alxmurphy - Tumblr blog

[alxmurphy]

Stance socks

Stance is an apparel brand specialising in expressing the spirit of artists and performance. They just happen to make socks. Stance's creative approach to branding and marketing collateral allows for a playful nature of design work.

I had the opportunity to undertake briefs from the European performance marketing team, including one to create assets for europe-wide retailers to use in store and identify themselves as a stockist.

Part of the creative process involved adopting Stance's visual language and applying it consistently across its' niche sub-markets, while trying to appeal to each of the demographics individually.

www.stance.com

// freelance

[alxmurphy]

Jam furniture

Jam furniture was a deliberate step out of commercial industrial design, and founder Ben already had a firm grasp on the product positioning and branding; high-end, bespoke furniture made from reclaimed timber. Everything Ben makes has a story, and the product he creates tells a story with it’s aged wood grain. Even the brand name itself – Jam – comes from a nickname, derived from Benjamin.

Ben had originally designed the Jam logo himself and asked me to improve the graphic standards to bring it inline with the company and product’s high end finish.

Below is my work process to create an ident that is fun and playful – like Ben – with a finish that is clean and crisp – like the product – that can be reproduced in industrial design processes.

// freelance

[alxmurphy]

In The Welsh Wind Distillery

Alex and Ellen are mavericks and makers. After leaving the security of their day jobs and completing an 800-mile walk around Wales, they settled on opening a small-batch distillery, based in west Wales.

Just like their unconventional approach to life, their business has an original take on producing premium spirits. In The Welsh Wind Distillery creates bespoke batches of spirits in their copper still, Meredith, where each and every batch is tailor-made, flavoured, profiled, and branded on a business-to-business basis. Essentially, they offer a completely original, unique product, every time they distill.

I work with Alex and Ellen to create and maintain the brand standards of the In The Welsh Wind Distillery business, and steer the creative direction of marketing collateral and visual brand, while adhering to the UK's alcohol labelling requirements.

Creative opportunities extend to 'white labelling' short-run products, working on test product branding, creating tender and marketing documents, creative assets for gin making workshops, and managing their digital presence.

www.inthewelshwind.co.uk

Photography © Paul Fenrich

// freelance

[alxmurphy]

Like The Wind Magazine

Like The Wind is an idenpendently published quarterly running journal. Our aim is to provide a high-quality editorial and creative based magazine for runners, by runners, beautifully illustrated.

Since issue 10, I have contributed new design direction and devised layouts to take the creative of the magazine forwards, while being considerate of the existing style.

Now, as the co-creatve director, I work with the co-founders and editorial team to steer the visual content and provide art direction to talented collaborators, while ensuring the creative style and content of each issue hits a consistent standard.

The overall vibrance and fun of the magazine represents the joy of running and is underpinned by flexible grid structures and an extensive series of stylesheets to keep consistency issue-by-issue despite wilding varying content.

Creative Direction

Publication design & Layout

Issue #11 Cover & Limited Edition Subscriber Print

Creating feature templates for new styles of editorial content

Photo selection and post-production editing

Visual management: liasing with contributors and managing creative workflow

Marketing collateral creative

// freelance

[alxmurphy]

howies clothing

www.howies.co.uk

howies is a small independent clothing company in west Wales who make lower impact clothing for sport and the outdoors.

My work covers managing the e-commerce website; making tweaks to improve UX, front end updates to page layouts and managing the content based on KPI's and seasonal sales calendars.

The role also extends to creating weekly marketing e-mails and art-working creative for digital marketing campaigns. ( A few live examples here, here and here.)

Beyond the web I brief and arrange all product photography, have assisted on photo and video shoots, create visual assets for digital marketing campaigns and social media, as well as co-ordinate PR and advertising with press and magazines and contribute T-Shirt designs.

Responsibilities include:

Website content management

Digital design for e-commerce and online ad campaigns

Ongoing website design updates to improve UX

E-commerce mobile website template design

Visual creative for Social Media

Design for e-mail; transactional, marketing & sales

In-store & POS graphics

Wholesale & promotional graphics

Copywriting & Press Releases

Arranging product photography

Assisting on location photo shoots

Organising and planning logistics for video production

Managing PR & advertising

//completed at howies

howies Brand Videos

Dyfi Enduro

The Dyfi Enduro is a howies sponsored Mountain Bike event in mid Wales. For the last 14 years, over 700 riders have come together for a weekend of bikes and beer to ride the local hills.

Involvement

Social media event collaboraion

Event graphics

Video editing

Syndication and PR of the video

//completed at howies.

Filmed by Ade Gunn Edited by Alex Murphy.

As The Crow Flies

A brand video to showcase a collaboration between howies and Wold Cycles, on custom-built adventure bikes.

The idea was to show the bikes in their natural surroundings and in howies back yard – west Wales.

Ade and Dom rode over the mountain terrain, boggy tracks and winding roads and rocky paths in as straight a line as possible to demonstrate what the bikes were capable of:

53 miles, 2 hand built bikes, Mountains to sea, As the crow flies.

Involvement

Developing ride concept

Organisation and logistics

Assisting on shoot

End credit titles

Syndication and PR of video

//completed at howies Filmed & Edited by Ricky Adam Ride Emblem: Wold Cycles Music: Up Through The Night by Juno

The Rest Less Ride

This video documents the 16 riders, riding 125 miles for 12 hours, led only by small road markings, the faith in the peloton and the promise that no-one would get left behind in the wilderness.

Involvement

Working on the ride concept; the idea of capturing riding through beautiful scenery that you can't see and building friendship through hardship.

Logistics and organisation

Assisting with video production with the creative team at howies.

Syndication and PR of the video

//completed at howies.

Filmed and Edited by Mike Pearson.

