Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all of our customers, thank you for your valued business this year,

it is very much appreciated.

We look forward to seeing you all in the New Year.

from all the team at Fresh

Fresh recognised by Dacorum Community Trust & Connect Dacorum


Its always nice to be recognised when helping companys or a charity or a school. Over the past year we have been working with Adeyfield School in Hemel Hempstead and their students for the DENS charity.

We have always strived to help schools, charities and local businesses as much as possible so when Adeyfield School came to us for help we were able to offer our services.

Adeyfield School were so pleased, that they nominated us for recognition at an awards dinner held at Pendley Manor earlier this month where we picked up a certificate of appreciation from Councillor Roger M. Taylor who is Mayor of the Borough of Dacorum.

The event marked an eventful year for us in the Dacorum where our Hemel Hempstead office has been winning customers and friends and awards in its first year.

Andy Gerlack from Fresh said ' Its been a great first year for us in Hemel Hempstead, we have established ourselves over here when nobody knew us and have some exceptional clients here that we are proud to work with, the next year will be even more exciting and I look forward to helping more businesses over here and showing them what Fresh can do, this award for us caps off what has been a great year in Hemel.

The picture is of Andy Gerlack receiving the award from The Mayor of the Borough of Dacorum.

Fresh Invest in New Xerox Digital Press 

Only 2 years old and its out with the old and in with the new! Fresh have said goodbye to their colour and mono digital machines and said hello to their new technology.

Fresh have taken delivery of a new Xerox 700 Digital Colour Press and a hi-speed mono 4127 digital machine. Within a day, the new machines were in, set up and printing to the new high standard.

Their new colour press will do up to 70 colour prints a minute and onto a maximum of 300gsm. With greater colour management they are able to match colours more accurately giving their clients a cost effective solution for short run colour. With the increase in speed and quality Fresh are at the top of their game for digital colour printing.

The new hi-speed mono machine does an impressive 125 mono prints per minute and gives them more control on how jobs are built together and printed, saving time on extra finishing, in turn meaning again Fresh are able to produce their work in a quicker turnaround in this ever demanding world.

Kevin Brook, Director said 'This is a great message to tell our existing and new customers that Fresh are committed to quality and service. I have been in the industry for 15 years and seen the quality of these machines just get better and better, which echoes our strapline 'Design & Print The Way It Should Be.'

If you would like more information on either of these machines or would like a demonstration then please call Fresh on 01296 489998 and ask for Kevin.

Its Nice That                   

Heres a little rant from our designers, so be patient with us, we all know that creative people can have a tendency to be..... well lets say creative in their thoughts and processes.

So I was with a couple of my old college designer friends last week and we were discussing the word 'nice' and how it crops up into any conversation about design. I never knew that as a creative bunch, designers could be so touchy about a word but when asked about it they said that it should be removed from the dictionary or disected and tortured until it was screaming for mercy until it wasnt 'nice'.

Why is a word hated so much by designers? the answer is that it means nothing when a client describes work, all designers need feedback good or bad for some direction but 'nice' is a sit on the fence answer and is guaranteed to enrage. They felt it was a lazy way of describing and a get out used for the english language.

This is also the case in different circumstances, like if you are having a meal cooked for you and you say that it is 'nice' then how does that make the cook feel, neither here nor there I suspect or if you are trying on a new outfit and your partner says 'its nice' then does this really help?

So try it next time and see, perhaps we are living in too much of a PC world where people are too scared to criticise, so next time you hear yourself saying the word, take a minute and think what you would like to really say and lets hope its not 'nice.'


If you want to find out more about Fresh then email us on hello@freshdps.co.uk or call us on 01296 489998 or 01442 345088 or visit us at www.freshdps.co.uk

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GES - The Rebrand                                                                 



Over the last couple of years we seem to have become the rebrand specialists, we have done quite a few now and each time the result of the before and after are spectacular.

Most companies want to sharpen their image a bit after a few years as we all know things go in and out of fashion and a companys image can start to look a bit tired and stagnant.

