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The Scoop
Merchant City creatives unite behind a studio mentorship programme
Three established creative studios in Glasgow’s Merchant City have joined forces to launch a fully funded studio-based residency programme for like-minded startups. Graven, Spreng Thomson and Threesixty Architecture are the driving forces behind Wilson’s Foundry, a four-month programme supporting entrepreneurs to build successful businesses. Open to new and existing businesses looking to develop novel products or services the initiative will embed successful applicants within the three studios, each offering mentorship in bringing their ideas to market. The initiative includes access […]
Continue readingChivas Regal Formula 1 sponsorship puts Scotch whisky in the fast lane
Scotch whisky brand Chivas Regal is collaborating with the Scuderia Ferrari HP Formula 1 team as an official partner ahead of the Las Vegas Grand Prix. Both brands will be united in a multi-year partnership focussed on exploring the importance of teamwork to success through a range of custom content and live experiences centred on an awareness campaign planned for next year that will espouse the dangers of drink driving. Jean-Etienne Gourgues, Chairman & CEO of Paisley-based Chivas Brothers, makers of […]
Continue readingDS Architecture mark a decade in practice with a new brand identity
DS Architecture has begun a fresh chapter by launching a new brand identity, website and practice statement. A decade on from its formation in Edinburgh by Dugald Skene DS Architecture is looking to the future in partnership with the Touch Agency, with a revitalised digital footprint that boils the practice ethos down to ‘Distinctive. Stories. Assured’. Carrying the practice’s Modernist credentials into the online realm the work is led by a new practice logo intended to embody light, space and […]
Continue readingRedrawing the Map
So close, yet so far, the working class districts of Govan and Partick have experienced wildly divergent fortunes in recent years. Facing off across the Clyde, they may as well have been worlds away but a new bridge brings them closer than ever. We look at what this means for their future direction of travel. Photography by Tom Manley. A £29.5m pedestrian bridge has swung into action to provide a physical bond between Govan and Partick for the first time. More […]
Continue readingPrint specialist has Scotch whisky covered with industrial lighting
Spirit Label Solutions has lit the way ahead for its £5m new warehouse with a customised lighting scheme as it seeks to shake-up the staid world of specialised printing. The drinks industry-specific labelling business has combined indoor, outdoor and emergency lighting for the blank industrial canvas of its Renfrew manufacturing base as it seeks to fully digitise the provision of print. Illuminated by Electrical Solutions on behalf of Advanced Building Contractors, the warehouse is bathed in steady light at all […]
Continue readingFifth Ring eyes global growth with a leadership shake-up
Fifth Ring has laid the groundwork for further organic and acquisitions-centred expansion with the reveal of a new leadership team. The Aberdeen-based B2B marketing specialists has elevated its former European director Jenniffer MacLennan, an eight-year veteran of the business, to the newly created role of group managing director as part of a suite of promotions and appointments. MacLennan will assume responsibility for all operational activities and support sustained growth and continued expansion into new markets, saying: “In my new role, I […]
Continue readingKevin McCloud celebrates the Superglass story
Superglass brand ambassador Kevin McCloud has headed up north to front a new film celebrating the Stirling roots of a glass mineral wool manufacturer. The Walk sees the avuncular Grand Designs host travel to the Ochil Hills to celebrate the Superglass story through the prism of community and the environment, charting its enduring presence in the city and its commitment to social good and energy efficiency. On a visit to its Stirling factory, McCloud dons his hard hat to show […]
Continue readingOrange is the new black at redesigned Glasgow offices
A refurbished Glasgow office space is turning heads after its refurbishment to entice new tenants. Asset manager Eagle Street Partners has refitted the fourth floor of 310 St Vincent Street in a vibrant palette of orange and black with a feature kitchen and breakout area. Showcasing the full refurbishment of the 70,000sq/ft property the space is reached from a new double-height reception and benefits from access to feature terraces. Brian McKenna, asset manager at Eagle Street, commented: “We know from […]
Continue readingWebsite launch propels Erz into the fourth dimension
Landscape architecture firm Erz is striking out in a new direction with the launch of a new website that seeks to convey a sense of conviviality inherent to the practice’s work. Here Erz director Felicity Steers outlines how beauty is a product not just of space but of time. The Erz portfolio includes huge urban strategies of entire new neighbourhoods, and intimate spaces for teaching preschool children; it includes therapeutic gardens for the NHS and cycle routes across Argyll; innovative […]
