D-Room

This years top Christmas Pressies.

2009-01-15T10:50:00.001Z

The festive season has come and gone and the D-ROOM boys and girls are back giddy with excitement about the presents they (or in some case didn't) received. Here are some of the favourites that top this years list:

Paul
My favourite pressie wasn't technically mine but my daughter Anna's - Super Mario Carts for the Wii. It's absolutely brilliant. I must admit to whiling away large parts of the long winter days playing it and it's going to be hard adjusting to life in the daytime without it! How did Santa know?

Tony
Despite being pretty much ambidextrous at 16 years old, over the years my left hand has gotten a little sloppy so in order to redress the balance somewhat, my wife has enrolled me for a series of drum lessons with an exotic Portuguese in order to improve my technique - what did you think I was talking about? Or you could mention the WiiFit which tells me I have a WiiFit age of 50! Nice!

Stuart
My favourite was a Spykee Mini robot from Mechano - not difficult to build but very funny chasing next doors cat round the patio with it. Forwards, backwards, side to side plus flashing lights and weird noises - does it get any better?

Chris
My favourite has to be Guitar Hero World Tour! With wireless guitar in hand I am now on the path to becoming a rock god!

Rob
Merry Twist'mas to me! Sleeping will never be the same again with my all new, playful Twister Duvet Cover! Still yet to have a game though...any challengers?? haha

Sarah
The best present I got this Christmas was a chopping board which fits nicely with my new years resolution to learn to cook more. There's only so many spaghetti bologneses I can serve my son, so time to expand my repertoire!

Welcome Sarah

2009-01-06T11:05:00.002Z

We're pleased to announce a new member of the D-ROOM team - Sarah Graham will be joining us in a marketing role. Sarah has an impressive track record in marketing and brand development. She worked for British Airways for a number of years and one of her roles was brand manager for Concorde. Since leaving she has worked on a consultancy basis for a number of companies throughout the North West helping them to identify, plan and achieve their marketing goals.

We're sure Sarah will be a great asset for D-ROOM and clients alike. Welcome to the team Sarah.

New D-ROOM wesbite launched.

2008-03-25T10:44:00.003Z

We're pleased to announce that we've finally completed and uploaded our new website. The new site is designed with the emphasis on showcasing our work, which potential new clients always respond well to (along with the marketing expertise, exceptional service, value for money, successful track record, etc, etc!!!).

Many thanks to all those involved in the design and development particularly Chris and Stuart - thanks guys.

To take a peep visit www.d-room.co.uk (we'd be very happy to receive any comments).

D-ROOM Bowling Tournament

2008-01-23T09:47:00.000Z

The D-ROOM creative team took a well earned break from work on Friday afternoon (17th) for a 'friendly' game of bowls at Middlebrook, Bolton. Following a quick bite at Nandos (respect to Tony for lapping up liberal helpings on the extra hot peri-peri sauce) the gang descended on Hollywood Bowl where the fun began.

Some breathtaking Michael Jackson-like footwork saw Chris take an early lead - in addition to attracting some admiring glances from several bowlers in neighbouring lanes (apparently no phone numbers were exchanged!). Mad Dog McNair threw some erratic bowls which saw the sides taking a severe pounding and Rob was sadly playing a game that only vaguely resembled bowls! Despite Chris' early promise, Paul came through at the final stages to take the first and second games with embarrassing ease. Having been despatched to the bar, the cranberry juice must have got to him as Paul decided to start game three with a different colour bowling ball which saw his game go pear shaped. Tony then stepped up to the mark with some peri-peri inspired sizzling bowling which saw him making a late dash on the leader board. However Hesketh Bank's finest, Mad Dog McNair had decided that it was time to make his mark. With quiet, determined grit he stormed through the last rounds in such a way that his score card look X-rated.