So a year ago we were called into to pitch our company to start a rebrand campaign for General Environmental Services, we won the pitch and we embarked on a complete rebranding campaign over the year, firstly we had to pitch our creative design and it was this part that impressed. From their on in we came up with a complete brand identity that would work across all mediums. It ranged from simple business cards to vehicle livery to internal and external signage and brand awareness for an e-shot as well and just recently a complete exhibiton stand from scratch

The results were incredible and the clients extremely pleased with the results, so much so that they then asked us to rebrand their sub-divisions GES Technology and GES Air,

Gareth Davis from GES commented, " We wanted to have a consistent, contemporary brand identity that showed our clients what we are about, from the moment we met Fresh we knew we had picked the right company, they have given us an identity that we are all proud of, they managed the whole project from start to finish without fuss and would recommend them to anyone as the service was first class. We had many design companys pitch to us but it was Freshs' creative approach that impressed us the most."


So if your businees needs to have a look at its image again then give us a call on 01296 489998 or 01442 345088 or email us at hello@freshdps.co.uk or visit us at www.freshdps.co.uk


Below is the finished result of a careful, creative rebranded logo.

                                              

Which comes first Sales or Marketing?       


As a design, print and marketing company we speak to a lot of businesses who see the value of marketing but aren’t yet ready to invest in it without seeing sales first. This is like the old story of the chicken and the egg.

You might have the best product in the world, but how will any one know if you don’t market it? You might put it on your website.Tell someone about it at a networking event. Word of mouth marketing. Maybe use social media to talk about it, but without marketing it in the right way then it will fail.


We understand that you need to see a return on the investment, but marketing doesn’t have to be last on the list and can help generate the sales it needs. The key is doing regular activity and remembering that results will not always been seen immediately. That first egg had to be incubated for a while before hatching and being a chicken....  just a thought next time you think you should be cutting your budgets.

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Fresh Blog
Nominated For Award


We have been nominated for an award for our blog and we need your votes, we are in the category of Best Blog Design for the Blogger Choice Awards. If you like what we write about then please take the time to vote, it takes about 2 minutes and we have detailed simple instructions below for you all to make it easier as well. We will be eternally grateful to you for this.

Follow the link below, but print out these instructions first to make it simpler.


http://bloggerschoiceawards.com/blogs/show/100086/?utm_source=bloggerschoiceawards&utm_medium=badge&utm_content=bestblogdesign




Then click sign up


Add all your details


You will then get an email in your inbox confirming your email address in this link, click on this


Go to Best Blog Design on the sidebar and we should be on Page 2 then click vote.






Many Thanks in advance for helping us


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Now WE Are 2!!

Yes today we are 2 years old and how the time has flown by. It has been a tough 2 years due to the economic climate but we have grown from strength to strength.
We would like to thank all our customers and suppliers with whom we wouldnt be so sucessful, so thank you all.

Our strapline 'Design & Print The Way It Should Be' is as relevant now as when we first started, with us setting out to be the most creative, excellent on quality and service, competitive, friendliest design & print company to deal with.

Over the last year we have increased our services and are now established as web designers and e-marketeers, we have increased our team who are now part of the Fresh family and our Hemel Hempstead office is now making its mark in the area as well.

For the forthcoming year, we will be adding another Fresh service and there will be more surprises in the New Year, so keep checking back to the blog to find out the latest Fresh news.

Lastly, our blog has been nominated for our first award which is in Best Blog Design category on The Bloggers Choice Awards website, we need your votes, if you like what we do and for what we stand for then please take the time to vote, the link and the instructions are below, it takes about 2 minutes and we will be eternally grateful for your vote

Once again, thank you all for your support and we look forward to seeing you all in our 3rd year.

The link to vote for us is:

http://bloggerschoiceawards.com/blogs/show/100086/?utm_source=bloggerschoiceawards&utm_medium=badge&utm_content=bestblogdesign

1.Then click sign up
2.Enter all details
3.Go to your inbox
4.Follow the link in your inbox
5.Go to Best Blog Design In sidebar
6.Go to page 2 and find us and click vote


Many Thanks

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It Pays to Give       

We thought we would tell you the story of Pendley Manor Hotel at Tring, just recently they ordered branded pens, pencils, logo bugs and usbs as giveaway items for their existing and potential clients.

