This is our first posts of 2009 so we’d like to take the opportunity to wish you all a happy and successful new year!

We’ve recently added a few more completed projects to our portfolio sections, with other work completing shortly so expect more updates in the coming months. View our portfolio.

An update to a previous post on SEO, shows that our campaign has impacted on our website Alexa ranking. This was previously 2,502,689 (dated 17/11/2008) and is now ranked 1,343,705 (dated 7/01/2009) and in the top three in our desired search terms of ‘design wolverhampton’ and ‘graphic design wolverhampton’.

Our 6 page article on ‘colour and brand’, produced for Computer Arts Magazine will be available from 29 January or via computerarts.co.uk.

We’ve also launched our ‘bod’ section, where you can purchase your very own individually design character. View the gallery for information on how to get your own.

Finally, there is a great collection of effective billboard designs at toxel.com. A few of our favourites are pictured below.

We launched our first issue of encore at the beginning of the month, our second issue will be hitting inboxes in early 2009. The responses we’ve received to this info shot have so far been very positive. To top it all we’ve been asked by Computer Arts Magazine to expand on the colour article we wrote and produce a 6 page article for inclusion in the forth coming Computer Arts ‘Projects’. This is a supplement to the monthly magazine and usually centres around one particular topic - previous issues included a magazine devoted to font design and typography. This issue we believe is on logos and branding.

We’ll supply more details nearer the release date and after publication we’ll include a link to the full article.

Logo Lounge 6 is released in the Summer of 2009, which will also include work produced by us.The chosen logo is above and was originally design for the IFSEC show 2008. As part of this re-branding and ongoing design project we were asked to produce sub-brands within the show, for associatted events and projects,  one being the annual Security Awards. The design above was put forward but was rejected by the client, and so another design was created, put forward and used for the event. However, a panel of judges at Logo Lounge liked it enough to include it in the forthcoming publication.

A selection of some of our other logo and graphic designs can be viewed here.

We’ve now introduced a mobile version of our website: www.debutcreate.com/mobile.

This is still in the development stages so we’ll be making updates ironing out any issues over the coming weeks but for the moment you can still get in touch with us, view a small selection of work and also view our blog in a mobile friendly format, all from your mobile device.

We’ve recently completed quarterly newsletter designs for both the Wolverhampton City Centre Company and the University of Wolverhampton - both pictured below.

City Centre Matter - Wolverhampton City Centre Company

Fresh - University of Wolverhampton, School of Art & Design

We’ve also launched the first issue of encore - our monthly infoshot on design, branding and marketing communication. To subscribe or to view the latest version, click here.

We love the work of Saul Bass, especially the poster designs for the movies of Alfred Hitchcock and Otto Preminger. Our personal favourite is ‘Bunny Lake is Missing’, not only does the typography beautifully illustrate the title but the visual is so simple it feels like we all could have thought of it.

We noticed in the last few months there has been a mini surge in movie poster designs that call on the style and designs of Saul. We’re not saying it is a bad thing, infact they all seem to do the style justice, while adding a contemporary edge.

A few of our favourites, ‘Fear[s] of the Dark’, ‘Burn After Reading’, ‘Beyond a Reasonable Doubt’ and ‘12′ are shown below.

There are a collection of 10 poster variations for ‘Burn After Reading’ available to view here.

While we are on the subject of movie posters, below are two that caught our eye. The first is for the upcoming ‘Up’ from Disney Pixar, which looks visually amazing. In addition to the poster we love the film title logo. Another great poster design is for the film, Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father.

A great collection of movie posters can be viewed via impawards.com.

Promoting your new or existing website is a complicated process - it also doesn’t happen over night.

There are many different factors to increase a website’s popularity, and a guide to how your website is performing can be found via Alexa - the web information company.