The final game beckoned and to add an extra edge it was agreed that the loser would be required to make all the brews for the creative studio on the following Monday - as big an incentive to anyone at D-ROOM as there is. As if sensing the new mood of fear and apprehension, the lights dimmed as the final game began. Mad Dog McNair and Paul vied for the number one spot with stiff competition from an invigorated Rob who'd finally discovered the art of releasing the ball early on in the bowling action. However the real interest was at the bottom with Tony and Chris fighting it out for the wooden tea spoon. The fancy footwork of earlier in the evening was but a distant memory as Chris opted for safety first. However Tony was having none of it from the young pretender and did just enough to stave off defeat. And so, with his fate sealed, Chris accepted his fate as studio tea boy for the whole of Monday with good grace and much sympathy from the rest of the gang.

However, will he have his revenge as the next outing is being planned?

New creative talent at D-ROOM

2007-08-22T13:01:00.000Z

We're pleased to welcome Rob Whyte to the creative team at D-ROOM.

Rob recently graduated from The University of Central Lancashire with a BA(Hons) in Graphic Design. In this year's national D&AD* competition, Rob was awarded the accolade of having his work published 'in book'.

D-ROOM creative director Tony Lythgoe says, "When recruiting new members of the D-ROOM creative team it is vital that we balance exceptional creativity and compatibility with our distinctive company culture. Rob's creative ability and his passion for design both shine out, he's an outstanding talent with a great personality, and we're delighted he's joined us."

* Design & Art Direction.

Recruitment News

2007-07-27T13:51:00.000Z

We are no longer accepting applications for the position of Junior Designer as in the previous post. Thank you to everyone who applied.

Junior Designer Opportunity

2007-06-28T15:58:00.000Z

D-ROOM Design Communications are looking to appoint a Junior Designer. Ideally suited to a graduate, this role demands an abundance of creative design, self-motivation and organisational skills, teamworking ability, and a hunger to impress.

Primarily aimed at design for print, any web skills would be advantageous, and we would require proficiency in Quark Xpress, Illustrator, and Photoshop as standard.

On offer is a competitive salary and the opportunity to progress within our growing company.

Please send a full CV with salary expectations to: tony@d-room.co.uk or D-ROOM Design Communications, 14 Bark Street East, Bolton, BL1 2BQ Tel: 01204 382599

Radio One's Big Weekend

2007-05-16T10:38:00.000Z

I've managed to somehow bag myself two tickets for radio ones big weekend in Preston! Over the moon! I'm going to get to see The Scissor Sisters, Kasabian and loads of other bands. I registered for the competition about a week ago and to be honest wasn't expecting anything. I knew the odds of winning were a bit poor because so many people enter, who wouldn't, it's free! Anyway, it was a really nice surprise to find an email from radio one in my inbox. Heres the list of the acts who I'll be seeing on the Saturday.

For more details about the event, have a look at the site,

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/bigweekend/about

And to top it off I got a shout out from good old Moylesy on radio one!

This is what Radio One had to say about where all the tickets went and which postcode areas got most.

We had almost 500,000 applications for tickets and we only have 8,875 pairs a day to give out which means that just 1.8% of people who applied were lucky.

As we've previously said, the majority of these tickets have been given to people in the North-West and the Preston area. We used people's postcodes to determine this. Here's the breakdown of where they went:

* 16,024 tickets to postcodes PR1 and PR2
* 7,100 tickets to postcodes PR3-PR9 and BB1-BB12
* 10,740 tickets to the North West of England area
* 1,636 tickets to the rest of the UK.

It will be televised on BBC3 and BBC1 (after you press the red button on BBC1) on both days (19th-20th May), so you might get a glimpse of me jumping around like a total nutter. Anyway, needless to say I'm pretty chuffed! Preston here I come!

Posted by Kathryn

Little Bolton Townscape Heritage Initiative

2007-03-21T14:50:00.000Z

D-ROOM is situated in a conservation area of Bolton close to the town centre, known as 'Little Bolton'. Many of the historic Georgian buildings in the area date back to a time when the town was experiencing rapid growth and establishing itself as a major force in the industrial revolution.

The township of Little Bolton was originally administered as a separate unit from Great Bolton and both were run by Improvement Trustees set up by the Bolton Enclosure and Improvement Act of 1792. The River Croal marked the boundary between the two communities with the main crossing points being Bridge Street and Bank Street/Manor Street.