When we went to talk to Pendley they had not done any promotional givewaways before and after a breakfast meeting, we persuaded them why it is not a waste of money and here are the key things to remember about when looking for a giveaway item.

1. Make sure it is an item that you yourself would use.
2. Look for longevity in the product.
3. Look and try for something different.
4. Make sure you have enough room for your company name and website address.
5. Make sure it fits in with your brand.
6. Try to make it a talking point - an ice breaker.
7. Use a good quality item that will not break easily.
8. Do not forget your existing clients when giving them out.
9. Always leave something behind after every meeting.
10. Have the essentials always in stock to give out, ie jotter pads and pens.


The reasons behind giveway items is not rocket science, its all about pushing your company brand, and spreading the word SUBTLY, there are no statistics on ROI for this but what you will create is a reputation for not taking your existing clients for granted and for potential clients to show that you want to work with them and for thanking them for their time in meeting you so you can introduce your company.


Yes we all know its blatant branding and advertising but in todays world can you afford not to have your company noticed.

If you would like to see what promtional items we can offer, then call us on 01296 489998 or 01442 345088 or email us at hello@freshdps.co.uk or visit us at www.freshdps.co.uk



If you want to find out more about Pendley Manor Hotel then visit them at http://www.pendley-manor.co.uk/

Bucks County Show

Fresh - Best In Show           

For the Annual Bucks County Show Fresh have been helping to provide all the tickets, judging cards and pass hangers for the event as well as promotional material to make sure the day is a success. Bucks County Show have been a customer of Fresh since we started so its great to see them keeping their association with us.

Andy Gerlack from Fresh stated 'Im very proud that Fresh has been involved in such a long standing successful event in Aylesbury, and I hope long may it continue.' 

The Bucks County Show is still one of the biggest one day Agricultural Shows in the Country. The Show includes the best of British Livestock along with over 60 Equestrian classes. Also held at the event are Vintage tractors, Food Hall, Home & Garden Marquee, Rural Craft Marquee, over 180 Trade Stands and lots more attractions for the all the family and attracts over 100,000 visitors.

If you want to find out more about the Bucks County Show then visit www.buckscountyshow.co.uk

If you want to find out how Fresh can help your business then visit www.freshdps.co.uk or email us at hello@freshdps.co.uk or call us on 01296 489998 or 01442 345088

Not just a local printer!                                                        

For every printer their bread butter work is always print and here at Fresh this is no exception, we have taken it further to designing, printing and distributing.

For the past 3 months, we have been branding a new golf course that has been built in Guildford, part of that marketing strategy was to print and distribute over 200,000 leaflets to households in the surrey area.

Andy Gerlack from Fresh stated ' Being part of this exciting venture in Guildford has shown that the UK is a small place and that being a printer isnt just about concentrating on your local area, we managed this job from start to finish and the leaflet distribution went very smoothly indeed and the marketing is already working for them.'

Gordon Grandison from Clandon said, ' Fresh have been fantastic, they have taken all the hassle out for us and the increase in players per day has increased enormously because of it, so I can only say thank you to Andy and his team at Fresh for such a good job.'

If you would like to find out more about Clandon Golf Club then visit www.clandongolf.co.uk

If you want to find out Fresh can help your business then email us at hello@freshdps.co.uk or vist us at www.freshdps.co.uk or 01442 345088 or call us on 01296 489998

Fresh Sponsors GES Water in Thame 10K  run

Just recently we thought we would help out one of our clients,Ges Water, as 3 of their employees were running in the Thame 10k run, it was the hottest day of the year when it took place but all 3 of the Team GES ran and completed the course and all in excellent times.

For our bit we printed the t-shirts that they were to wear on the day and as you can see by the picture all 3 were proud to wear them although perhaps not having their names shouted at them every time they went past someone.

So we would just like to say a Big Fresh Well Done To Mark, Mags and Ian for raising lots of money for charity too.

If you would like to find out more about GES Water then visit www.ges-water.co.uk/

If you want to know how Fresh can help your business then visit www.freshdps.co.uk or email us at hello@freshdps.co.uk or call us at 01442 345088 or 01296 489998

Kerry joins Team Fresh       

We would like to welcome our newest member of staff to join Team Fresh. Kerry joins our customer service team fresh into the industry and is looking forward to the challenge.

