Pickle News

Self Catering Apartments in Spain

2009-06-28T17:16:00.004+01:00

The Guadalupe Hills Holiday Apartments website has been one of the largest we have worked on for a while, but it needed to be, to reflect the region in Spain where the complex is situated. It also needed to represent a number of apartment owners both jointly and independently. We suggested creating the site in a way that would provide visitors a useful resource, while at the same time presenting the complex in a pleasing way.

Take a look at the site for yourself Costa del Sol Self Catering, and you will see the three different categories of self catering apartments, all luxurious with wonderful views. The Costa del Sol is packed full of activities, one of the most popular being golf, so we dedicated a large portion of the site to letting visitors know what was in store for them. The golfing page includes a map of the numerous clubs within walking and driving distance.

Along with photographs and guides to the local region and the well furnished apartments themselves, we added an availability checker and booking facilities. Considering the amount of apartments and different categories, this had to be created from robust code to stand the test of time. The owners also have access to a blog where they can keep visitors up to date with changes to their individual properties there, or reveal a handy bit of local knowledge.

Those photographs of sun drenched beaches and little, untouched Spanish villages have made me very keen to visit Andulucia again; some vino tinto and tapas would go down extremely well...

The Crown Hotel Website

2009-06-20T18:05:00.004+01:00

We have recently completed a website for The Crown Hotel in Lynton - you can see a screen shot of the homepage above. The Crown Hotel is homely but they make an effort to give you a feeling of luxury as well.

We chose an image to give the impression of wallpaper, and applied it to the background of each page. Similar elements were introduced to sit behind the title and overlay the inset images. This is a simple website, but the focus on the design ensures that it is an enjoyable experience for visitors.

Cream Tea by Post

2009-06-08T16:12:00.007+01:00

After months of preparation, the Cream Mail Order website is live and Steve and Diane have taken their first orders for cream teas, one sent to Belfast.

Making cakes and cream teas was what Diane always planned to do for the cafe they opened in Tintagel, but now they have seperated the business into two distinct directions. The cafe has become The Olive Garden Italian Restaurant, while her cupcakes and scones are now available from this new website.

The branding reflects the style of the original cafe, but has moved on considerably, having to take more a cakey feel. We wanted to create the sensations of cake boxes and start the mouth watering before anyone received their bakery treats in the post!

To see a little more of the process, click on the Cream label for the other stories.

Pickle Shirts Modeled

2009-06-02T13:04:00.006+01:00

Lorraine from Wadebridge Bathroom Studio popped into our studio today and volunteered to model one of our girls' fit t-shirts, and as it was such a lovely day we took a few shots outside. The shot above was the only one where Lorraine managed to behave herself and not pull a face!

You can buy one of these shirts in both male and female sizes, take a look at the Pickle Shop to see the options in graphic tees that we have available.

The graphics on the shirt have caused a lot of interest. Emma, who created the illustrative piece, was aiming for an abstract graphic based on recent projects and other scraps of inspiration throughout our studio.

It took us a little longer to find a guy that would model the male shirt, but finally we nabbed Jonny who looks over the moon to be on the internet!

Brookfields Business Cards

2009-05-22T23:31:00.004+01:00

To work alongside the new website and identity we have created for Brookfields Bed and Breakfast, we were asked to design and source print for their stationery. Above you can see the finished business cards, with letterheads and compliment slips on their way.

The front simply carries their strong branding, designed to invoke the sensations of the farmland that the accommodation is set in, and the reverse features a shot of the house itself. Ron and Robbie who run the bed and breakfast, are keen to let people know what to expect from their establishment.

You can read a little more about the website we created for them in this post, or take a look at our portfolio.

The T-Shirts Are Here!

2009-05-17T16:57:00.008+01:00

The T-shirts hit our studio on Friday afternoon, and they look good! They have been eagerly anticipated by the team at Pickle Design and everyone who voted on the two designs. We have printed a very limited run of 10, so please make sure you contact us early if you would like one.

They are now available to buy from our website, just UK orders currently.

