Sterling Silverbacks do it again! : Sterling Creative Design Agency Blog

Sterling Silverbacks do it again!

From our cricket correspondent Nick Wickets

A beautiful summer evening in the village of Rushton, spoilt by the Sterling Silverbacks crushing the Weatherby Jockeys in a friendly game of Twenty20 cricket. Weatherbys batted first to try and use the gorgeous sunshine to their advantage. They brought with them an artillery of big hitters, a barrage of big guns and smidgen of sneaky shots. But despite this goody bag of technical play Weatherbys were unable to secure enough points to defeat the mighty Silverbacks. Sterling's bowlers played fair but hard, the batters caused mayhem with their large slogging hits. Man of the match Rob Stanley proved the little man cannot be under estimated perfection with his bowling and just charming with the bat well done young man, well done!

A final score of 117 and 12 balls to spare eclipsed Weatherbys reasonable 116. The real winner of the evening - the charity Dreamflight who received £300!

A good evening had by all and we are looking forward to the next match - watch this blog for more information.

For more information on Dreamflight click here www.dreamflight.org

Posted: 03 July 2009

The Famous Sterling 5 Do The 3 Peaks Challenge

The Famous Sterling 5 are Neil Mellows, John 'Johnny' Wearmouth, Joe Hunt, Jay Worsfold and Russell Course.

The journey started on Thursday when the chaps took off from Luton Airport to meet the rest of the Dreamflight Goofy Team in Scotland. An overnight stay in a hostel, followed by a day of mental preparation and then the fun began! At 5pm on Friday the group started off up the beaten track. Ben Nevis loomed over them! It was mighty challenge that soon claimed its first casualty. Neil had trained hard for this event but not at this altitude. The rest of the group trudged on as Neil shouted after them 'go on, save yourselves!'. The team was up and back down the mountain by 11pm. Then it was off to Cumbria for Scafell Pike...

...In Cumbria Jay Worsfold had to take a time out from this part of the trek due to a twisted knee. Neil also decided to retire at this point to allow the rest of the team to continue within the allotted time scale. John and Joe took off hand in hand, as Russell had been catapulted into the fast moving Goofy group. No time for a breakfast picnic, this part of the challenge was all over by 9am! Then it was back into the cars and off to Wales...

...At Snowdon, Jay found his second wind! Off he went with Joe at a cracking pace. Johnny 'suffering from a blister' had retired. The Goofy Team moved like a whirlwind. The majority of the team completing the 'mild walk' within the 24 hour time scale. Russ came in 5 mins over and Joe 2 hours later. Despite the heartache Neil, Johnny and Jay faced, the event has generated £7000 in sponsorship and this is still climbing! At least two children have been sponsored for this year's trip to Orlando.

This is a really fantastic achievement - well done The Sterling 5 and well done to the whole Goofy Team.

STOP PRESS: Next year the Sterling board have volunteered to take on the chalice and be the first all Sterling expedition team to complete the 3 Peaks Challenge! Watch this blog...

Posted: 21 July 2009

Tri Hard 2 starring Ron and Stephen

The first Marketing Industry Triathlon has just been held at Dorney Lake in Eton - the prestigious rowing venue for the 2012 Olympics.

The triathlon was open to anyone in, or connected to, sales, marketing and the communication industries. So enter Sterling's Ron Rutgers and Stephen Dransfield!

The triathlon consisted of a 1500m swim, 40km bike ride and a 10km run. Here's Stephen's report:

Steve Dransfield completes in 2:28:01 hours

"The race started with a very choppy swim and lasted 2 laps, after 31 minutes and swallowing several gallons of lake water it was time to move onto the bike! This was an 8 lap course and involved a very strong head wind on the way out, but a very fast tail wind on the way back to the start. On completing the final lap of the bike I peeled off to the transition area to rack my bike and start the run. The run was 4 laps and took just over 40 minutes to complete, giving me a finishing time of 2:28:01 hours".

Ron was first in his age group and Steve second in his.
Well done to both!

The whole event was a fundraiser for the chosen charities, CLIC Sargent and the Alzheimer's Society.

Posted: 21 July 2009

If it ain't broke

If you're a designer, most days of the week you'll make a creative judgement on another designer's work be it a pack in the supermarket, a leaflet in the bank or a billboard on the way to work. You'll know you could have designed it better, made the message clearer, increased the impact and trebled the sales!

I was tempted to think this way at the Lambeth Country Show in Brixton. I had just spent twenty minutes queuing up for Chucklehead Cider. This cider has a reputation that travels before it, hence the queue. It's delicious, refreshing, strong and packaged as shown in the photograph.

As I wandered away from the stand I studied the label and the plastic container. Of course I would do it differently.

My brain raced through a range of West Country farm/orchard imagery/clichés; an expressive and witty Chucklehead logo; copy that eulogised the home-grown, organic and health giving properties; spot colour printing; apple shaped labels...
...and then there was the bottle. Should it be a milk bottle or...
...and then I took a sip of cider...
...and then I decided they had got it absolutely spot on.

Some graphic projects, even in the mind, just aren't meant to be!

Posted: 22 July 2009

iHoliday

Lonley Planet

With the start of the holiday season, and various trips planned throughout the studio, we are again turning to our iPhones to help ease the travel experience. We're hoping that the nifty (and free) Jeffrey Grossman Currency Converter, will help us grab a bargain (for a change). While the handy Lonely Planet Phrasebook, with its handy audio playback of phrases, means that we don't even need to attempt to speak Turkish! Lastly, even with the birth of the most complicated games and advanced consols, it's still going to be the simple Bejeweled® 2 that captures our attention on the plane. With its simple, yet addictive gem swapping fun, we just can't seem to switch it off. The only warning we have, don't forget to pack your charger!

All applications available from the iTunes store.

Posted: 28 July 2009

Paragon Group website goes live!

Paragon

Sterling has worked closely with the Paragon Group in the design and production of their new website.

Paragon is the UK's largest vehicle processing supplier. They are the leading providers of volume vehicle preparation, defleet, logistics and captive fleet management, being an integral part of sales support to major vehicle manufacturers and fleet operators.

With its strong visual impact, clever navigation and informative content the website brings together the complete Paragon offering

www.paragonautomotive.co.uk

Posted: 28 July 2009

Design Classics

Me in my Mini

How does a car designed in the 60s still appeal today to so many people? Everyone knows and loves the original Mini and many have owned or still own one. Indeed, using the past as a design resource can actually make your work more dynamic and popular with a particular target audience - just look at take up of the new Mini.

I owned a 1991 Mini Neon after passing my driving test and then sold it before going to University. So what made me go out and spend money that I didn't have on buying another one? Was it the design with its unique features, the great shape, the character, the way it can fit into any space or was it just me being mad?

The Mini is currently hibernating in my garage, not by choice but due to illness - the Mini not me!

Maybe it is madness?

Posted: 30 July 2009