After numerous applicants for the job Kerry stood head and shoulders above the rest, with her bright bubbly personality and enthusiasm and her ambition she met our criteria perfectly. So look out for our newest star as we predict big things from her.

If you would like to know more about us then visit us at www.freshdps.co.uk or  email us at hello@freshdps.co.uk or call us at 01296 489998 or 01442 345088

Match made in Digital Mono Heaven             

For the 2nd year running Fresh has won the tender to produce the pricing schedules to the building trade for NSR Management. The job entails us to produce 1/2 million black and white digital copies which are then collated and perfect bound to meet a deadline for circulation by the 1st August.

The job itself throws up an interesting perspective as most of the paper is preprinted with a copy void diagram on it which when if recopied shows an illegal copy made all across the paper.

Kevin from Fresh said ' We have a very High-spec digital mono machine that has the capability of producing High-speed, quality mono prints, combined with years of experience it was a match made in digital heaven for us to produce this job as the machine just gobbles it up, if there was ever a job for this machine this is it.'

If you want to find out more about NSR Management then go to www.nsrmanagement.co.uk/

If you would like to know what Fresh can do for your business then go to www.freshdps.co.uk or email us at hello@freshdps.co.uk or call us on 01296 489998 0r 01442 345088

Fresh Ticks Every Box With Friars Square

Fresh have recently won the design pitch for the summer campaign for Friars Square Shopping Centre. After being given the opportunity to show their creative design flair Friars Square chose Fresh to deliver the campaign which will involve an e-shot, 38,000 leaflets with distribution, pop up stands and the design to accompany it.

Kevin Brook from Fresh said "Its a great opportunity to show Friars Square how creative we can be with a simple but effective design, it is also a pleasure working with yet another local client".

Gill Perrottet from Friars Square Shopping Centre commented "I have used Fresh dps for a number of one off jobs in the past and have always been impressed with the speed and quality of service. It is because of this that when I needed some quick creative ideas for our summer campaign that my first port of call was Fresh.

I was delighted with the ideas they came up with and the service was second to none. Fresh are now producing our whole creative suite for the summer campaign. They have also risen to the challenge of outsourcing additional services to deliver the whole marketing package asked of them – and at such short notice – very impressive. I will definitely be returning to Fresh dps" 

 

For your chance to see what Fresh produced then visit Friars Square Shopping Centre or visit www.friarssquareshopping.com for a chance also to win £2,000.00 in vouchers.

To see what Fresh can do for your business then call us on 01296 489998 or 01442 345088 or email us at hello@freshdps.co.uk or visit us at www.freshdps.co.uk

Fresh to expand its sales/customer service team

Fresh are going to expand its customer service/sales team next month. With the success of both branches doing very well it is time to grow the Fresh team further. We will keep you posted on the successful candidate/s later on.

Fresh Sponsors

Calibre Audio Library

in The Red KIte Ramble     

On the hottest day of the year Fresh sponsored the team of walkers from Calibre Audio Library on the Annual Red Kite Ramble.

After working with Calibre for the last 6 months it was a chance for us to give something back and help raise some money.

Andy Gerlack from Fresh said 'We have a good partnership with Calibre and we like to help local charitys raise money wherever we can, I heard the team did tremendously well in the heat and raised £400 which is great.'


The team of eight staff and volunteers completed the scenic route around the Chiltern countryside in their Fresh t-shirts, the money will go towards the recording of a new book for the audio library which is used by 19,000 visually impaired and dyslexic members.




If you want to find out more about Calibre Audio Library then visit www.calibre.org.uk


If you want to find how Fresh can help your business then call us on 01296 489998 or 01442 345088 or email us at hello@freshdps.co.uk or visit us at www.freshdps.co.uk

                                   

Pride In Aylesbury Vale Awards                                  

The 1st Pride In Aylesbury Vale Awards was held at The Civic Centre In Aylesbury where we were very proud to sponsor the Community Project Of the Year Award which went to Aylesbury Tennis Club for bringing tennis into more locations and encouraging youngsters to pick up a racket and try it.