There are a range of sizes in both women's and men's styles. More shots will be on the Pickle Site, go to the shop to see how our graphic tees are looking.

Woolland House Branding

2009-05-09T12:09:00.004+01:00

We have just completed the first stage of the Woolland House Bed and Breakfast in Camelford, the logo has been completed and is currently being applied to the rest of the brand. The Edwardian house, in the final stages of conversion to a bed and breakfast, has character in every room, and it was important that their visual presence did not lose the sense of history the property carries.

The interior is being decorated in a style that compliments the original design of the house, but does not lack any modern amenities or the unique touches the owners excel in. We have therefore attempted to imbue their brand with the contemporary and traditional aspects of the décor.

Signage and stationery are nearing completion, and then we will add the finishing touches to their new website. Check back soon to see how the branding lends itself to these applications.

Cream ReBrand as The Olive Garden Italian Restaurant

2009-05-04T22:09:00.006+01:00

Since Steve and Diane relaunched their cafe as an Italian restaurant, they have found it difficult to convey to potential diners the cuisine that they specialise in. It became very important to leave behind the branding they loved and make it clear of just what to expect in the restaurant.

After a lot of thought, they settled on an entirely new name and direction. The Olive Garden was decided on, and certainly gets the taste buds tingling before you even get inside. We came up with a number of new logos, and settled on the one above.

The colours conjure up thoughts of Italian cooking and countryside, while still contemporary enough to make it clear this is not a rustic dining experience.

New signage, menus and adjustments to their website are in the pipeline and should be completed soon. Just in time for the Summer season. Thankfully though, their old branding will be carried over to the mail order company, and lends itself well to the cakes and cream teas they will be providing.

Spanish Holiday Apartment Website

2009-04-25T18:33:00.001+01:00

The Duquesa Complex in the Costa del Sol, Spain, has two blocks of luxury apartments available for self catering holidays. Owned primarily by individual proprietors, it made sense for them to join together to promote holidays in this stunning region.

We are currently constructing a website that will act not just as a means to book holidays in the apartments, but as a portal for research on the region. It will include personal experiences of the highlights of this coast, and there are quite a few. There has been a conscious effort to keep the editorial on the site as informal and useful as possible, making it clear that anyone booking will be dealing directly with the owners themselves.

We have already completed some leaflets for one of the apartment owners, and so used the visual language in the build of the site. Take a look in our portfolio to see the Hacienda Spanish Apartment printing.

Business Cards for the Rock Water Taxi

2009-04-18T13:52:00.000+01:00

We have just reprinted the business cards we designed for Rock Water Taxi last year, a new run for the new season. These cards carry the colours and design we set for them in their other advertising literature.

These are full colour, double sided cards, matt laminated to give a needed durability on board the water taxi. You will also find them in pubs and restaurants in both Rock and Padstow, the two destinations of the vessel. They work alongside the DL flyers and website we produced for them also.

It was built by GB Smith and Son, boat builders in Rock with a long history of high quality design and construction. We have recently started work on rebranding and print for them as well. Keep and eye out to see what is set on.

Online Surf Shop

2009-04-15T12:28:00.003+01:00

The new Bored Lizard website went live this week, now featuring an e-commerce shop, controlled by a CMS system that allows the client to add products himself. Laurent, the owner, has been running the growing business for five years now, and has expanded his range of products from the existing Stoneage brand, to include his own Bored Lizard clothing.

We helped out by redesigning his logo in 2006, which he has since applied to hoodies and t-shirts, soon to be available on the website.

Th redesign this time was minor, it simply involved turning the static products page into a live shop, leading customers through to PayPal where they can buy the items. This is a basic shopping system, with no need for a search facility, but it has the flexibility to include all of the lines that Bored Lizard stock.

To see the site itself, either take a look at the portfolio on our website, or follow the link on this older story.

