Jewellery designer Alex Monroe has won the prestigious ‘Jewellery Etailer of the Year’ award for AlexMonroe.com. The trophy was presented at the glittering UK Jewellery Awards ceremony last night.
Judges commented on the intimacy of the site and noted that the blog gave a real sense of the jewellery being handmade to order in the UK. The online shop’s easy-to-use navigation and search facility were also praised and delivery times and customer service were described as ‘exceptional’ by a mystery shopper.
Vanilla Storm’s Richard Hudson had this to say: ‘We’re absolutely thrilled that AlexMonroe.com has won Jewellery Etailer of the Year. This has been a fantastic project and we’re looking forward to collaborating with Alex in the future.”
A big shout out to Alex, Emma, Susie and the team. This is a huge endorsement of their hard work in keeping the site fresh and appealing and in engaging with their customers via the blog.
My View of London launches today through the Evening Standard and through their website www.myviewoflondon.org.uk.
Eye research charity, Fight for Sight has joined forces with the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge Hotel to launch a photography competition with the chance to win a 3-night stay in their penthouse suite. The winner and a friend will also enjoy dinner for two and two 60-minute spa treatments.
Scientist John Greenwood, Actor Lloyd Hutchinson, and Jeweller Alex Monroe will take on a 1000 mile Land’s End to John O’Groats cycle ride later this year, to raise funds for Fight for Sight. They will be joined by a number of friends and celebrities along the way.
Vanilla Storm has worked with Alex Monroe for a number of years, building his UK and Japanese websites. We are delighted to be doing our bit for Eye Cycle by providing an interactive website and blog.
The website includes information on the cycle ride, details on patrons and information on how to make a donation. It also includes a live auction where Alex Monroe will be auctioning some of his key pieces to raise funds for the charity. An interactive blog and Twitter feed keep supporters informed of news and updates.
And so it’s January. A month for resolutions, new beginnings and for looking forward. It’s also an opportunity to look back on the past year, to rethink, review and to take stock.
2009 was a great year for Vanilla Storm. We were nominated for our second Big Chip Award, we expanded our team and we got to work with some great clients.
2010 will be an exciting year for us. As we continue to grow we welcome new staff and look forward to working with new and existing clients alike. Here are some of the hopes and predictions from our team.
Turhan (Web Developer)
“One of the things I’m looking forward to this year is the summer. Not just for the long days and better weather (we can always hope), but also for the World Cup. England did well in qualifying, so it should be an exciting tournament.
Google released their own phone, the Nexus One, this month and it will be interesting to see how Apple reply with their new iPhone. Maybe I’ll finally get round to getting one.
Don’t tell anyone, but I’m also a little bit excited about the A-Team movie. I’m sure it will be cheesy remake, but it will be good to see Hannibal and co. loving it when a plan comes together again!”
Nicola (Web Designer)
“2010 or is it Twenty Ten?
I cannot believe how much time flies, and this year will be no exception.
If Manchester City keep a manager long enough then they will stay in the top 4 of the table, and give top teams like Chelsea and our closest rival’s United a good enough fight for the top spot!
I expect 2010 to be an exciting time for digital technology, as I have heard rumours of a new iPhone design being released, a touch screen tablet similar to an iPhone but bigger, the launch of Google’s new phone and many more!
Electric cars are looking more like the future, I wonder what they will be like to drive?
I am also hoping New York is on the cards, for some serious shopping and cannot wait to see the new Sex and the City movie!
Toy Story 3 is also coming out this year, and I am sure more 3D films will make an appearance.”
Joe (Admin Assistant)
“2010 should be a good year because Leeds are going to get promoted and win at Wembley. The new year got off to the perfect start (footballing wise) beating Manchester United in their own backyard.
My footballing New Year’s resolution is to try and go to every single game next season… when we’re in a higher league of course!
I’m also looking forward to seeing what the new iPhone will be like. I’m probably going to get one because my current phone is about as useful as a glass hammer.
There is also a film being released in 2010 called ‘The Beaver’ with Mel Gibson. I’m going to make sure I see that. As I only went to the cinema about 5 times in 2009, seeing more films will be my proper New Year’s resolution!”
Mureed (Project Manager)
“2010 is already here… I can still remember the Millennium like it was yesterday and I’m sure it’s the same for many of you out there!
2010 is a new start for me and I’m looking forward to making the most of it. I want to see websites which will make an unforgettable impression on the visitor, incorporating the latest design trends, oversized logos and headers, sketches and hand drawn design, website navigations that make you want to click.
I am hoping to see a new car on the horizon, I’m not really clear about what this will be, I mean there’s so much to choose from what should I go for speed, comfort, economy….
Avatar was an amazing movie with amazing special effects, changing the way we view films and I’m looking forward to seeing more of the same.”
Jenny (Director)
“For me this will be a year of change. I look forward to welcoming new members of staff and to continuing to work with our in-house team. A website redesign is high on the agenda, along with a revamp of our designer blog, Indie Quarter. We also have a number of exciting projects in the pipeline. More on that soon.
For me personally, I look forward to reading more (I was lucky enough to receive a Kindle for Christmas) to watching more films (like Nicola I’m eagerly awaiting Sex and the City 2), to going to the theatre and to travelling. At some point this year I expect to be chugging through the Czech and Polish countryside, on the night train from Prague to Krakow.”