The evenings special guest was Ricky Groves aka Gary from Eastenders who presented the evenings award ceremony, the nights entertainment also include as school jazz band from Turnfurlong School and a buffet dinner.

Kevin Brook, director of Fresh who presented one of the awards commented " Its a been a great evening and we are are proud to be a part of this, it has rewarded the real work that people dont get to see in the Aylesbury Vale area and it is really good to see them get recognised."


To find out how Fresh can help your business then call 01296 489998 or 01442 345088 or email us at hello@freshdps.co.uk or visit us at www.freshdps.co.uk

Polly Joins the Fresh Design Team

We would like to introduce our new

designer to our team - Polly.

She will be joining us from June as a graduate from Bucks New University.

Polly is fully qualified on all software and also has experience working in a print environment. She loves a challenge so she will fit perfectly into Fresh's philosophy of finding the right solution for clients, she is highly creative and has had her work published in Adbusters magazine.

She joins a highly creative and ambitious design team that has won numerous design contracts and she says she cannot wait to get started.


For the month of July and August we are offering Pollys design services at half price so if you want to find out more about what Polly can do for your business then call us on 01296 489998 or 01442 345088 or email us at hello@freshdps.co.uk

  

Welcome To Our Blog

Thank you for clicking through to our blog, on here you will find out what we have been doing for other clients, their comments and some great and useful links for you to enjoy, please explore the site and links and feel free to email us with any comments at hello@freshdps.co.uk

Thank you

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Fresh To Sponsor


'Pride In Aylesbury Vale Award'          

As part of Fresh's philosphy of giving back and helping local projects we decided to sponsor one of the awards at the 1st Pride In Aylesbury Vale  gala awards ceremony to be held at the Civic Centre on the 13th May.


The award that we will be sponsoring is the Community Project of The Year Award which is very dear to our hearts, as an Aylesbury based company with its roots firmly established it is nice to award a project or person that has improved its community.


Kevin Brook, director of Fresh commented " Its great that we can be involved and show our appreciation and give back something to our town, I dont think we shout enough about the good things that happen in our community and there are plenty of positives and good things about Aylesbury."


With the results being revealed this week, the gala event at the Civic Centre plans to be be a fun night with special guest Ricky Groves in attendance. If you would like to find out more then click the link below


http://www2.aylesburytoday.co.uk/pride2010/index.htm




If you would like to find how Fresh can help your business then call 01296 489998 or 01442 345088  or email us at hello@freshdps.co.uk or visit us at http://www.freshdps.co.uk/

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Not just design and print - but pack and store too?


delivering the promise

In an age when printing companies have to be flexible in what they do, we at Fresh have, for over a year, been providing a solution for Bucks Primary Care Trust.



About 18 months ago we were printing some leaflets for the NHS when they encountered a problem, they had run out of storage space and had nobody to pack their male and female Chlymidia testing kits in Bucks. So not averse to finding a solution we went back to Bucks PCT and said we have the perfect solution – us. We were already doing fulfilment for other local businesses and this in fact was just as easy and simple but they required us to manage it for them as well.



So we came up with a process, just for the NHS, in maintaining stock levels and in taking care of the packing requirements and distribution, with an annual target of of 22,000 tests kits. It was quite a challenge, but Fresh not only succeeded with the initial order but the NHS were so impressed that they asked Fresh to continue as it had freed up so much of their time and made their department much more efficient.



Anne Downes who is the Clinical Lead of the Department said, 'The team at Fresh have amazed me; we had a problem that we couldn’t solve and along came Andy and his team and said “no problem, let us handle it” and we have never looked back. They have made it easy. I just call them now when I need some kits and they will despatch them for me. The fact that they were able to store as well, has been a great benefit to us, they are a great team,'



Andy Gerlack from Fresh stated ' Our strength is the experience of our team in finding the right solutions to help our clients, in our field we have to be flexible, we do everything else in house from print, copy, design and fulfil so why not store as well. Its just a natural progression. I’ve always said that we are different from other printers and designers and that’s why our strap line ' Design & Print The Way It Should Be ' always stands us in good stead because we always deliver what we promise.


