Seven Skies are a luxury travel company offering hand-crafted experiences in exotic locations around the world.

We found Seven Skies Founder Nathan Wedding's and fellow Director Clare's passion for travel and the thrill of exploration absolutely contagious. This passion is what informs and shapes every Seven Skies experience, and we wanted to share it with everyone who comes into contact with the Seven Skies brand.

With this in mind we worked with Seven Skies to assess their brand values, tone of voice and brand elements before bringing it all to life through a 3 minute video, allowing Nathan to share the Seven Skies point of difference and some of his own travel experiences.

Next we were able to design and build a new website that reflects these values and shows off the amazing experiences awaiting a Seven Skies traveller.

With stunning large scale photographs taking centre stage, the site design is open and inviting, with text and imagery working together to paint a complete picture of the beauty and adventure of travel. Smooth transitions take users on a journey through the sights and sounds of destinations such as Vietnam, Iceland and Morocco.

As well as making us all want to strap on our backpacks and take off on adventures to these beautiful corners of the world, this website demonstrates the power of design that is tightly aligned with a brand message. Check it out here, and start booking that annual leave now!

This year we completed a rebrand of the Queensland Academies (you can find out more about what we did on our portfolio page). We were very pleasantly delighted to receive their festive video, which involved (safely) setting things alight ... Festive geekery at its best.

It's been just over one year since the launch of the Gold Coast's first creative precinct, Rabbit + Cocoon and last night we were invited to celebrate all that Directors Emma, Mariam and Jolie, as well as the community, have achieved in such a short amount of time.

Over delicious nibbles and a few glasses of wine we went back through the milestones and many, many goals the R+C team have kicked this year, from awards and recognition to the ever-growing crowds and popularity of Miami Marketta, their amazing residents and launch of marketing material including promotional video, manifesto and website.

We're proud to have helped Rabbit + Cocoon achieve all they have this year - and undoubtedly it's only onto bigger and better things in 2013!

2012 has been a big one here at R&B. 'Big' is also a rather massive understatement - on about the same level as saying how 'excited' Rob was to defend his Go-Karting crown at our end of year party!

After a round of 'Secret Sandy' in the morning (our take on Secret Santa, with Design PM Sandra taking on the role of distributor of the gifts) we headed out to Go-Karting, with plenty of trash talk, scheming tactics and a Go-Pro ready to capture all the action.

Fast forward a few hours with a lot of bruises, scratches and Designer Olly taking the title, we have decided we're all possibly a little old for Go-Karting or we're all a little competitive. (Most likely, both.)

Then it was off for a beautiful lunch at Hellenika as we all reflected on the year that has been, the effort we've all put in for our clients and the pride we've put into all of our projects. Congrats on a massive year team R&B!

A few weeks back we were lucky enough to score an invite to the official Impressworks opening, a lovely letterpress production studio situated in DesignWorks College in West Burleigh.

Enticed by the promise of canapés and beautiful print work (just a couple of our most favourite things) we joined a crowd of design enthusiasts who snagged a few goody bags full of freshly printed posters and cards, a mini-exhibition care of some local artists and the many hundreds of kilos of 1963 Heidelberg Windmill Platen Press and a 1920 Chandler & Price Platen Press.

Having attended a DesignWorks graduation ceremony a few months back we had already been treated to a demonstration of the epic machinery, and it was great to see the collective excitement our part of the world has for letterpress.

Our latest print work for the Torres Strait Regional Authority (TSRA) has made its way over the seas to Thursday Island, with a couple landing here in the studio on their way north.

A highly respected and frequently consulted resource for Elected Members to the TSRA board, the TSRA Board Charter is an important reference point for all stages of service.

The significance of the book needed to be conveyed through its look and feel. To help achieve this, we used an earthy 365gsm board stock, french folded and glued to produce a tactile 2mm thick cover, with spiral binding for durability.

A four colour print on the cover lifts the intricate and vibrant artwork of Harry Nona’s Echoes of Islands, conveying the colourful landscape of the Torres Strait region.

