CuCo have recently re-branded the Bournemouth Area Hospitality Association (BAHA), the association supports the hospitality industry in the Bournemouth area – acting as their voice and offering the highest quality of services and resources for one of the biggest industries in the area. The Association also works closely with Bournemouth Tourism and the Bournemouth Council.

BAHA required a new identity which they are soon to roll-out onto their new website, which CuCo is currently re-designing and building. The new identity replicates Bournemouth bay; sea to sand to land.

Wow – how time flies when you are busy! 2011 has been a great year for CuCo and we are every bit excited about welcoming in 2012 – with some interesting new projects and clients on the horizon we’re going to be back in the studio and raring to go on 3rd January. Here are some of the moments which stood out for CuCo in 2011:

1. Celebrating our third Birthday!
   On 7th September 2011 we were officially ‘three’. CuCo have come along way since Tony and Christian formed the agency back in 2008, building a strong portfolio of clients, moving offices and expanding their team. The creative duo see a bright future for their agency which now offers a wide-range of integrated services.
2. Designing and building some specialist websites
   CuCo are delighted to have worked on a variety of websites this year, using our expertise in WordPress we have designed and built websites for companies from a wide-range of industries. Two of them that have stood out for us are: Informa Healthcare Communications and The London Nail Laser Clinic.
3. Adding value to a direct mail campaign
   When Eco Aspects approached us to create a new direct mail campaign for them, we jumped at the chance. After reviewing their current letter and creative piece, we re-wrote copy and designed a direct mail piece which really showcased the quality products and services which they offer. We were also able to offer advice on print finishing.
4. Launching a website dedicated to our digital services
   Our digital team have been busier than ever this year, with websites, e-newsletters, emails, SEO and pay per click campaigns becoming ever more popular. With more digital work coming through the studio, CuCo were prompted to launch a dedicated website www.cucodigital.co.uk
5. Successful branding projects
   CuCo have worked on numerous branding projects this year – with a couple of them being close to home; we are proud to have re-branded Boscombe town and created a brand for Bournemouth Development Company.
6. Designing Halloween campaign for The London Dungeon
   We loved working on the latest Halloween campaign for Merlin Entertainments – for use at The Dungeons Nationwide, including The London Dungeon. The concept this year was ‘Stingy Jack’ and involved photographic re-touching before designing various marketing materials for the popular tourist attraction.
7. Welcoming new Marketing Executive
   CuCo welcomed a new member of the team in June, Jo Stapleton has joined us at Marketing Executive and brings a wealth of experience from both agency and client-side. She is also our dedicated ‘tweeter’!
8. Advising top family theme park on their social media marketing
   CuCo carried out a social media ‘healthcheck’ for Adventure Wonderland. The theme park had begun to use Facebook and Twitter but needed some advice and ideas on how to build their online networking sites. The analysis had a positive result with the park achieving a higher amount of followers on their social media sites.
9. Digital communication for SEA LIFE
   CuCo have worked on numerous e-newsletters for SEA LIFE, the design gives the popular family attraction the option of highlighting one main promotion or carrying multiple messages. We have also created bespoke pages for their social media profiles.
10. Getting highly rated by our clients
    We love what we do and are passionate about developing successful creative solutions for our clients – so being listed on the Recommended Agency Register for the third year running was a great achievement for us in 2011!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from CuCo.

PS: Look out for our newly designed website in 2012 – we’ll let you know as soon as it’s launched!

WordPress 3.3 has been released. The world’s most popular CMS and blogging tool has been tidied and polished further to make web publishing even easier. It’s been downloaded 65 million times since v3.0 was released and is estimated to run 15% of all websites (or 22% of all new websites).

Existing users can upgrade with single click. I’ve rarely experienced problems doing that but it still makes me nervous. Back-up your files and database before proceeding.

Let’s see what goodies WordPress 3.3 has to offer…

Read the rest of this entry »

We have just pushed the button on a new site for A&A Podiatrists. CuCo designed and developed the site using the popular CMS WordPress. It is built around many of the core features of WordPress and relies heavily on custom fields and custom posts to create a very simple to administer site.

The client wanted a CMS that was really simple to use and which didn’t have a steep learning curve. The site was given to the client completely empty and within a week they had populated it themselves – with CuCo at the other end of the phone with any help they needed and to guide them through.

To see the full site visit www.painfreefeet.co.uk

CuCo were delighted to have won a competitive pitch to re-design a website for Informa Healthcare Communications. They are one of the leading providers of custom healthcare publishing and Continuing Medical Education (CME) which help their clients transform valued primary content into the knowledge that shapes medical practice via their website http://comms.informahealthcare.com/

The company required their site to become more user friendly and allow people to easily find relevant resources using the ‘journals explorer’ to narrow down their search. CuCo have included a news feed in the footer on the homepage and have also heavily made use of custom posts and custom taxology. The site is mainly used by librarians, information managers, medical writing and communication professionals.

CuCo have now finalised the latest issue of the BH Business Magazine, for Bournemouth Chamber of Trade and Commerce. The 32 page magazine showcases the latest news of local businesses in the Bournemouth area, plus local Government news. This is the second issue designed by CuCo – who have given the publication a breath of fresh air since taking on the project.

CuCo won a competitive pitch to develop an advert concept for Blue Sky Financial Planning Ltd. The specialist financial advisers, based in Poole, required a new concept for their adverts which would demonstrate their key services and encourage new clients to get in touch with them to find out more.

Taking the concept of a rollercoaster to reflect the public’s perception of perilous market conditions – from a financial view point. CuCo developed a rollercoaster theme which involved illustrating a track for the rollercoaster and designing the words which form the carriage.

CuCo have recently created a brand identity for a new business in Southbourne. The Stylelash beauty salon approached CuCo to develop their look and feel which would not only make them stand out from competitors but also show their personality as a sophisticated and stylish salon which offers the latest beauty treatments.

The new identity was then used by CuCo to design their business cards, appointment cards and price list.

Having previously designed and built the Sustainability Search Group (SSG) website for the Allen & York group, CuCo have recently worked with the International sustainable recruitment specialists on their latest advert campaign. Using the companies corporate guidelines CuCo designed adverts to appear in specialist media publications.

Dorset Architectural Ironmongers and Doors Control Direct, the Dorchester based ironmongers and suppliers of door closers and controls equipment recently approached CuCo to carry out a brand refresh. CuCo gave the company a new look and feel by updating their logo and rolling the new branding out across their stationery, livery and signage. CuCo has also updated their HTML email footers.