[alxmurphy]

Trailhead Guides

Trailhead Guides is a running coaching and guiding business in west Wales.

Chris, a Mountain-Leader-in-training, wanted the brand to reflect his love for the outdoors and the remote areas that Wales has to offer. The identity was formed from strong linework, resembling the Snowdon Horseshoe ridgeline – the area where Chris' love of mountain running began.

Pack included

Ident

Business Stationery

Brand guidelines documentation

Branded apparel

Promotional stickers

Website – www.trailheadguides.com

// freelance.

[alxmurphy]

Hiut Denim Co

Hiut denim is a premium jeans brand, making jeans from their factory in Cardigan, UK. Hiut is a creative-focused company that they relies heavily on reputation, branding and their digital channels to reach customers and resellers.

One key problem was supplying information to potential customers to help them find the correct fit and size of jean. Reducing returns, and building relationships with customers through satisfaction was a key strategy for growth.

I was asked to propose and implement UI improvements to the Shopify website to help customers find what they were looking for, without major website overhauls.

Implementation:

Re-ordering website page hierachy for improved user-journey

Page flow consideration to minimise clicks to checkout

Updating category pages to showcase product

Utilising new photography to emphasise fit

Customising product pages to feel like print branding

Shopify HTML template tweaks to deliver product-specific size charts, page-by-page

Shopify HTML template tweaks to deliver relevant stories on product pages

During my time at Hiut, I also contributed concepts for packaging along with templates for video typography.

// freelance

[alxmurphy]

Freestak

Freestak is a digital endurance sports marketing platform, bringing together brands and social media influencers to run targeted and measured marketing campaigns.

The platform is in its Beta, and required front end design consultation and User Interface creative over the developers wireframe.

www.freestak.com

Implementation:

Creating a visual hierachy of information

Devising a visual identity for platform elements and for the two user groups; brands and influencers

Providing design and development consultation to developer team

Utilising engaging and relevant photography to enhance platform visuals

Wireframing UI for new feature developments

Platform automated system and marketing emails design

Creating branded marketing documents and reports for use outside of the platform

// freelance

[alxmurphy]

Vic North

Vicky has a deli and café in Pembrokeshire where she runs year-round cookery classes. She approached me to bring her website up to date to coincide with the opening of her new premises, and to take on the new visual style of the business.

I designed the website using elements, photographs and colours from the deli to ensure the site and business where aligned.

Built on a customised responsive Wordpress template, the site is regularly being updated and offers a booking system for cookery classes, and e-commerce functionality via WooCommerce.

Delivery required:

Responsive Website Design

Self-hosted Wordpress Build - vicnorth.co.uk

WooCommerce webshop and booking system

HTML, CSS & PHP customisation

Social Media, Google Calendar and Mailchimp integration

I also assist Vicky with other design work and illustration for marketing and promotional material

// freelance

[alxmurphy]

Ichiban

Branding design for an independant sports scientist start-up in Brisbane.

'Ichiban'– translating as 'number 1' was to show a strong Japanese influence in the training and interests of Sebastian, who focused his academic research and personal training and coaching in judo.

The brand assets take a number of japanese-influenced elements to create a library of strong, contrasting visuals for use across digital and print.

// freelance

[alxmurphy]

Empanadas

Branding and printed materials for a start-up catering business, selling homemade wood fired emapanadas.

The business makes use of local farmer’s markets and food events to sell pre-cooked food from a bicycle trailer with a gas-powered oven.

The simple branding is bold - like the claim to flavour - and the printed collateral comprises print at home templates and stickers which can be applied to food packages as items are sold at events. The menu can be updated event-by-event and stickers are relevant to the main component even if the flavours change.

Brand Identity

Devising a low maintenance visual solution for ongoing use

Bold, clear and concise branding that is compliant with food hygiene standards

// freelance

[alxmurphy]

Short Videos

A series of personal videos created around for social media. These short edits are to capture my enjoyment of running and to engage with a wider network of runners.

Concept

Short edits ~15—30 seconds

Handheld, self-shot footage

Fast turn around

Engagement with runners across social networks

//freelance

Wales Coast Path

Trail chasing along the Pembrokeshire Coast Path. @TrueMountainHQ #TRUEMOUNTAINSTORIES pic.twitter.com/fPAUcAnIdY

— AM (@alxmurphy)

August 3, 2015

Wildlife Park

Short video of a great run through Cardigan wildlife park at the weekend #runtagit @trailheadguides pic.twitter.com/47u7Faw44r

— AM (@alxmurphy)

July 27, 2015

Snowdon International Mountain Race

A little video running up & down the @SnowdonRace in 15 secs. (Official time closer to 1h45m) #SNWDN76 #RunTagIt pic.twitter.com/LHPplGAynQ

— AM (@alxmurphy)

July 19, 2015

North Wales: Try Fan & Glyders

Short video sharing some mountain time this weekend with @trailheadguides & @sarahstirling in N Wales #runtagit pic.twitter.com/txbNqVlWCX

— AM (@alxmurphy)

June 29, 2015

North Wales: Snowdon Horseshoe

Hoping to get to the mountains again soon for a run around #Snowdon like this one with @trailheadguides #runtagit pic.twitter.com/F4S8HSM0lJ

— AM (@alxmurphy)

June 24, 2015

Preselis: Experiments With Drones

Got my playlists wrong. Here's the right soundtrack on an edit from last night's run in the Preselis. #RunTagIt pic.twitter.com/HeDF9KqAYm

— AM (@alxmurphy)

June 12, 2015

Cadair: In the snow

It almost seems forever ago we ran Cadair in the snow @trailheadguides . Today's run was 26oC & 70% Humidity... pic.twitter.com/NYgZuyePhf

— AM (@alxmurphy)

October 27, 2015

See brand videos created for howies.