Continue readingBusiness Gateway reaches out to entrepreneurs with ‘here to help’
Business Gateway, the support network for current and potential business owners, has launched a new creative campaign to raise awareness of its services among entrepreneurs, start-ups and scale-ups. ‘Here to help’ illustrates the full range of free help and advice offered by the organisation across print, digital, social media, local radio, and OOH channels until October, illustrating the scale of its support for small and medium-sized companies. Developed by Edinburgh-based creatives LUX the campaign adopts specific visual cues and a […]
Continue readingScottish Government abruptly curtails ‘non-essential’ ad spend
The Scottish government has pulled the rug out from under agencies such as Leith, Stand, The Union and Bright Signals after abruptly ceasing all ‘non-essential’ advertising, citing budgetary pressures for the dramatic move. The decision has caught the industry by surprise with no advance notice given, despite the knock-on financial repercussions which could lead to job losses for marketing and advertising businesses with significant public sector exposure – according to the Institute for Practitioners in Marketing (IPA). Paul Bainsfair, director […]
Continue readingBig-brand business drives GRA growth
Glaswegian digital marketing agency GRA has extended its wings after moving into new offices in the leafy Park Circus area to consolidate and expand operations at home and abroad. Showing off their new address at 2 Woodside Place the team has set its sights across the pond by targeting big-brand businesses following success with clients such as confectionary brand Lees and construction firm Fleming. Eyeing further North American growth the business has taken on a fourfold increase in office space […]
Continue readingFeminist Urbanism
Moves to account for the experiences of women in the built environment are inspiring a more open approach to town planning that ensures decisions around footpath width, lighting and open spaces are made for the benefit of all. Scottish Design Awards judge Yasmin Ali looks at the role of this developing approach to urbanism in creating more inclusive cities. Part of a continued series around giving voice to new perspectives, Yasmin Ali has been examining the topic of Feminist Urbanism, […]
Continue readingBuilding Study: Edinburgh Futures Institute
A surge in interest for retrofit work has reached its climax in Edinburgh with the unveiling of an ideas institute that looks to the future while embracing the past. The Scoop tours a timely intervention that looks to tackle the biggest issues facing humanity before the clock strikes midnight on climate change. Photography by Keith Hunter. Edinburgh’s Old Royal Infirmary building, closed in 2003, has broadened its scope from local to global in its new manifestation as Edinburgh Futures Institute. The Old Royal Infirmary building on […]
Continue readingFifth Ring confirmed as Scotland’s top independent marketing agency
Aberdeen-based Fifth Ring has cemented its position as the top B2B marketing specialist in Scotland after jumping four places to 57th spot in a benchmarking report. The placement by B2B Marketing, the global resource for marketers at business brands, secures Fifth Ring’s standing as the highest placed entrant hailing from north of the border, a position it has now held for three years in a row. Spanning creative, media, public relations, branding and digital the B2B specialist has grown to […]
Continue readingStreaming slowdown pushes Axis Studios into administration
Administrators have begun to wind down Axis Studios following the sudden collapse of Scotland’s largest animation and visual effects business. The move sees 162 staff in Glasgow and Bristol lose their jobs with all active projects cancelled as a COVID-era boom in demand for animation services petered out. Alistair McAlinden, head of Interpath Advisory in Scotland and joint administrator, explained: “The company experienced a high demand for its services during COVID as animation and visual effects for TV, film and […]
Continue readingBell & Swift eye hospitality growth with the appointment of Ashley McCabe
East Kilbride-based commercial interior design studio Bell & Swift is targetting further growth in the hospitality sector with the appointment of Ashley McCabe as an associate. Working alongside directors Craig McKie and Dawn Campbell McCabe will draw on 15 years of industry experience to focus on new client projects with an emphasis on branded and boutique hotels. Campbell commented: “We’re delighted to welcome Ashley to the Bell & Swift team at an exciting point in the business having just reached […]
Continue readingGP Racing Simulators put East Kilbride in the driving seat of virtual reality
A hi-tech virtual reality racing centre has opened its doors in East Kilbride promising to bring a high octane fun to the new town. Located in the Playsport leisure venue GP Racing Simulators ‘hyper-realistic representations of the track will get your pulse racing even if you don’t travel an inch. Led by architects Holmes Miller and main contractor Eco Construction the innovative venue sits below an arresting acoustically optimised ceiling that incorporates an upside-down racetrack and bespoke lighting. Delivered by […]
