Lewis’ Blogs

Is Mickey Mouse the most Profitable Character ever

Is Mickey Mouse the most Profitable Character ever

Web Design London

Who is Mickey Mouse?

Mickey Mouse is a funny animal cartoon character and the face of Walt Disney. He was created by Walt Disney himself way back in 1928. He is a human-like mouse who typically wears red shorts, yellow boots and white gloves. He is by far one of the most recognisable and famous characters in the world.

The Origin

Mickey Mouse was created in order to replace and earlier cartoon character, Oswald the lucky rabbit also created by the Disney studio. In the spring of 1928 Disney asked UB Iwerks to start drawing up new character ideas. Various sketches of various different animals such as dogs and cats were created, however none of them appealed to Walt Disney. The inspiration for Mickey Mouse came from a tame mouse he found at his desk. The original name was Mortimer Mouse which later got over ruled by Walt Disney’s wife who convinced him to change it leaving us with Mickey Mouse.

Mickey Mouse’s rise to the top

Mickey Mouse made his debut back in 1928 in a test screening of the cartoon short plane crazy. From 1929 to 1935 Mickey mouse started to appear in black and white films. This is where Mickey Mouse became very popular in a very short amount of time. By 1934 the Mickey merchandise had earned roughly $600,000 a year. As technology grew within the film industry so did the character itself. Even when Disney created more amazing an iconic character’s mickey remained at the forefront of Disney.

How much is Mickey Mouse Worth

It is said that Mickey Mouse being more than just a cartoon character that he has the same Value as Walt Disney Co. itself. This would mean Mickey mouse is worth around 178 Billion dollars, more than any other Character known to man. It is crazy to think that what was just a simple sketch has made so much value and impact on the world we live in today.

Character Design in the Modern era

Obviously the more we move through time the better the technology gets. Personalities of Characters created today are easier to portray through the power of animation an ability to let characters show emotion and mannerisms. It would be very easy to establish that today’s Mickey mouse is a lot more advanced than the one created nearly 90 years ago. However, the popularity of sketching characters still remains at large. Sometimes a pencil to paper can just be that little bit more beneficial for a designer to gather all the detail and information he/she needs for a good Web Design London.

Character Design for me

Personally Character Design is something I would love to be able to do. Especially one that’s worth the same as Mickey Mouse. The only character design I have done is the Blue Whale Meet the team page where I have made characters of all the staff. I really enjoyed the challenge of Creating them. This was because I hadn’t done something like it before.

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Graphic Design Trends

Graphic Design Trends

Blue Whale Media Graphics

Graphic Design Trends

In Graphic Design, trends are constantly changing throughout time. This is due to increasing development in software and designs becoming outdated. Designs become outdated due to the fact of a mass amount of people using the designs for their own personal use. Some trends, however, will last longer depending on popularity and often trends are made through past trends which have just be developed and refined.

Minimalistic Design

One of the biggest design trends of this past few years has been minimalistic design. This trend gets rid of all busyness of a design and focuses more on the main components of the actual design. It is all about stripping away all the unnecessary things. A minimal brand can be incredibly useful when it comes to creating an identity. The minimalistic design also allows partial space in your designs which allows you to interact with other elements of design within your work.

Typography Design

Typography is quite simply the art and technique of arranging type. When thinking of design people tend to think of shapes, colour and images as the main components of making a design. However, over the last few years’ typographies has become a lot more popular and design is more based on how words and letter fit in with your design. All typefaces are not created equally. Fonts nowadays come in all shapes and sizes and can reflect a message that someone is trying to convey. Chaotic Typography is a design trend which jumbles up words and letters to make an almost abstract design. This can be an effective way to make a design attractive and distinct. Cropped typography is a technique which crops letters just enough so you can make out what letter it is but it isn’t as clear as it once was.

Colours/Gradient

Obviously within the graphic design world colour has always been around and been an important factor for any design. Colours can distinguish and convey messages from your designs. For example, yellow communicates hope and optimism whereas blue is thought to put people at ease. Blue is arguably the most used colour in brand creation. Gradients are a great way for mixing and partnering up colours in order to create bold statements and channel emotions. Colour gradients have been more on the rise as they can take the colours of a design to the next level.