Richard (Director)
“Oh, OK, I suppose I’ll have to start by continuing the football theme in this post!! I start 2010 as I do every year with the vain hope that Nottingham Forest will be promoted back to the Premier League, where we belong. As the original ‘Reds’ (Forest are the reason why Arsenal play in red as we lent them some shirts when they started out!) and one of the oldest teams in the Premier League, the East Midlands needs to have its biggest club back in the top flight. We’re in a strong position at the moment, let’s hope we keep it up to the end of the season.
On the Internet side, 2010 looks like being another record year for e-commerce sales and I expect to see many more companies either moving to the web (who have bricks n mortar operations) or establishing internet only businesses. It’s not so long ago that people were saying that fashion on the Internet wouldn’t catch on because people would need to touch and feel the clothing, but our clients like Missguided and Hervia and giants like ASOS and Net a Porter have proved all the doubters wrong. And Vanilla Storm has demonstrated that you don’t need to break the bank to get a content managed e-commerce site, professionally developed, so we’re expecting another busy year.
Major developments in improving access to deliveries (parcels delivered to local shops, drop boxes, secure lockers) are all becoming more popular, so we’re expecting massive growth in integrating these services into e-commerce sites.
We also wait with baited breath to see what effects the anticipated change of government will have on business and whether the new government will start to put pressure on landlords to help to fill empty shops and re-invigorate the high street. I’ve never seen so many empty units in Manchester and the fact that grocery stores now sit alongside fashion and record shops just shows how times have changed. The retail sector desperately needs some support and I’ve seen little evidence of this – hope it gets more support this year than the manufacturing sector has…..
2009 was a year of significant growth for Vanilla Storm, and we’re planning to grow the team further in 2010 – watch this space!!”
On Friday afternoon Richard and I went along to TEDx Liverpool. If you haven’t encountered these events before it’s all about ‘ideas worth spreading’. This is their slogan. TED stands for ‘technology’, ‘design’ and ‘education’ but as the events have gained momentum, the subject matter has become much wider.
Over the years TED has attracted a number of noteworthy speakers including Bill Clinton, Bill Gates, Sir Richard Branson, Bono and many more. The format is a mixture of video footage and live speakers and the audience has the opportunity to ask questions.
Friday’s theme was creativity and it was fascinating. Talks ranged from the future of technology, the powerful relationship between creative thinking and play, social journalism and Arduino - a clever gadget that can help you create interactive objects. Perhaps the most thought provoking and surprising part was Sir Ken Robinson’s video on how schools kill creativity (see above). As an ex-teacher, it certainly made me think.
There are lots more TEDx events taking place in the north over the next couple of months. For the programmes visit www.tedxnorth.com. If you get the chance go along. You won’t be disappointed. Make sure you book in advance though as places are snapped up very quickly.
We’re feeling pretty chuffed today. Vanilla Storm has been shortlisted for the Big Chip Awards in the category of Best Freelancer / Micro Enterprise. The judging panel will be making their decisions over the next few weeks and the winners will be announced at a gala dinner on 18 June 2009 at the Palace Hotel in Manchester.
The Big Chip Awards are the top awards for ICT and new media outside London.
The latest addition to the Vanilla Storm team is PHP Developer, Clair Shaw.
A graduate of Lancaster University, Clair has a number of years commercial experience developing CMS and online shopping sites. Clair will be joining our development team to work on a number of new projects, including building eCommerce solutions, blogs and other content managed systems.
When you can prise her away from her Mac, Clair enjoys TV / radio broadcasting, photography, music, languages and magic!
This year, rather than sending Christmas cards, we will be making a donation to a local charity. The Heatons Animal Rescue Group provides a sanctuary and finds new homes for homeless cats and kittens. For more information visit www.tharg.org.uk.
Please note that Vanilla Storm will be closing on Friday 19th December and will re-open on Monday 5th January 2009. During this time should you need to contact us urgently please leave a message with our receptionist (or on our answer phone during Bank Holidays). All non-urgent messages will be dealt with during the week commencing 5th January.
We would like to take this opportunity to wish you a very merry Christmas and a happy and prosperous 2009.
Craftacular is a great opportunity for indie designers to sell their products and for shoppers to find something handmade and unique. And what an event it was! A crowd had gathered before the doors opened and inside was no different. Crafters, Christmas shoppers and their patient other halves laughed and chatted with stall holders, while bagging Christmas gifts and stocking fillers.
Indie Quarter is a UK based design blog. It features designers from a wide variety of different disciplines, with everything from up and coming fashion labels, ceramics and textile designers to contemporary art, photography and jewellery.
There are also a selection of podcasts featuring interviews with independent designers and a regular ‘Day in the Life of’ feature which follows designers through a typical day. Guest writers from PR companies and even CosmoGirl’s fashion editor have ‘popped in’ to offer tips and advice to today’s bright young things and tomorrow’s designers du jour.
BUST is a US based magazine that is smart, fierce and funny. ‘BUST tells the truth about women’s lives and presents a female perspective on pop culture’. For further information visit www.bust.com