Continue readingTelecoms brand kicks hate into touch for Euro 2024
Telecoms brand EE has embraced the home nations for Euro 2024 with Hate. Not in my Shirt, a move to end all forms of hate. The big-budget campaign features players from Scotland and England to challenge the spread of hate in football by celebrating moments that make people proud to wear their team colours. Designed to represent modern Britain the Saatchi & Saatchi campaign highlights behaviours that are not fit for the shirt in patriotic messaging set to the bittersweet […]
Continue readingGlasgow celebrates its 850th anniversary with a badge of honour
Glasgow City Council has shown off custom birthday branding to help usher in the city’s 850th anniversary next year. Glaswegian design agency Tangent are celebrating their home city with a badge identity that references past and future success through the use of abstract symbols. The customisable logo can be adapted by groups, individuals and businesses with a library of symbols representing different aspects of history, initially including a bell, fish, bird and tree drawn from Glasgow’s coat of arms which […]
Continue readingArt & science entwine to visualise quantum physics
The power of art to convey complex ideas is being taken to the subatomic level in a new form of collaboration between physicists at the University of Glasgow and a local artist Gregor Harvie approached the university’s Quantum Theory Group to seek advice on his current work exploring the nature of the universe. Combining a background in science and art Harvie is well-placed to approach the confounding world of the very small, exploring new ways of looking at aspects of […]
Continue reading3D OOH advert takes The Scotch Whisky Experience in a new direction
A novel approach to out-of-home advertising brings added dimensionality to The Scotch Whisky Experience in Edinburgh. Creative media and digital marketing agency ALT is engaging passersby on Princes Street through the medium of 3D, banishing traditional flat screens to demonstrate the ins and outs of the attraction. Marrying technology and heritage the eye-catching ad showcases the distillation process by harnessing suspended baubles and other visual tricks to change perceptions of the national drink. Nathan White, board director at ALT, commented: “This campaign […]
Continue readingCreative Scotland accused of a cover-up in Highland sex scene scandal
Creative Scotland is to be hauled before culture secretary Angus Robertson to answer for its decision to award £84k of funding to an arts project featuring actual sex. The cash financed two phases of research and development for Rein, a multi-screen film exploring themes of sexuality set in the Scottish landscape. The arts body withdrew support for the project back in March citing the inclusion of ‘non simulated sex acts’, which it claimed marked a ‘significant change’ from the original funding application. Documents […]
Continue readingInverness Castle’s three towers experience to bring the Highlands to the city
Plans to transform Inverness Castle from a prison into a visitor attraction have taken shape with the reveal of concept images Mather & Co. The experiential design agency has been commissioned to bring its visitor attraction expertise to the Highland capital, bringing the romantic red sandstone pile to life by taking visitors on a journey through wild glens through three separate tower experiences. The North Tower will be transformed into the Cèilidh Rooms, a music-themed embodiment of Highland culture developed […]
Continue readingAberdeen agency preaches creativity from its dedicated co-working hub
An Aberdeen design agency is playing its part in boosting creativity in the region by throwing open the doors to a new creative hub dedicated to nurturing talent. Brand and digital agency FortyTwo Studio is sharing two refurbished self-contained offices at its new premises, a former church hall at 35 Mid Stocket Road, since moving in earlier this year. The spaces house a photography studio for hire as well as a creative base for like-minded individuals to get a head start in […]
Continue readingLewis acquires Tayburn to establish a Scottish creative powerhouse
Established Edinburgh-based creative agencies Lewis and Tayburn are embarking on a new shared future together in which they promise to establish a new agency model that puts their clients such as FMCG and Whyte & Mackay in the driving seat. Creative and digital agency Lewis has agreed on a six-figure sum to acquire branding design and digital agency Tayburn, providing synergies of expertise in areas such as branding, packaging, design, and digital. CEO David Lewis said: “For the past year, we’ve been looking closely at […]
Continue readingColourful Co-op mural brings a wealth of symbolism to Dennistoun