Negative Space

This design trend makes use of using positive space which refers to the main focus of the picture while negative space refers to the emptiness of the design or the background. When used creatively and cleverly the negative space within the picture is just as important and is never blank. It is designed to support the foreground of the picture and used to help create the story. This can be used in both pictures and typography.

Hand-drawn illustrations

As design software is getting more advanced, it is sometimes nice to take a step back in time and revert back to where it all started through handmade drawings. This nowadays can add uniqueness and more of a thought process behind your designs. A lot of designs nowadays come from a hand-drawn illustration which is then later developed within the designs programmes.

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Making Use of Mailchimp
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Making Use of Mailchimp

Blue Whale Media Email Marketing Mailchimp

What is Mailchimp?

Mailchimp is a marketing automation platform and an email marketing service created so that people could create their own personal emails which they could then send out to potential customers. Founded back in 2001 Mailchimp began as a paid service and then added a fermium option in 2009. By 2014 Mailchimp was sending over 10 billion emails per month on from the users it had built over the last 13 years.

The history of email?

Email which simply stands for electronic mail is a method of sending messages through electronic devices for easy communication. Email was first made back in the 1960s and 1970s where it was more developed and had taken more of a form. Email is an electronic platform which has never really aged and is still as strong today as when it was first created. It has only ever got more popular as technology has advanced to make email more assessable and stronger in usability. Email is used more often for business to business interaction rather than a simple messaging service. It is more professional and engaging for businesses to use nowadays and there is no indication of it slowing down or becoming less popular.

Why email marketing is important

As already mentioned email is more commonly used for business to business interaction which means most businesses will be using email. Emails nowadays can be styled using Mailchimp which helps sell and promote your business and services. These emails can be sent out to a wide range of different business sectors or targeted at specific businesses depending on your target audience. With advanced technologies businesses using Mailchimp are able to see statistics from emails they’ve sent out. For example, you can see how many people have opened up your email and how many times. By someone opening your email more than 3 times you know they are interested in the product or service you are offering.

Mailchimp at Blue Whale Media

Here at Blue Whale Media, we use Mailchimp on a regular basis. This is because it is a great way to attract new customers and target specific audiences at different times of the year. For example, Florists will be targeted more at the summer time as that’s when most weddings and events happen. At Blue Whale Media we also create Mailchimps for some of our customers. As personal graphics can be added there are an endless amount of designs that can be used and created. Due to emails popularity growing stronger we find email marketing and Mailchimp are a stable and easy way of simple advertisement.

What do I think about the future of email marketing?

As already mentioned email hasn’t ever gone out of trend and has always been gaining more popularity over the decades of its existence. This, therefore, leads me to the conclusion that email marketing will become increasingly more popular for decades to come as well. The technology of emails is only going to get better with age.


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Best platforms to showcase graphic design work

Best platforms to showcase graphic design work

Blue Whale Media Graphics Design

Why showcase your work?

As a Graphic Designer, I know that it is essential for our work to be seen by others. Being involved with a business, it helps us to attract more custom through eye-catching and unique graphics which can also be used for them and their business. For other people creating Graphics is for their personal use and something that they want to share with others to create conversation. Nowadays many designers use the work of other website designers for inspiration or ideas. This is due to the social media platforms available to everyone in this day and age.

Pinterest

Back in 2012 Pinterest broke out to become a widely popular site and app for showcasing design work and creating inspiration for others. Pinterest is necessarily a big digital catalogue which has no expiry date. With constant updates on new trends, designs and ideas Pinterest are always showing new and improved ideas. People will use Pinterest to save ideas and ten use on a later date. It is becoming a well renown place to find and collect thoughts. This is why it is a great platform to showcase your work and attract attention.

Behance

Since the beginning, Behance has developed massively in the innovation of designs. This online platform is used to display fresh designs from designers around the globe. For a user on Behance, this is an online portfolio for designers where other designers can praise and add comments. This, therefore, makes it an excellent place for businesses or freelancers to refer potential customer too so they can see the work you have created.

Dribble

Made back in 2009, Dribble was aiming at bringing the design community closer together. This is like the designer’s version of Facebook and is a great way to keep clients and freelancers updated continuously. Dribble is defined as a show and tell for designers. The entire site is full of basketball references to make it relatable for the users. For example, Users are called players, works are called shots, and user levels can be divided into rookies and all stars.

