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Quality illustration makes all the difference to a report, booklet, brochure or website. Examples on this page give an idea of the sort of work we can do.

Diagrams

Diagrams are aids to understanding. They are good at showing relationships between parts – showing organisation, hierarchy and direction or movement over time They can also make what we say about those relationships more convincing.

Diagrams visually summarise selected aspects of a complex idea, system, or pattern of data by emphasising its critical elements and omitting its less critical elements. For this reason LESS IS MORE.

We are used to interpreting ideas visually and will want to talk through what you have in mind to ensure that the concepts are interpreted in the clearest light and appropriate to the audience.

Organisational DNA

When the structure of DNA was suggested as a model for helping explain a variety of dimensions and themes relevant to those in user and community focused organisations, a little background research was required – to get a clear idea of how a DNA helix is actually constructed. Through discussion we were able to probe the model and fine-tune it. We decided not to push the metaphor too far. A general diagram was created to initially deliver the helix metaphor, followed by three further diagrams which could be presented in sequence to reveal increasingly finer-grained detail.

Time needed

1.25 days, consisting of background research/refinement of diagram, plus production of four diagrams.

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Logos

Logos can be used to brand extended programmes, events, simulations and other ‘intellectual products’. In order to design a logo which is appropriate – to the product and its audience – we will want to explore your idea a bit. As a starting point, it is always useful to have a half dozen key words in mind which capture the idea. We can also make a few thumbnail sketches to get your feedback. An important part of this initial discussion is to eliminate what is not appropriate – and what you simply don’t like – to minimize journeys down design cul-de-sacs.

Time needed

Typical logo takes a full day, consisting of initial discussion and design of three or four or more variations for comparison, plus modifications to design (e.g. at request of client)

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Posters

If you have a project which requires a poster, we should be pleased to discuss your requirements and concepts with us. We have lots of experience in translating the abstract into visual form. Our method is to hit you with lots of questions – about what you visually prefer, the graphic ‘feel’ you envisage, the poster’s audience and any photos which may be useful. If you have a printed sample to show us (off the web, for example), all the better. It is also helpful to have the poster text to hand from the start.

Posters also often work well reduced in size, for example appearing as illustrations in a publication: two types of illustration for the price of one!

Crack Cocaine Poster

A poster was required to solicit the views and experiences of crack users in Lincoln. It would be posted in community centres, the local YMCA and drug action team offices. The brief was for something graphic and ‘street-wise’ – that would appeal to and attract the attention of users. The background image – a street mural photographed in Kilburn – was already in the OPM Image Library, having been originally shot and used for a leadership programme in Brent.

Time needed

Design:0.5 - 1 day
Picture research (if required): 1 day

Additional costs:

Printing the posters. Cost depends on size and quantity.

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Maps

We have produced a wide variety of maps, including large gaming maps for simulations and as illustrations for reports. Maps are similar to diagrams in that usually LESS IS MORE.

Fictional maps : If you are creating a fictional or idealised patch, it is helpful to have your ideas roughly sketched out – indicating comparative sizes of urban/rural areas, districts and regions, and showing placement of necessary features (cities, towns, rivers, roads and motorways, railway lines and stations, HA boundaries, hospitals, canal basins or whatever). With large gaming maps, space is usually required for participants to add details, make comments, pile up tokens and so on. If you want a permanent record of a completed map, you or we can take a digital image at the event.

Real terrain maps: It is very helpful, and saves costs, if you can send us a link to an existing map on the web which shows the appropriate area and indicates any relevant boundaries and roads. We can then easily ‘trace’ this base map and add other features.

Time needed

A map will usually take about 1 - 2.5 days to produce, depending on the level of detail required. Last minute boundary or infrastructural changes can double this time.

Additional costs:

Remember to budget for print costs, and encapsulation (lamination) if required. Large map prints can usually be turned around in 24 hours (without attracting premium charges); encapsulation requires a further 48 hours. We can obtain printing quotes.

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Photographs

A picture is sometimes worth more than a thousand words. Photographs speak volumes. Because photographs usually pack so much quickly accessible content, they can convey a vast range of messages, feelings, moods and ideas. Of course rich content can easily deliver connotations that are not part of the intended message. It is finding images without these, often subjective, connotations that can make finding the ‘right’ photograph challenging and time consuming. Conceptual ideas are famously difficult to illustrate.

Once again, a discussion about your project and the type of photographs required is extremely helpful, and samples (printed from the web or torn out of journals) are even better.

We can take photos ourselves or buy them from commercial image libraries.

Time needed

We will need to discuss your requirements before making an estimate of the time needed for picture research or photography

Commercial photos : We can source inexpensive photos from: online micro-payment image libraries; relatively inexpensive CD collections of stock photos (‘doctors’, ‘women in business’, etc.); and niche libraries (such as John Birdsall Social Issues Photo Library) or large general libraries (Alamy, Corbis, Getty).

Typical commercial photo prices:

• Micro-payment royalty free images = £1 - £5
• CD collections (50-100 royalty free images) = £150 - £320
• Niche/general library images = £80 upwards (depending on reproduction size, print run, placement, etc.) Here are some sample licencing fees (from Alamy) for images reproduced in a brochure with a print run of 2,500:
  • Inside ¼ page = £125
  • Inside ½ page = £160
  • Cover ¼ page = £190
  • Cover ½ page = £23

Brent Council – Leadership for Excellence programme

A series of photographs of the Brent, depicting both positive and negative aspects of life in the borough, were required for this large leadership development programme involving multiple groups of 50 managers.

1) The images were to be laser printed onto A4 sheets and used by participants during the programme’s two-day ‘launch event’ to illustrate – in collage fashion – a wall-sized timeline (past-present-future) based on their experiences at Brent Council.

2) Some of the more positive images were also be used to illustrate a full-colour, 12pp brochure.

Time needed

Initial discussion/preparation – 0.5 day

2 x half-day (4hr) shoots – 1.25 days

Image correction – 1 day

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