A worker cooperative wholesaler based in Dennistoun has brightened up its quiet corner of the east end by commissioning a colourful mural to set out its values and ethos. Greencity Wholefoods commissioned Cobalt Collective for the eye-catching work, spanning the entire front facade of their offices. Serving to lift spirits and make a statement the piece shouts out the presence of the worker-owned business, its members and artists studios. Celebrating nature and cooperative values the vegetarian business recruited Glasgow-based mural artists Erin […]
Continue readingDentsu Creative go hands-on with Valspar to shake up paint selection
The power of home improvements to transform interiors takes centre stage in a new campaign that paints Valspar as a market leader in colour mixing. Valspar, part of the Sherwin Williams Company, is personalising the process of paint selection by thrusting the creative process into the hands of consumers with ‘Shake it Up’, a vibrant campaign encouraging DIYers to cast beige aside and experiment with different tones and hues. Delivered jointly by Dentsu Creative’s Edinburgh and Manchester offices the active campaign celebrates the art of vigorously […]
Continue readingHeineken offers British drinkers a taste of Spain this summer
Heineken UK is pushing fast-growing Spanish beer brand Cruzcampo throughout the spring and early summer with a £10m TV campaign incorporating video on demand, out-of-home and social media activity. The Edinburgh headquartered brewing giant tasked creative agency Lucky Generals to open the eyes of British drinkers to the European brand with an all-medium approach that includes influencer and public relations work. Choose to Cruz emphasises the brand’s roots in Seville by inviting further flung consumers to relax in their local bar with […]
Continue readingLaura and David Haggerty open up on an ALT-ernative approach to creative marketing
Starting a new business is a tall order at the best of times but imagine combining that with the unpredictable new reality of COVID-19 and working closely with your spouse. Managing just such a feat is newly formed creative media and digital marketing agency, ALT. In conversation with The Scoop Laura and David Haggerty, co-founders of ALT, share the highs and lows of life behind the scenes at the Glaswegian agency. Finally able to pause and reflect the pair said: “Establishing […]
Continue readingPerforming arts institute finds its feet following a rebrand
The Scottish Institute of Theatre, Dance, Film & Television (The SI), formerly known as the MGA Academy of Performing Arts, has undergone a full rebrand in tandem with its relocation to Livingston. Now under the ownership of Silver Rock Studios The SI, founded in 2011, has updated its brand identity to reflect its growth, including the capacity to cater to international students for the first time. A new logo and fonts communicate the institute’s creative pedigree and help to communicate […]
Continue readingVideo artwork puts London’s multiculturalism into words
A thought-provoking new artwork that celebrates the vibrant culture of Soho has launched at Tottenham Court Road station. undergroundoverheard by Douglas Gordon is one of several artworks commissioned by Crossrail Art Programme and sits alongside works including Chantal Joffe’s A Sunday Afternoon in Whitechapel at Whitechapel station and Conrad Shawcross’ Manifold (Major Third) 5:4 at Liverpool Street station. Situated in the Dean Street entrance to the Elizabeth line at Tottenham Court Road station, Gordon’s new artwork comprises a video on a large screen seen by […]
Continue readingPicture This
An image is often said to be worth a thousand words but if a few of those go unsaid what does that say about ownership? In a mood for change the visualisation industry is pushing for greater acknowledgement of their work by uniting behind a common copyright character. Wwe look at the implications for disseminating the work of others. In the unstated pecking order of construction-related professions, visualisers have long occupied the lower rungs of fame, languishing in the small […]
Continue readingMaterial, Glasgow’s Leading Creative Agency, Achieves B Corp Certification on Its 21st Anniversary
In celebration of its 21st year in operation, Material, the Glasgow-based creative agency, has officially attained B Corp certification. Following a rigorous application and assessment process, Material now joins the esteemed B Corp community, consisting of just over 8000 businesses globally that share a commitment to using business as a force for good. The principles of B Corp align seamlessly with Material’s internal culture and its diverse portfolio of clients, including The Macallan, University of Strathclyde, the SEC, BAFTA, and […]
Continue readingAwards Rewards
The proliferation of award programmes makes it harder than ever to stand out from the crowd, prompting a flight to established awards for showcase and discovery, a message championed by Form Digital, crowned Scottish Design Agency of the Year 2022 at the Scottish Design Awards. Since opening their Glasgow studio in 2019, Form Digital has been no stranger to navigating a competitive market, having gone from strength to strength competing with more established brand agencies – helped in no small part by the cachet of […]
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