We are very happy to announce the launch of a fresh new website we designed and built for the arts collective putting Gold Coast creativity and culture on the map - the Rabbit and Cocoon creative precinct.

We provided web design and development on the new site as part of our
in-kind sponsorship of the award-winning collective. The website gives an insight into the various spaces and residents who make up Rabbit + Cocoon and the different ways people can get involved, from studio residency to membership.

It was important for us to communicate both the creative and colourful side of the precinct, as well as the professional nature of a not-for-profit business and space where residents work and earn their living in various industries. The site features bright and clean design, with fun features around every corner.

One of our favourite of these is the Spaces page, where an interactive map of the precinct highlights the variety of work happening at the precinct, with the option to turn the lights off and see what happens when the sun goes down and people come out to enjoy public events like Studios UpLate and Miami Marketta.

As proud Gold Coast creatives, we are thrilled to be involved in this kind of project which provides space and resources for people getting creative projects and small businesses off the ground in our beautiful and often underestimated part of the country. We have loved bringing the hard work of Directors Mariam, Jolie and Emma to life with this exciting new online presence.

You can get behind Rabbit + Cocoon as well and keep the creative culture on the Gold Coast growing and thriving by donating to the Pozible campaign. The money raised will allow R+C to continue to do the brilliant work they do and supporting the local creative industry. Donate now!

Check it out here. We’ll see you at Miami Marketta tonight!

We're officially excited...

We’ve been working on Bleach* Festival 2013 material for a few months now and it’s super exciting to see the first changes go live on the website.

The musical lineup for Bleach* festival was announced last week, which means it’s only a few months until our favourite arts/music/beach culture festival is back on the Coast!

Starting on February 22nd, Bleach* will roll into town with a series of pop up music and arts events and installations. The musical lineup features local and national artists like The Medics, Urthboy, Busby Marou and Kingswood.

There’s plenty more fun to on the way, so keep an eye out for Bleach* 2013 announcements on the website and around town. The countdown is on…

Earlier this month, we attended the inspiring Analogue/Digital creative conference. Each of the 8 speakers shared their story of the sometimes bumpy road they have taken in pursuit of the ultimate dream - a creative career you are truly passionate about.

The overall theme of this years conference was clear: take a risk. Constantly put yourself out there and don’t stagnate in jobs that are not getting you closer to where you want to be.

Numskull / Question Time / Chris Doyle

Josh Price started off the conference with how he and his brother Tull took a leap of faith by launching their own shoe company Fiet in 2005. Second speaker Sonia Rentsch inspired with her persistence to keep putting herself out there, even if it meant living in a caravan in someone’s backyard!

Feit Footwear / Sonia Rentsch

Thomas Williams, the Founder of Process Journal and Creative Director of design consultancy Hunt Studio, was last up for the morning session. His mantra and advice was simple: “There are two types of people. People who have ideas and people who have ideas and do something about them.”

After lunch, we were treated to some insight from independent curator, publisher, writer and gallerist Joseph Allen Shae. Joseph shared his belief that taking risks and having a lot to lose can be a great motivator, and an extra push to succeed. He was followed by Australian artist Numskull, who talked about the importance of community. After moving into a shared studio space with other working artists, Numskull says the inspiration and motivation of the shared space took his work to the next level.

Keeping us on our toes was New York based artist Anthony Lister. Jumping from painting to wooden gameboys to general life lessons, his resounding message was to find what you love and do it.

After a quick tea break, Brendan McKnight spoke about the relaunch and transformation of Desktop Magazine. Brendan gave us a good insight into what he believes to be the three elements of success: persistence, contacts and talent. Not to mention the power of faking it ‘til you’re making it!

Process Journal, Thomas Williams / Numskull

Last but not least, Chris Doyle took us through his ten year design journey. Doyle’s readiness to keep putting himself out there is one of the things he believes has made him successful, as well as doing the jobs that scare him and challenge him to be better.

Desktop Magazine with cover by Chris Doyle

A couple of our self-confessed letterpress geeks recently attended a one-day letterpress course at Design College Australia, where they were let loose on the College’s extensive type collection.