Instagram

Owned by Facebook, Instagram is one of the biggest photo and video sharing platforms in the world. Unlike the previous three mentioned Instagram is not predominately used for design work but can be a great way to showcase your designs. Instagram is by far more popular than the other three, and therefore a bigger audience is at your availability. Instagram is used more by businesses when showcasing design work.

Get your designs seen

As a designer, you should at least be using one of these platforms to showcase your work or even using them for inspiration. There can be a sense of achievement when all your work is stored in a place where other people can see and comment and how good it is. Seeing great comments towards your work can be a fantastic empowerment for designer these days and can be an excellent way for your designs to be noticed.

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New DJI Mavic 2

New DJI Mavic 2

New DJI Mavic 2 Drone

Who are DJI?

Da-Jiang Innovations also known as DJI are a Chinese technology company. DJI are one of the biggest if not the biggest drone manufacturers in the world. Founded back in 2006, DJI saw a gap in the market and something they could take charge in by creating stunning and technically sound products. They also manufacture cameras, camera gimbals and flight control systems.

New DJI Mavic 2

On the 23rd of august 2018 DJI released yet another drone in the Mavic series. A series of drones that have gained credibility through the Mavic pro and Mavic air. This therefore led to an extreme excitement on the release of the Mavic 2. Having released both the Mavic 2 PRO AND Mavic 2 ZOOM DJI are again taking another massive in innovation. They have said that this is there safest and most intelligent drone they have ever made. They have added features to it that will make it Fly Faster, Longer and quieter. DJI have thought about every detail in which they could take this drone to the next level.

Flight Modes

With every DJI drone they all have specific flight modes which make it more appealing to create stunning Videography and imagery. Within the Mavic series they have POI, Waypoint, Asteroid and boomerang. All these flight modes are all unique in the way they work and the scenes they capture. The Mavic 2 have introduced a new flight mode called DollyZoom. This is a camera effect that appears to undermine a real visual perception. The effect is achieved by zooming a zoom lens to adjust the angle of view of a chosen subject whilst the drone moves backwards or forwards in a way to keep the subject the same size but the background moving closer or further away from the subject creating a truly cinematic shot. This has been classed as a breakthrough in the market and something that no other drone is doing without additional editing.

Hasselblad

To create the new Mavic 2, DJI have partnered up with Hasselblad. They specialise in cameras and photographic equipment. Attached to the Mavic 2 PRO you will find a Hasselblad L1D-20c Camera which will take the Mavic PRO to a whole new level in create stunning imagery and videography. This new camera allows the drone to zoom in on a subject from a safe distance if needed too. It offers improved lowlight shooting capabilities in comparison to other DJI drone cameras

Other Features

This new Mavic 2 has improved on everything the other Mavic didn’t achieve. A more powerful flight platform allows the drone to fly for a substantial time of 31 minutes, more than any other DJI drone on the market. An improved 72 KPH Max speed allows the drone to keep with a subject if required in active track 2.0 which they have improved from the previous active track used in the other Mavic’s. The previous Active Track relied on 2D images from the main camera to track a subject. Now the new active track allows the drone to map a 3d view of the environment through the camera and other vision sensors for a greater accuracy of subject tracking. With this comes a trajectory prediction which uses algorithms when the subject is temporally blocked by and object or obstruction.

What Does This Mean For The Market?

The new Mavic 2 has gone above and beyond the capabilities that people might have expected from such a little drone. This new drone will allow commercial companies to create stunning shots and be even more creative with the footage they take using the Mavic PRO. As DJI always say it is up too us (the public) to create the stunning photography and footage. The Mavic 2 was created to try and find a way we could produce originality back into drone footage and aerial photography.

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Da-Jiang Innovations

Da-Jiang Innovations

DJI Drones

Who are DJI?

Da-Jiang Innovations also known as DJI are a Chinese technology company. DJI are one of the biggest if not the biggest drone manufacturers in the world. Founded back in 2006, DJI saw a gap in the market and something they could take charge in by creating stunning and technically sound products. They also manufacture cameras, camera gimbals and flight control systems.

Why are DJI market leaders?

DJI’s Product innovation is second to none in their field of work. Constantly thinking of news ways in which they can innovate their products for consumer consumption. DJI are very much a company that has great customer brand loyalty. From everything to their marketing techniques and how their products look and feel customers can’t help but invest. Their clean and slick brand attracts new customers in every day. In 2017 DJI won a technology and engineering emmy award for its drone and camera technology. They were recognised for their creativity, innovation and direction of drone and camera technology. They have been involved in some of the biggest TV shows on the planet.