Minear Engineering Leaflet

2009-04-08T15:14:00.001+01:00

Here is the completed 6pp DL (A4) leaflet we have just completed for Minear Engineering. They are a well established firm based at Victoria Business Park, just off what was the A30. They have worked with the China Clay industry for decades, creating bespoke pieces of machinery and metal work, and now are expanding in the food industry, where there is always a need for engineered stainless steel.

Marie designed the leaflet, taking her palette from the existing company colour scheme, aiming to give it a industrial feel through the use of blue as a signature theme. Minear Engineering were looking to convey their professional service, and we focused on presenting their business in a contemporary setting.

Cupcake Photo Shoot

2009-03-31T20:14:00.001+01:00

An important lesson was learned this morning: do not photograph cakes before lunch...

To complete the Cream Mail Order website, we needed to photograph their new cupcakes, and so the morning was dedicated to taking shots of the chocolate and lemon cakes, and they look delicious... These will be added to the new website that will take the place of the cafe site currently online. Their cafe will be hosted at a new address, more focused on the Italian food they serve there.

Also on offer from the new website will be their cream teas, and also the Cornish cream by itself. Very sought after out of the county. To see more of the project, search for other posts under the Cream label.

Exhibition Displays

2009-03-22T16:23:00.001Z

With the Royal Cornwall Show fast approaching, a lot of our clients are planning how to make their stands eye catching and professional. What some may not be aware of though, is how cost effective display options can actually be.

We have produced a number of signage variations for clients, specifically to take advantage of the space available at trade shows. You may have seen the story on this blog featuring the basic (but large!) banner for Wadebridge Bathroom Studio for last years Royal Cornwall Show.

Above is a illustration of a banner stand, very useful for outdoor exhibitions, but we can produce displays to all requirements. Roller banners are very effective and economical, along with being practical and usable in many different situations. Whole stands can be designed as well.

For more details, feel free to request some more information, as now is the best time to prepare for the coming season.

Cream Tea Mail Order

2009-03-15T19:49:00.006Z

The cream tea and cake mail order service, run by Cream cafe bar in Tintagel, is moving closer to its launch. Much of the printing has been completed, and these shots of the folding business cards we have recently delivered, and some of the best yet. The cards carry the new branding of the mail order aspect of the company, aiming to create a real "cakey" image. The chocolate brown of their existing brand worked well, but it needed to be adjusted for the new direction.

We have not produced folding business cards for clients before, and were pleased of the opportunity to create some. These were left blank on the inside for messages to be written, when posted to the recipient of the cake or cream tea. I am very jealous of whoever gets the first one...

Brookfields Bed and Breakfast North Cornwall

2009-03-07T23:25:00.007Z

Brookfields Bed and Breakfast contracted us recently to produce a website for them that would show off their accommodation to its full potential. We have created a site and logo that focus on the rural, farmland location of the house, not far from the sea, but still surrounded by the beautiful rolling hills outside of Wadebridge.

Cornwall has a lot to offer in the way of accommodation, and bed and breakfasts will come into their own this season, capitalising on the increase in UK based holidays, and visitors from the continent. Sites like this one will take advantage of the growing number of online bookings as well.

Have a look at the website, bed and breakfast North Cornwall, and see what you think. We hope that it lets you see the well appointed rooms, and gives a taster of the local region.

Pickle T-Shirts on Their Way

2009-03-03T14:02:00.007Z

Recently we gave readers of this blog the opportunity to vote on which of two t-shirt designs we created. We got the best response we have ever had from an online poll, and have settled on the more popular of the two designs. You can see the shirt above, and we will soon be putting photographs of the actual garment up here as well.

There will be a few disappointed voters, especially as those who wanted the other design were much more explicit in why they liked it! Sorry to all of those who wanted shirt two, but we hope you will like this design as well. If we get a good response from this initial run of ten shirts, we may print some of the other shirts as well. Sound like a good compromise?!

Bed and Breakfast Websites

2009-02-20T14:16:00.006Z

The BBC Breakfast News this morning (20/2/09) included the story above - well worth clicking on and giving two minutes of your day - highlighting the good news that many Europeans are taking advantage of the weaker Pound and taking their holidays in the UK. What made me include it here on the Pickle News Blog is that the report mentions the importance of using the web as a means to reach these holiday makers.

