What have we been up to?

Unfortunately, you may have noticed, we've been a little absent from the blog recently. We're not being intentionally neglectful, we've just fallen into the busy summer months!

This means we're after more freelance creatives to get us through to the new year. If you are one or know of one, drop us an email. We want some very clever and very confident designers to get up and running immediately. And we're always on the lookout for experienced charity copywriters! More about working at Open, here.

Meanwhile, here's a little update of what we've been up to though...

- A very exciting re-brand and identity project for the British Heart Foundation, working with the wonderful illustrator Laura Barrett.

- New supporter magazines for Action for Children and the British Heart Foundation. You is glue.

- Hiring account managers to replace the recently departed Rebecca and Caty.

- Lots of work with existing clients on our Connected mobile regular-giving product, as well as lots of selling to some exciting new clients (more on that to come, I'm sure...)

- Preparing for a mammoth amount of Christmas appeals and associated work.

We're also very close to having to a new website, but more on that soon...

Richard

Charity Peter

What the chuff is Vic doing with our Charity Peter?

Matt

God Love the Irish

One week. One letter. One million Euros and counting...

Concern worldwide is way ahead of target and we couldn't be happier. The economy may be failing, but the generosity of the Irish people seems to be alive and well.

James

Sack Your Creative Agency

The secret is out. We generate all our ideas on Wheel of Concept and then just stick them into PowerPoint.

Really, anyone can do this stuff. In fact, if you also bookmark this site you could sell a load of modish social media snake-oil too!

See you at the dole office.

James

It must be fun working for Greenpeace...

Barbie, you're dumped. What a fun headline to write.

And it must be great not to worry about sticking to the rules. In fact, I imagine you'd be encouraged to break them. We could never run a campaign with Ken as the poster boy without all sorts of permissions. Oh, to be reckless!

It'd be interesting to know if this stuff works though. No (real) people with eye-contact (or animals). No body copy. No call to action. The campaign certainly has stand-out. My friends certainly talked about it. We certainly found out what it was all about. We liked it. I'm just not sure anyone actually did anything though.

Although I hope they did. It'd be depressing if no-one ever got to be reckless or silly or controversial again! (Although no call to action for a campaigning organisation is surely an arrestable offence?!)

Richard

If the world were a village of 100 people

I probably missed these the first time round, but here's some very cute and interesting infographics/posters from Toby NG. They'd look nice in the studio (although I'm not convinced they're all technically correct!).

Richard

Are you local? (Part 1)

Finally, after nearly three months, I’ve heard back from all the charities I chose to benefit from Open’s Grand Giveaway in April. But why has it taken them so long to say thank you?

Well, they’re all small, local charities, you see, requiring real people (not an agency) to send me written appreciations of my gifts.

So here’s what my lovely neighbours sent me to say thank you…

The Simon Community

I know what you’re thinking. But this isn’t an online appreciation society for Simon Cowell. Neither is it a charity that supports those unfortunate enough to be addicted to electronic games of memory skill.

In fact, The Simon Community is a small charity that works with homeless people in my community. Their soup run stops at the end of my road, and every Saturday I skulk past on the way to spending three figures on Terramazon Cacao Nibs, flax oil and spelt burgers in the Camden Fresh and Wild (their organic shea butter seems to be the only thing capable of salving my weekend Pashley rash.)

Anyway, The Simon Community sent me a nice thank you letter, top-and-tailed by their Chief Exec, telling me a little bit more about what they do. Underwhelmed? Moi?

Not a bit. It was a lovely letter. And they are to me like honey to the bee.

Next time, Camden Young Carers…

Matt