DJI Drones

DJI are known for creating some of the most famous and innovative drones in the world. Their most famous drone will be the phantom drone. It is by far the most recognisable drone in the world. Other drones consist of the mavic, inspire, Matrice, spark and MG1S. All these drones are made to fit different industries in the world. Some are made for consumer purposes and more suitable for people with a general passion for drones and are made for personal use. Professional drones are used for more commercial work. Enterprise drones are used to replace human labour. For example, some drones can be used for agricultural care.

Inspire 2

Here at Blue Whale Media we have the DJI Inspire 2. The inspire 2 in a professional drone mainly used for stunning fil making. We thought for our new drone service we needed something that would really propel are work to create stunning work for our clients. The Inspire 2 is truly a work of art which looks good and also delivers a high level finish.

Why We Chose DJI

After research we found that DJI were clearly market leaders and that doesn’t get achieved for no reason. After seeing their products and what they could do we knew that we would have to invest in DJI. As I have already mentioned DJI’s marketing techniques are second to none. Their creative and stunning marketing is another reason why we chose them.

Will I Use DJI In The Future?

The answer is YES. I know that the future will only get better for DJI. They are always ahead of the competition in terms of innovation and I know that the best is yet to come. It already is mind-blowing seeing what products they are creating and the news of what will be created in the future. It is easy to see that DJI have a passion for creating the best to make a lasting impression on their customers.

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Why Branding Is So Important
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Why Branding Is So Important

Blue Whale Media Branding

What is a Brand?

A brand is a name, symbol and design of a business. This is something which is made for a particular business to have its own identity and for it to stand out from the competitors. Like a fingerprint all brands should be unique and different from others around them.

What branding can say about your business

The whole branding structure can say a lot about a business and what message it’s trying to convey to its target audience. Everything from colours, Designs, name and ethics can distinguish the type of brand that you are and which customers you’re trying to attract. A well-structured and thought brand can attract customers away from your competitors and add an opportunity to create brand loyalty.

What is brand loyalty

Brand loyalty is something where someone has positive feelings towards a brand and therefore have a dedication to buy a product/service repeatedly, regardless of competitor’s actions. A great example for this is Apple who have one of the biggest customer loyalty in the world. People will continue to buy their phones and not be swayed by what competitors are doing, even if they’re producing higher quality products/services. This is because of the structure of Apples branding and how popular it is.  

Why should you get your branding done professionally?

Branding is something that we do every day at Blue Whale Media. From our own to our customers, we are always trying to make sure our customers brand stands out from their competitors. This is done through well-built websites that have the company’s brand running throughout. We believe that the branding is more than just the designs we create. It also comes down to how you portray the business in the digital marketing world. For example, what is said on social media, the words you use and how you interact with your customers. Here at Blue Whale media we cover all aspects of branding.

How poor branding can affect your business?

I believe that with branding, first impressions always count. A poor brand structure will immediately deter a potential customer and it will be unlikely that they will return. This is due to the visually rich world we live in today. A business with a good brand usually connotates that it will have good products and services. Although not always true the customer goes of what they can see before investing into you. Poor branding also creates very little brand loyalty which can be very important to a business survival and for it to thrive.

Blue Whale Media’s Branding

Here at Blue Whale Media we had a vision to create a brand that would be memorable to potential customers. We wanted to portray our business professionally with a friendly and creative side to coincide with what are services are. We wanted a brand that was unique to us and something that our clients could rely on. Even now we are still thinking of ways in which we can make the branding even better. Overall a good brand is something that is crucial for a business to grow. Whilst first impressions always count, you want impressions of your brand to last a lifetime. 

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Why I became a drone Pilot

Why I became a drone Pilot

Blue Whale Media Drone

Why I became a drone Pilot

From working at Blue Whale Media for the last two years I know that the company is always looking for new ways to stand out from the crowd. Blue Whale Media is constantly looking for new services and products that we can offer to our clients. As a Graphic Designer I never would of thought that the chance of becoming a drone pilot would be offered to me. A new idea/service that Gary and Steph wanted to introduce to the business. When offered, I was intrigued to find out more and what it entailed. As a business we saw this as a gap in the market and something Gary and Stef wanted to action as soon as possible.