In 1838 a petition was sent to the Queen and Bolton was granted a Borough Charter. However the Trustees of both Great and Little Bolton were not finally abolished until the Bolton Improvement Act of 1850 vested their powers in Bolton Borough Council. From this time onwards the character of the area began to change and coincided with peak periods in the textile industry.

2007

The local council have unveiled plans to further preserve and enhance the character of the area. It aims to ensure that the historic buildings are repaired and/or converted to make the area more attractive for residents, businesses and visitors. The scheme is part of a larger regeneration strategy for the town centre.

It will be interesting to see how the plans will impact on D-ROOM - our own building dates back to the late 18th century (much to the surprise of many visitors!) - we're soon to be visited by an architect involved in the project. We've undertaken substantial improvements since moving in in 2003, the modern interior being in stark contrast to the Georgian exterior - we'll be posting further updates as the scheme progresses!

Environmental Policy

2007-03-12T11:27:00.000Z

At D-ROOM we are committed to the ideals and practices of environmental responsibility. We have therefore outlined measures designed to:

Comply and where possible exceed all applicable legal and other requirements.
Implement good environmental practice and raise awareness of environmental policies and issues amongst our employees.
Prevent pollution by reducing wastes and emissions through the use of the best available techniques.
Implement practices consistent with environmental protection.
Adopt the principles of sustainable development in conducting its administrative, commercial and social activities.
Design products taking into account environmental aspects.
Reduce D-ROOM’s CO2 emissions by using energy efficient plant, thereby reducing the organisations contribution to climate change.
Communicate this policy to all interested parties i.e. stakeholders, shareholders, customers, suppliers, employees and contractors.
Participate in local initiatives to improve the quality of the environment.

Procurement

Where possible source paper from sustainable resources.
When purchasing other raw materials take environmental issues into account.
Informing sub contractors of their environmental obligations.

Recycling

We have a target to reduce our landfill waste. This will be achieved by doing the following:-

All waste paper is recycled.
All cardboard and polythene is baled & recycled.
All aluminium plates are recycled.
All hazardous substances are separated from landfill waste and disposed of appropriately.
All aerosol cans are separated from landfill and disposed of appropriately.

Carbon emissions

We have a target to reduce energy costs. This will be achieved by doing the following:-

Make all staff aware of the impact of the environment of reducing energy bills.
Use low wattage bulbs in areas where colour correct lighting is not required.
Use timers on boilers and immersion heaters.

New regulations affecting limited companies

2007-03-07T13:57:00.000Z

Clients are reminded of a change in the law regarding information which must be displayed on the websites of limited companies. UK limited companies are now required to include their registered office address and registered number on their website and e-mails. The regulations which were made on 21st December 2006 and came in to force on 1st January 2007 have received little publicity, firms face heavy fines for non compliance.

To find out more or request an update to your website please contact stuart@d-room.co.uk

Hanging around waiting for customers to find your website?

2007-02-26T14:09:00.000Z

You wouldn’t open your business in the middle of nowhere and leave it to chance that someone would stumble across it - would you? If your website hasn't been designed and constructed effectively, with the content optimsed for maximum search engine compatibility you’re doing exactly that!

You have great products and services and a watertight business plan. You devote a great deal of your time and invest substantially in the set up costs. You launch your new website with the optimism that it will be a fantastic new asset for your business and a source of constant revenue. But the website fails to live up to expectations.

Don’t leave it to chance!
We can help your market find you.

With an estimated £80 billion spent in the UK on or influenced by the internet in 2006 it is vital that companies serious about doing business online don't miss out. D-ROOM Design Communications have the expertise to deliver a website that gets in front of your potential customers. We take the time to understand your business and help you deliver exactly what your market demands. We give you a well designed, focused, hard-working website that is optimised to capitalise on the ability of search engines to locate your site. Quickly and easily.

If you would like a no obligation chat about how D-ROOM could update your existing website, or even develop a brand new version, contact Tony Lythgoe.

email: tony@d-room.co.uk or tel: 01204 382599