Argos and Bonfire CI shortlisted for awards

Transform-Awards-2012_shortlistWe’re starting the awards season in style with two fantastic shortlists for rebranding work with Argos! We’re absolutely thrilled. It’s great recognition for what we’ve achieved together.

Chad Valley’s branding sees Argos up for an Oracle Retail Week Award, and the BUSH rebrand has put us in the running for the ‘Best Rebrand from the Sector – Retail’ category in Communicate Magazine’s Transform Awards.  In both instances our work has had an immediate and positive impact on sales for Argos.

1256932_Oracle_Retail_Week_Awards_2012We can’t wait until both ceremonies in March, where we’ll find out who the winners are!

Bonfires Judge brought in to help find the South Easts most innovative student

Creative Challenge Logo 2012Bonfire director, Stephen Judge, will be assessing competition entries for the second year running as part of the University of Creative Arts’ (UCA) annual Creative Challenge programme. The competition is open to all students at UCA.

The Creative Challenge is an industry-led programme that helps students to develop their creative business and innovation skills using a live project scenario. The idea of the competition is to find the most enterprising and innovative students at the University. Industry experts then nurture students with their ideas through a development programme. Ideas are kept top secret and range in theme and discipline.

Stephen is looking forward to supporting this programme and will be on the lookout for fresh talent, breakthrough ideas and technical skills.

He is amongst judges and supporters from Kanoti, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe and Virgin Media, who will all play an active part in selecting the top 10 finalists. The prestigious Creative Challenge Awards will be held in May at Kensington Roof Gardens in London.

Corporate responsibility news flash

  • Keech Accumulator Challenge, Creative Fundraising Idea AwardWinners of Keech Hospice Care Accumulator Challenge Creative Fundraising Idea
  • We Are Bedford awarded
  • Payroll Giving Gold Award

Lots of good stuff has been going on at Bonfire, thanks to the support of our staff!

A local hospice, Keech Hospice Care, set a challenge for local businesses of accumulating as much money for them as possible over the course of 2011 with seed capital of £50. At the start of the year, we devised a tool box to help the team. Each month a different team member took on the task of doing something to raise money. We had lots of creative fundraising ideas, from designing a new font that would raise money each time someone bought it, to selling Italian food at lunchtimes, with a grand finale of transforming our entrance into a Winter Wonderland in time for the turning on of the Ampthill Town Christmas Lights for the local community. In total, £1,192.00 was raised and was presented to Keech Hospice Care in January. They liked our ideas so much, that we were announced as Winners of the Most Creative Fundraising Idea at the presentation evening (in conjunction with the window display wining best dressed window by the local Business Chamber).

Community group We Are Bedford, run by Kayte Judge and Erica Roffe, that we provide marketing and creative support to, received an award from a local newspaper publisher. The Rising Stars Awards, run by The Times & Citizen in Bedford, had a special category, the District Improvement category, to recognise the work carried out by the group.

Winter Wonderland Window Wins!

Bonfire CI xmas window 2011As a team we’ve been raising money for a local charity, Keech Cottage Hospice, for the past year. Our Christmas fundraising idea was to open up the entrance of our offices to the public on the day that our town’s Christmas lights were switched on to help raise some more funds. We made cakes, painted faces, sold mulled wine and more. For those of you familiar with our entrance, it’s quite a large, empty space.

We got creative. The whole entrance was decked out as a winter wonderland to attract passersby, with the designers and creative team producing some amazing cut-out creatures, including deer, bunnies, birds, foxes and owls. A snow filled forest scene was printed on the back wall and adorned with hanging snowballs, stars, enormous Christmas gift tags showing the logos of each company in Bonfire CI xmas window background 2011the building hung in the front windows, and it was all topped off by being lit up by fairy lights after dark. It was a sight to behold!

DSC_0463Imagine our delight when we found out we’d caught the eyes of Ampthill Chamber of Trade and Commerce! They popped in with a certificate telling us that we’d won the Ampthill Christmas Window Competition for a stunning design skilfully executed.

What a great positive way to end 2011, and wonderful start to 2012!