What I knew about drones beforehand

To be honest, I knew very little about drones before being offered the role to become a drone pilot. Obviously I knew what the where but didn’t know a lot about how they worked within a commercial business and what the whole aspect of commercial drone flying. After the initial meeting with Gary and Stef I researched this and quickly learnt how they were used commercially. After doing some research I knew that this would be a service that would be successful within the market. I was then keen to accept the offer of becoming a drone pilot.

Why I think it will be good for Blue Whale Media

As I have said before Blue Whale Media is a company constantly thinking of new ways in which it can stand out from its competitors. Commercial drone footage is something that not many other companies are doing, especially digital Marketing companies. I also believe that we can create stunning imagery and footage for our clients.

Why I think companies should invest in drone footage

Commercial Drone footage is something that not many companies have. We all know that customer engagement is very important for a business to grow. With drone footage, the level of engagement from potential customers will be increased significantly. Drone footage can be used on websites, social media platforms, short commercial videos and many more.

Biggest Challenges

I found the biggest challenge for me was actually passing the drone course to become a CAA Licensed drone pilot. The drone course consisted of theoretical knowledge, flight planning and practical flying of the drone its self. It was broken up into three separate exams which needed a lot of time in order to pass. Although it was a big challenge, I enjoyed learning new things through the course and what it really meant to become a drone pilot. When passing the course I felt all my hard work payed off. Now I find my biggest challenges will be to create stunning drone footage for various different clients and sectors. This is a challenge I am willing and excited to do and can’t wait to get started.

Future of the drone world

I believe the future of drones is going to be a massive industry and one of which is constantly growing. There are always new advances and new technologies within the drone industry making drones more capable of capturing stunning imagery and footage.

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Logo Design

Logo Design

Logo Design

Logo Design

What is a Logo?

A logo is a graphic mark, emblem or symbol that represents your brand/business.

Therefore, a logo should be simple, clever and easy to remember, it has to distinguish your whole brand and ethos. This is why it is imperative to have a well-designed logo for your business.

The Process

When it comes to logo Design, a process is key to creating a logo with all the correct elements. It all starts with brainstorming and researching about the company. This helps give an insight of what they do, who they are and what their business represents. Maybe get to know the client and find out any likes or dislikes they may have. When working within web design, the logo can easily influence the look and feel of the whole website. For example, a Fun, colourful and bold logo may lead to a corresponding look to the website. Once a clear message has been delivered of what the client likes and dislikes, then initial ideas can be sketched and drawn to help produce relevant ideas to the brief. Final drafts are then done when Ideas have been generated and they are then sent to the client for review. The client then narrows it down to one logo where final amendments can be made.

Why I like logo design?

I like logo design because there is endless creativity to it. The variations and combinations of text and imagery is perpetual. I like the whole process of brainstorming ideas and then eventually putting them into final designs. Knowing that the logo will play a massive part with the whole branding of the company is why I love it so much.

What does a good logo need?

Within logo design it is essential that the logo represents the business and the brand. Logos should be simple, effective and easy to read. The logo must have an impact with the customers and be memorable. Colour is key within a logo, depending on the colour chosen can depend on what message you might be trying to convey to your customers and audience. For example, green might represent growth, organic and instructional messages whereas Orange might convey creativity and friendliness. Overall there are many elements to a logo which all combine to make a one that works for you and your customers.

My favourite logo to have created

There have been many logos which I have enjoyed creating through the briefs given to me by clients. A personal favourite was (The Dog House) logo. The client was clear and precise to want they wanted. I could tell it meant a lot to them and that they were passionate about creating a logo that represented them as a business. Their target audience was men but they wanted a logo that would both attract men and women. The logo consisted of common items associated with men which were represented in a moustache. I chose unisex colours consisting of orange and browns to appeal to both genders. They loved the final look of their logo as it was perfect for them and their audience.

Why choose to invest in logo design at Blue Whale Media

Here at Blue Whale Media we know how important a logo is to a company. It is the first thing a customer recognises about your business. First impressions always count! We take time in delivering you a logo with all the elements. We brainstorm creative ideas and concepts to appeal to your audience and generate lasting results. So remember to choose us and make a good first impression!