After making the drive up to Brisbane, Mark and Susan spent their day in a workshop filled with antique Heidelberg printing presses, type cabinets, and drawers full of woodblock type and images.

The course was taken by two extremely knowledgable and helpful letter press and printing experts, Clint Harvey and Diana Pasovski, who guided the small class of 7 through the methodologies and history of letterpress. 

Everyone put together a design of their own using the endless collection of type, furniture (strips of spacing), slugs and interesting tools. Mark produced a typographic Father's Day card, whilst Susan attempted to use as many of the vintage wood block images as physically possible.

5 hours later, the guys left the workshop with armfuls of their own designs and a greater appreciation for the skill and expertise it takes to master this creative printing technique. Check out the fruits of their labour!

Soario came to us looking to create a brand identity that was professional, friendly and reliable. As a young company they needed the brand to be adaptable and to grow as they broaden their technical scope. 

Soario is a company set up for Symphony users (the content management framework we use to power all of our web projects) to provide enterprise level support and products.

During the idea stages of our design process the art of origami was something which struck a chord with us, and the mark of a soaring bird began to emerge in the design. Origami as an art form takes years of dedication and specialist knowledge to master, something that resonated with the Soario brand story.

It was important that this concept translated into a strong visual aesthetic that could be rolled out across the brand. We used bespoke cuts in the logotype and an illustrative style designed from the original folds in a sheet of paper. An orange and turquoise colour palette was chosen to set Soario apart from their competitors. 

To see the brand in action, check out their website.

With 16 stores around Australia offering genuine branded makeup, skincare and perfume at discounted prices, Cosmetics Fragrance Direct were after a sophisticated online presence where customers could buy their products and explore their range.

As an office full of online shoppers, we also knew the most important aspect of such a large site had to be usability. One of the main features of the site is the flexible and intuitive search function, making it easy to find your favourite products using various search terms - even the ability to find a new fragrance based on your favourite smells!

As well as an extensive range of women's and men's fragrances, the site also offers gift sets, skincare, cosmetics, beauty accessories and products for the home.

We placed a lot of importance on customers being kept in the loop at all stages of the shopping experience, with no nasty surprises at the end of the checkout when it comes to how much their order will cost.

The site design is super simple, clean and easy to use, with the products taking centre stage. As the brand already had a strong retail presence with 16 stores all around Australia, the design needed to complement this and reflect the company values of transparency, great customer service and their dedication to offering authentic products.

It was a huge project for us and we're very proud to see it come to life. We'd like to send a shout out to Desiree, Victoria, Linda, Matt and Jeff for being awesome clients and to thank them for all of their hard work. Building an eCommerce store (especially one which integrates seamlessly with CFD's internal systems) from the ground up is no easy feat and we definitely wouldn't have had the same great outcome without such dedicated clients.

Check it out for yourself (and feel free to purchase a fragrance or two!) at cfdirect.com.au.

It's been in the pipeline since the start of the year, but recently over the course of a few weekends (and motivated by a very tight deadline we set ourselves), we are proud to have created our very own publication, Crafted Thinking.

As a part of the creative industry, we are constantly inspired by the incredibly talented and ambitious people we come across, from talks and events we attend to those whose work just rocks.

For the first issue we focused on our own backyard and spoke to four amazing creatives about their work, inspirations and why they call the Gold Coast home. There's also a wrap up on a few talks and presentations we've been to lately as well as an article on Bleach* Festival, an event we are proud to sponsor and has already done amazing things for the Coast.

The flip side (literally) is a snapshot of some of our favourite projects from the year, showcasing the different types of work we do as well as the people and personalities you find here in our little house in Burleigh Heads. It was great to bring our diverse clients and projects together (and also nice for us to reflect on what we've done) and to help you get to know us a little better!

If you’d like a free copy, please give us a shout and we'd love to drop one in the mail for you.

Our intern Danni has just returned from 3 months work experience in the one and only New York City, here's a bit of what she got up to...