Bed and breakfast owners will be particularly interested in the news, as there will be a lot of people researching their holidays from across the sea, and B&Bs are often overlooked due to not having an online presence. The web is a vital means of advertising for those that run accommodation and increasingly becoming the primary means of contact when anyone plans a holiday.

Make sure you have a look through our site (the link is on the right at the top) to see what options are available for web design. We have worked with a number of accommodation proprietors and are pleased to see their websites working for them. Feel free to contact us for more information.

Shell Shop Website

2009-02-16T13:26:00.006Z

The new website for the Shell Shop in Padstow is now online. It features illustration from Emma Julian and shots of some of the products on offer in the shop itself. Emma designed the site as well; she aimed to capture the traditional nature of the building and Padstow the town.

To see a little more of the site, why not visit the Pickle Design website and have a look in the portfolio. We have been busy in recent months polishing off a number of websites which I will add to the site in the next few weeks. One of which will be the Lane End Farm site, that has been in the pipeline for a while.

Rutherford Security Training

2009-01-28T12:14:00.007Z

We have completed a new website for the Rutherford Group, a firm that offers security services locally and throughout the UK. They specialise in security training and their managing director, Ian Rutherford, runs the operational arm of the business, RISC Security. Security Training Cornwall. They are not a new company, having been working with many of their customers for over a decade, and supply a real peace of mind wherever they work.

Take a look at the news section of the site, where you can see an interview with Ian on the BBC news. There will be regular updates on the website, so it is worth checking back.

Our intention when putting the site together was to convey the professional nature of the firm, along with communicating their modern approach. It was important to place their presence on the web on a par with other national firms, while not alienating their existing clients.

Pickle Design T-Shirt Designs

2009-01-10T15:23:00.004Z

Shirt One

Shirt Two

Here are the two designs we have settled on for our limited edition t-shirts, available shortly. Trouble is, we have settled on two designs, finally, but are only printing one of them up! So we need your help, feel free to leave some comments to let us know which of the two you would prefer to see printed up. We eagerly await your thoughts!

Henry George Spencer

2009-01-07T13:12:00.002Z

Been rather busy over the last couple of weeks, and here's why! Henry George Spencer, the heir to my kingdom! The second photo was just so that we can see what he'll be like if he really takes after his Dad... poor kid...

New Website for Rutherford Security

2008-12-13T23:02:00.001Z

We have just started a new project for the Rutherford Group, they specialise in security services and training. Currently they have two websites, and we are working on combining the two into one, more concise, site. They are a local firm that work on a national level, and we aim to make that clear in our design approach.

Check back soon to see the progress. Marie started putting the early drafts together this week, and we look forward to seeing how the job develops.

John O'Carroll's Book

2008-12-06T15:18:00.001Z

At last we have it, John O'Carroll's first book! We have been working on it for quite some time, and now the finished product is in our hands, and we are very pleased with the result, as is John himself. He signed a copy for each of us.

Later this month he will be presenting the book in Royal Cornwall Museum in Truro, along with an exhibition of his work. This is an excellent setting to see the presentation, as much of his work is influenced by Egyptian archaeology.

The design of the book is carried over into his new websites we are currently putting the finishing touches to, with strong leanings toward Dutch design practices. The book will be available to buy from his new site.

Online Surf Clothing

2008-11-22T19:58:00.001Z

We've just started work converting the existing Bored Lizard website to an e-commerce site. Laurent Calvez is now going to be selling his own brand of surf clothing online, along with other products in his popular, Bude based shop.

Right in the centre of town, you can't miss Bored Lizard, and there will soon be a new sign outside with the logo we designed for them last year. Emma enjoyed designing two posters as well, a real opportunity to get her creative juices flowing!

The new website design should be online soon, but in the meantime, if you are looking for online surf clothing, then have a look at the site to get an idea of what is to come.