also looking for someone to do some visuals & drawings for clients who need planning permission, so it may end up being quite a symbiotic relationship (hopefully). I will post some pictures of the building work, once it starts & progresses.
Also went to see a potential client, who will possibly have some work for me in the very near future. I need to get some work in soon, just to get the business account ticking over.
Oh & some redundancy from the government would come in handy as well...

5th January 2010

The Design Social was open for trading on the 1st of January but as today was the first day that the boys were back at school, I only really started in earnest today. I have sent out a load of CVs & arranged a couple of meetings with prospective clients. I will let you know how they go, as & when. One good thing today brought was a reminder of why free-lancing ain't so bad:



How long is it since I had opportunity to play in the garden with the boys?!

On a sad note, I found out today that a gentleman I used to do some work for, Surinder Bilkhu, died on Christmas Day, leaving behind a loving family. It puts redundancy & mere economical woes into perspective doesn't it? Our thoughts are with his family.