APMA Awards

It's nice to celebrate and recognise all the great campaigns at the recent APMA Awards which was held at the gorgeous Ivy Ballroom last night.

Although we weren't up for a heap of awards, we did have a finalist up for the in the Young Creative of the Year Award, our lovely designer Theresa. We had our fingers and toes crossed for a win, but alas we were pipped at the post.

Regardless, it was a top night and we were honoured just to have a nomination. Congrats to all the winners and nominees from the night and a big thanks APMA for another great night for agencies, suppliers and clients. Until next year...

For more photos from the night head over to our facebook page (and LIKE us too!).

Pentagram celebrates 40 years

Legendary design powerhouse Pentagram, created this little story to celebrate 40 years in the business. It's cute, simple and most of all draws us in graphically.

Here's hoping that little old 31STHQ get to double digits too...
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Brands & Apps

We've seen this trend of "brands creating apps" to engage their customers grow in the last few years. However, there hasn't been a great app connected to a brand here in Australia as yet - so it is somewhat uncharted territory.

This one is pretty unique and due to the lack of sunshine lately - we might just catch some using this app.

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Etcher Sketcher

If you haven't heard of Kickstarter, get onto it now. It's a way to fund your crazy, ah-mazing, wacky, out-of-this-world or creative ideas. It gathers the world-wide-web community together to help you fund your projects and kickstart your adventure.

We're backing this. A bit of childhood nostalgia combined with the technology of today. Total and utter genius and I think it would keep the kids entertained for hours - mega bonus points.


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The Paperless Post

At 31STHQ, we are finding that we are throwing away the paper and doing most things digitally (don't worry the trusty notebook still gets a workout).

We love this site Paperless Post. Send anything from a save the date card to a happy birthday message or a random 'you're' tops' card. And the designs make that dodgey e-card look like a thing of the past.

Some of our favourites are below. By the way, quite a few of the cards are free, thanks Paperless Post! So, start sending peeps!

Would you or wouldn't you?

We are suckers for not-just-good but totally fantastic packaging. It makes us firstly, put it in out shopping baskets. Then contemplate even using the product (just to preserve the beauty of the object in it's full entirety). Then if we do open it, we keep the packaging, as-you-do. Just in case you want to look at it again. Weird. Yes.

Our question to you, is would you open and use this?
Our answer, nup.

If you are scratching your heads going - what on earth is it? They are hot chocolate sticks, designed to go into a hot cup of milk, then melt away.

Thinking Caps On!

The other week our whole-entire-team stepped away from our brand new desks (and our computers) to embark on 31st Second's first, ever conference! Cue: Applause.

It wasn't a holiday but we did get a chance to get away from bustling Sydney and stay at the magnificent Bora Bora House in Cottage Point. If you haven't been there, it's well worth a visit and only 50 minutes from the CBD - a little piece of paradise. And a perfect spot to do a whole lotta business planning, projections, set some goals, manage our growth and determine how we all wanted the company to move forward in the future.

It took a lot of brain cells but it was essential to the future of 31st Second. Here's a sneak peak of what we got up to. To see all the action head over to our Facebook page and 'like' us too!

A little tape and a lot of love

We'd love this to be our meeting room, totally amazing and what a clever concept (minus the man-power!). For our lovely email subscribers click here

Our Favourite Things in May

1. The Grounds
Sydney's newest cafe slash coffee grinder with a whopping garden, stocked with chickens, strawberries, herbs and the works. Making an impression with foodies from get-go this is one place to watch. We hear an outdoor woodfired pizza oven, outdoor bar and sunday spit roast are on the cards - how good is that?!?!

 
2. MCA
Free - yep. Water views - double yes. Rooftop cafe with the ultimate view of Sydneytown - triple-YES!!! Definitely check out the multi-million dollar reno and chow down on some food while you're there too.

3. Friday cheese platters and pixtos n' paella at Bocata
Our local downstairs Spanish joint serves up a mean paella on fridays for only ten buckerunnies! Ka-ching! And you get a pixtos to start too - score. Then after lunch we encourage a large cheese platter with a fresh crisp white to get you in the mood for the weekend. Well, that's how we spend our Friday arvos - what about you?

Shopping meets Social Media

Hmmmm, not sure we'd like this. But it'll be interesting to see if this phenomena takes off. May help those indecisive peeps or on the other hand, help us choose the hot ticket items. Our ticket is that Sportsgirl may trial this technology!


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Identity love: Icon Face

Hello, graphic identity.
Oh how this makes us swoon.
Black and white with pops of colour, overlay, geometric, bold, eyecatching.
Total 'oh yeah!'.

Social Media Moves On From Words

Social media is moving into more visual forms. The rise of pinterest and the heavily used Instagram are two of the most used 'visual social media'.

Why? It's simple. Taking pictures is easy, everyone gets to be the 'photographer' with the help of iphones & smartphones and we can take a snap at any time and at any place. Better still language is no barrier. We are able to capture, share and then create conversations via these visual social media platforms.

If you need a daily challenge (and there's no prize involved) just the feeling of accomplishment get involved in the photo a day challenge put together by blogger Fat Mum Slim. Just use the list as inspiration and definitely have a heap of fun - if you miss a day - don't fret just move on!

No rules, the skies the limit just remember to hashtag #photoadayapril. The list is below and see some of the photos already added to this month's challenge. So are you gonna join get on this bandwagon?

The collection

We love seeing a brand in it's entirity. Makes you realise that there's so much more than just a logo. This beauty for "The Collection" was created by Mind Design over in the UK. It made us seriously swoon.

The Collection is a restaurant, cultural event and retail space created in collaboration with Tom Dixon. How awesome is it and the identity design?!

Do you Pinterest?

It's the latest craze, we've hopped on board. Stuff all the paper sticking, stapling, scissor cutting - pinterest makes it easy to virtually create moodboards for things like home ideas to the ever popular wedding inspiration boards. But for us, we're using it as a tool to find design inspiration. Follow us on pinterest here.

In the meantime, this pinning craze has also been used for marketing promotions and brand enhancement. Two recent campaigns that have utilised Pinterest are Kotex and Kikki K.

Kikki K teamed up with Loreal Melbourne Fashion Festival (LMFF) and asked pinners to create a digital fashion inspiration board using pinterest, inspired by Kikki K's new seasion collections for a chance to win; tickets to LMFF, a funkis prize pack & Kikki K's new collection. In order to be in the running to win and also to judge all the pinterest boards, the pinners had to submit their board onto Kikki K's facebook page.

Such an innovative campaign, that got users interacting n' getting inspired by current brand collection but also linking a primarily stationary based brand to a wider fashion audience. Clever stuff!

Next on the Pinterest boat, but more of an international campaign - is this well researched and genius campaign by Kotex. It gathered big numbers in terms of interactions between consumers and saw its online profile skyrocket simply by pinning. See the whole thing come to life in the video below.

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March Madness at 31STHQ

March already?! Geez, this year has run away from us. We've been heads down, go, go, go with a heap of new work completed, a H.U.G.E. move to a new office space (if you haven't heard already) and after months of artworking, organising and uniform-finding our B.I.G campaign for Impulse Love Story went live. Wow-wee it's been great to see all the hard work, sweat finally come into fruition.

Check out the whole March Newsletter here & in the meantime take a peak at our campaign for Impulse Love Story too below.

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