We just found out that we’re on the shortlist for both the ‘Creative Industries Business of the Year’ and the ‘West London Business of the Year’ in the West London Business Awards which are being held by West London Business and Chart Lane. The awards ceremony is on November 28th which is also American Thanksgiving … Read more

A common misconception is that a company’s brand is purely graphic design territory. Branding — everyone knows it’s important, but what exactly is it? It derives from the notion of farmers making a mark on their livestock. Paint is the preferred method used today but in the past, farmers would burn a symbol, letter or emblem onto … Read more

Cars have fascinated me for years. But what’s also fascinated me are some of the names. And at Grain, I’ve had an insight into the importance of the right name, and the process of selecting one. I’ve always thought the name of the model has a big role to play in how people perceive the … Read more

Because we just used an Eames image for the Brand Attributes of one of our clients I was thinking about this film, made by the Eames office originally in 1968 (final version in 1977) for IBM. It’s a beautifully crafted short film about the relative size of things. Warning: will make you feel very small! … Read more

I enjoyed watching this lecture by Anthony Burrill at the Walker Art Center: I find him to be an unassuming but brilliant man. Image credit: Mark B. Schlemmer CC 2.0

Grain Creative announces today that it has been successful in being shortlisted for two awards as West London Business of the Year 2013 and Creative Industries Business of the Year 2013. The West London Business Awards are the first and only business awards for West London. They are organised by West London Business, the regional … Read more

Fish and chippies must have the monopoly on wordplay, as shown by ‘The Cod Father’ in this Guardian article on restaurant naming. How about ‘Oh My Cod’, ‘The Fish Plaice’, ‘Codfellas’, ‘Frying Nemo’, ‘Codrophenia’, ‘The Frying Scotsman’, ‘Northern Sole’…ok, ok we’ll stop now. The article does cover much more upmarket venues like the Wolseley and … Read more

With winter drawing ever closer we thought it would be the ideal time to let you know what we have been up to here at Grain Creative, giving you a peek at what’s bubbling away on the stove here, keeping us toasty. International Community School The book is evolving! With the likes of iPads and … Read more

3D printing looks set to take a much bigger part in the way we create our products, even our buildings. The construction method means that prototypes can be constructed quickly and easily so that the finished items can be made perfectly to our standards. Structural weaknesses from other construction methods can be eliminated too. Holland … Read more

A note in our veg box this morning made me think about the importance of authenticity in branding. We have been enjoying Riverford‘s organic fruit, veg and meat box deliveries weekly for about six years. The Riverford newsletter, written by founder Guy Watson, who started delivering veggie boxes locally to friends in Devon nearly 25 … Read more

I have shown up for work…have you? Image credit: Steve Jurvetson CC 2.0

I never thought I could get so excited about a pen. This one makes me really happy. Email us at studio@graincreative.com if you’d like one too.