At the beginning of June I began the final subject of my Bachelor of Communications (Business), a marketing internship in New York City! Undoubtedly the ideal way to finish my degree- my subject involved international experience in the liveliest city in the world. During my three-month stay I worked at firm on Wall Street called Escalate, which specialised in experiential marketing, largely for Coca Cola.

Interning at R&B prior to this experience was invaluable as I started at Escalate with a strong understanding of what is involved in the development process of branding and creating campaigns. Additionally, I felt comfortable sitting in on and contributing to brainstorms, maintaining an intern blog for the company and following a brand style guide having learnt this at R&B.

Throughout my internship in New York I worked alongside the Client Experiences Director and Manager to research and liaise with potential event venues, explore branding alternatives for event equipment, monitor event budgets and inventory levels, recruit brand ambassadors, contribute to the social media buzz and other event logistics. Also, I had the opportunity to exercise some creativity with the weekly newsletter and website calendar I was responsible for.

I used Adobe Illustrator (a program I have a very basic understanding of) to create the newsletter and calendar; doing so helped me identify the direction I wish to pursue my career in - creative marketing. As I have finished my bachelor’s degree with little knowledge of or experience in design, I am now undertaking a design course, where I am learning an array of creative concepts and skills. In twelve months time I will have a Diploma of Printing and Graphic Design and be one step closer towards my dream career.

In addition to the design course I am undertaking, I am also back at R&B, which I couldn’t be happier about. Assisting with design briefs and learning as much as I possibly can about industry trends and practices is such valuable experience for the field I wish to work in.

Semi-Permanent is one of the leading creative conferences in Australia. For designers, it's more than just a day off, it's a day that helps us to regroup and revisit the reasons we love what we do.

This year we attended the Brisbane event: nine hours, eight creative industry professionals, two small coffee breaks and countless moments of profound inspiration.

The first speaker was Beastman, who amazed us with his obsessively intricate renderings displayed on wood, canvas and street walls. How can he create such beautiful, perfectly symmetrical murals?

Beastman / Bec Winnel

Second presenter Beci Orpin reminded us of how important it is to step away from the computer and begin working on paper. Distancing ourselves from technology changes the state of our thoughts, and allows an altered dimension of creativity.

Toby and Pete's presentation was thoroughly entertaining, Bec Winnel astounded us with her detailed, delicate illustrations and Radical Media reminded us to continually change the way we engage with the world. Paul Davies presented his hypnotic architectural paintings and explained how he has combined his traditional skill with modern techniques.

Photographer Andrew Quilty humbly explained his professional journey. His photographs captured the degree of devastation caused by natural disasters in Australia, showing us how important it is to continually engage in personal projects.

Andrew Quilty / Toby and Pete

Finally, The Monkeys reinstated that visual communicators are fundamentally story tellers. We need to embrace the element of surprise and the power of viral communication.

The day left us feeling lucky to operate in such an exciting industry. Creative conferences like Semi-Permanent allow us to look at the bigger picture, motivating us to reach new heights.

Last month Twitter announced it would be introducing stricter guidelines around the way 3rd party applications access the Twitter API.

Put forward as a way to keep Twitter interactions visually consistent and avoid diluting the user experience across different services, the move has repercussions for many different members of the web community.

The new restrictions mean your website will no longer be able to use content pulled from Twitter where you’d like, and it won’t be able to look the way you’d like, either. For example a feed like the one you see on this blog page will no longer be accepted under these new guidelines because it doesn’t look like Twitter, therefore is not delivering a “consistent Twitter experience" as described by Twitter blogger Michael Sippey.

What were once ‘Guidelines’ are now ‘Requirements’ and Twitter is not messing around - they have already cut access to LinkedIn, Instagram and Tumblr. The change will mean much stricter controls on what information apps can access, as well as how the app presents that information at their end. Any app that accesses Twitter to pull content will be effected, and will need to comply within the next 5 months.

To read more about the changes you can have a look at the Twitter developers Blog or follow the response here.