If you would like to find out how Fresh can help your business then call 01296 489998 or 01442 345088 or email hello@freshdps.co.uk or visit us at http://www.freshdps.co.uk/

Fresh Election Special


The Better Choice                               

With the forthcoming election coming up Fresh have been involved in one of the major battlegrounds for the election. In the Buckingham constituency there is a titanic battle gathering with an interesting point of view for the voting public. As Mr Bercow is the speaker of the House of Commons and holds the Buckingham constituency, it is parliamentry tradition that none of the major parties may contest his seat which as you can imagine makes it interesting for the electorate with so many independents coming forward. With this and the added boundary changes for the constituency it is becoming one of the key battles that could effect the outcome of  who leads the country.

Over the last few months Fresh have been helping local independent candidate Patrick Phillips in his attempt to win over the voting public. With the campaign hotting up Fresh have been printing leaflets, posters, and will be embarking on another large mailshot of over 48,000 brochures that will be delivered throughout the Buckingham constituency.

Patrick who is standing as an Independent with conservative views commented "The situation at Buckingham is most unusual. Because the Speaker is, by parliamentary convention, not normally challenged by the main political parties the possibility existed last summer that unless an Independent were to stand against the Speaker in the forthcoming election the 70,000 odd voters of Buckingham would not have an opportunity to vote. I, therefore, decided last June to contest the seat and ensure this would not happen. As things have turned out a number of other candidates have now joined the contest as well and I decided I need to have a first rate team to work with in producing all my promotional election literature. I chose Fresh and I couldn't have made a better choice. From the start they have understood exactly what I needed and everything has been produced to the highest standard and on time. They have also been prepared to take on the logistics of working with the Royal Mail so I haven't had to worry about such things and could get on with campaigning. But not only are they efficient, they are nice people to work with."

Andy Gerlack stated. " Its been an interesting couple of months with Patrick and it has been an absolute pleasure working with Patrick and supporting him, the election throws up interesting stories like this and its great that we are involved at the forefront and look forward to seeing how much we have helped Patrick and we wish him good luck in the next few weeks.

If you would like to find out more about Patrick Phillips then visit:  http://www.phillips4buckingham.co.uk/




If you would like to find out Fresh can help promote your company then email us at hello@freshdps.co.uk or call us on 01296 489998 or 01442 489998  www.freshdps.co.uk

A Guide To What Is Fresh -


NHS Patient Guide



Earlier in February we told you how we won our biggest pitch yet and we said we would show you what we did.


We were asked to design, print and deliver by the 8th March, 230,000 copies of a 28 page guide to local health services for NHS Buckinghamshire for distribution throughout Bucks, and now we can reveal how it looks.

For Fresh it was a chance to show how creative they could be whilst sticking to brand guidelines and also to show their print capabilities of what could be achieved. With design a key point to the guide as well as easy reference it was a challenge which Fresh relished and it clearly ticked all the right boxes from what they produced.


When asked why NHS Buckinghamshire had chosen Fresh for the project, Emily MacDonald explained:


"We initially asked three companies to provide quotes and design concepts for the design and print of this project and Fresh came out streets ahead of the competition.


We particularly liked their innovative and colourful ideas to fully integrate the visual identity of our Choose Well campaign, the messaging of which underpins the entire patient guide.


We are absolutely thrilled with the result and have had nothing but positive feedback so far. The team at Fresh have been an absolute joy to work with: positive, professional and patient."


Andy Gerlack from Fresh added, "I am proud of what we have done and it has been great to work with Emily and NHS Buckinghamshire on this project. I always knew we had the capabilities but it’s always nice to see it being put into practice. We have very strong beliefs in how we present ourselves and our work and we don’t want to be just another ordinary printer, which is why I believe that when we do present ourselves we can offer our clients a service that no one can match, so today is a great day for Fresh and I hope there will be many more. I would just like to say a heartfelt thanks to the team at NHS Buckinghamshire for giving us the opportunity to show them what we could do.”


So if you want to find out for yourselves why Fresh is so different and how they could help your business then call them on 01296 489998 or 01442 345088 or email us on hello@freshdps.co.uk or visit us at www.freshdps.co.uk