Taking our own website as a guide, we are currently ranked by Alexa as having a traffic ranking of 2,502,689 (dated 17/11/2008). Putting this into perspective, Yahoo & Google are currently ranked 1 and 2 and so we definite have room for improvement. Having said that, there are currently somewhere in the region of approx 108 million websites listed, so we aren’t doing too badly.

Here is more on how Alexa work out the traffic ranking for a website.

Since we began optimizing our own website 6 months ago, our ranking has increased (or de-creased, depending how you look at it) by over 20 million. The image below illustrates how we have improved over the last 3 months (correct 17/11/2008) - movement of almost 4 million places.

There is debate regarding the usefulness of the Alexa ranking and so when optimizing your website, other tools need to be used to measure your websites performance. For example, noting where your website is listed on Google/Yahoo/MSN before you begin your campaign and then monitoring the movement up or down the search engine listing will give a good indication of website popularity.

Our website is currently listed on the first page of Google and Yahoo using the search terms ‘graphic design Wolverhampton’, ‘design wolverhampton’ and ‘wolverhampton graphic design’ which wasn’t the case when we began optimizing and so we now have a measurable outcome and a guide for future optimizing.

If you would like to discuss how we can help with your website seo, please contact our studio.

Pepsi have taken the steps to re-design their single iconic logo to the variations shown above. Unfortunately for them it, it has been about as well received as the London 2012 logo and it is easy to see why. There seems to an attempt to mirror the Coca Cola re-design from last year.

But where Coke have simplified the design by removing the fussy bubbles and swishes, their logo remains intact - Pepsi have opted to re-design the logo. Although at the same time the original ‘Pepsi’ logo shape is present in the ‘e’, which is slightly confusing.  

The price tag for this…. “$1.2 billion over three years to change everything about its brands”

Below are the Pepsi before and after designs.

After months of development we’ve finally launched our new look website.

Fortunately, we’ve been too busy with client’s projects to devote any time to our own website but finally a few days of relative calm appeared and we managed to get this live.

We think you’ll find our website full of useful information as well as some examples of our most recent work, which includes work with the University of Wolverhampton and our ongoing work with Language Networks for Excellence.

Alongside our portfolio sections are case studies, information on branding, graphic design and SEO. We’ve also launched an email info shot - encore which we’ll be mailing out during the next few weeks and will include useful design related information.

We’ve also taken the time to launch Marie’s (our Creative Director) personal portfolio. She’s created so much work that she needed her own space. Visit mariecampbell.com to view her portfolio.

Finally, you can also now purchase a ‘bod’, click here for more information and to view our rapidly expanding gallery.

In 2006 we compiled & published Free?Fonts: Freeware & Shareware Font Directory as “…an introduction to the hundreds of legitimate freeware & shareware fonts available for download, showcasing many of the fonts in context whilst highlighting the importance of Designers’ rights by publishing information on individual licensing agreements alongside each font listing.”

In 2007 we compiled a second publication: 99 Silhouettes. From signage on toilet doors to Japanese shadow puppet theatre, the silhouette can boast both a wonderful and rich history - and contemporary appeal. Historically reinventing itself across cultures and genres it is an artform which has evolved throughout the ages, responding and reflecting technical capabilities and an increasingly demanding visual environment. Advances in design software have reduced the creation of silhouettes to the click of a mouse, yet the key to a strong silhouette is the same today as it always has been, lying in the resourcefulness of the artist.

Both publications are available from a selection of high street and online retailers, as well as via the publications section of our website

As a design company, early on we took the approach that we wouldn’t undertake speculative work. For whatever reason there seems to be a trend when commissioning design services, to ask companies to produce work before a contract has been agreed to. The No!Spec website highlights all the main reasons why, as creatives, we shouldn’t be undertaking speculative work, as well as detailing what we mean my speculative work.

Aside from all of the reasons highlighted on the No!Spec website, we got to thinking, ‘In what other industry does this practice of creating work, in the hope of getting paid for it, take place?’ - Do we need to start taking our car to 3 separate garages to have it repaired and then only pay the one we thought did a good job?