Meet Luke, head of Graphic Design

Luke, head of Graphic Design, valleys boy and green tea enthusiast.

Tell us about yourself.

I grew up in Llantwit Fardre, near Pontypridd (hometown of Neil Jenkins), generally playing any sport that was going. I specialised in rugby (my slightly clumsy/ no fear approach seemed to work best in this sport), playing for local teams. I wanted to be an architect until I found out that you need maths A-level (my sister got all the maths genes!), so I explored art and design technology, making book ends and painting still lives, which was tidy. Then off to Glyntaff Art College to do a foundation course and explore my artistic ambitions. I had a great year here especially as I met my future wife on an art trip to Amsterdam. Epic! We were lucky enough to go to the same university in Newcastle, which just happened to have awesome surf on its doorstep, a top product design course and the Great North Run - can you ask for any more?! After university my partner ended up working in Cornwall and I was happily ensconced at Sanders. This meant 3-4 years of weekends in Cornwall and an early 4am drive back to Cardiff on a Monday morning. I’ve been at Sanders ever since, knowing a good thing when I’ve got it! I live in Porth now, which is a perfect distance for cycling to work or jumping off the train and running a couple of miles. You’ll invariably see me panting down the Taff trail most mornings.

Tell us what you like

Surfing a clean-as-glass 6ft shoulder of water. Rugby, even though there isn’t a meaningful rugby team in Ponty anymore - I’m still hopeful that one day the Valley Commandoes will rise again! Hill running – awesome! Can’t beat the buzz of whirling down the steep side of Pen y fan, Snowdon or Cader Idris. Road cycling – I’m taking a bit of a sabbatical at the moment but will be back at it soon.

And what you don’t?


Inconsiderate drivers - don’t get me started! Why do they feel like they’ve got to drive you into the gutter then 10 yards later roll into a queue and watch you tootle by?! Pollution in the water, general littering - what is it with people who go to Macdonald’s? Why do they think it’s ok to chuck rubbish out of the window?! Ok I’m going to chill now. I can feel my blood pressure rising…!

Tell us something interesting


Did my degree in product design, now I’m doing graphic design… Not that interesting, I know. I’ll work on this!

The worst job you’ve ever had?

As a general dog’s-body at Makro: trolley-pusher, receipt-stamper… and I had to dress up as a chicken for charity once and trudge round the store. It was not funny, just hot!

Tell us what you like about working at Sanders

Working at what I love and the variety of clients, from Merkins (look it up - I had to!) to Kinesiology tape. It’s all good.

Tell us what you like about living in South Wales 

Need you ask? The hills and mountains. I love them, whether it’s running or cycling, it’s my playground. And of course the Gower beaches. See you in the hills or surf!

Huff and Puff Over Cigarette Branding

​Diseased organs and generic branding will be the only feature of cigarette packets in the near future, if ministers pass a new proposal to strip them of their branding in an attempt to reduce the appeal of the habit.

Those in favour of the measure argue that tobacco companies use their branding to encourage the cult following of certain brands, with the young particularly influenced by their ‘cool’ factor.

It hardly seems likely that tobacco companies wouldn’t encourage this, though, does it?

Branding is the most powerful sales tool that they have, especially since the ban on advertising. A study by the University of Stirling found that, unsurprisingly, shoppers found plain packs less appealing than branded.

A YouGov survey shows that only 6% of people believe that the tobacco industry can be trusted to “tell the truth”. Once a company loses consumer trust in the messages it communicates through its branding, that trust can be near impossible to reclaim.

Tobacco companies argue their right to compete with rival producers, just like any other legal product, and to defend their intellectual property rights. "Our trademarks are protected by law and we have a fundamental right to differentiate our brands from those of our competitors," said a spokesman for Imperial Tobacco, which manufactures the Lambert & Butler and Embassy.

An industry spokesman warned that generic packaging would increase "the already high level of counterfeit product available in the UK". Branding provides assurances of certain levels of quality. If generic packaging is enforced, what factor but price is there to allow the consumer to differentiate between brands?

As a branding consultancy, an objective view allows us to consider these arguments… but as a fairly health-conscious bunch, we can’t ignore the fact that smoking costs the NHS £5bn a year*, and we can’t pretend we wouldn’t be glad to see the back of it.

With a traditionally pro-business and laissez-faire government pushing through this measure, it looks like the tobacco industry is fighting a losing battle.

Natalie

Business Development Manager

*Study by Oxford University.

What’s the Difference Between a ‘Logo’ and ‘Branding’?

We have mixed feelings about the word 'logo' here at Sanders. Many companies use this term interchangeably with 'brand' or 'branding', and have trouble grasping the difference between the two. And understandably – it's much easier to comprehend once you've spent years working in this industry, and have seen the results produced by effective brand development.

Many assume that getting yourself a logo (be it designed by the company director, scrawled in biro on the back of a napkin, or by a freelance graphic designer) is the be-all and end-all of sorting out the design side of your business.

The fact is that there is a world of difference between whacking your ‘company logo’ here and there, and developing an effective brand for your business. This is where we lovely experts at Sanders come in.

Branding indeed requires that a ‘logo’ or corporate identity be designed for you. But it shouldn’t be the first arrangement of letters and shapes that comes into your head – it should be a carefully thought-out visual representation of your company’s values, history and personality.

It will  also encompass the 'look and feel' to be carried across your literature, website, stationery and packaging. It is, after all, the most immediate way in which you communicate with your customers and encourage them to make the choice to invest in you rather than your competitor.

Branding also means designing the way in which you operate and the experience that customers have when they come to you. When we develop a brand here at Sanders, we think about the four or five key words that represent who and what your company is. These terms can become the cornerstones to which you anchor your actions and communications, by thinking, “Is this action, feature or communication 'on brand?'” This approach gives consistency, and branding is all about consistency.

We've seen the returns on investment – don't settle for a 'logo' - get branded!

Natalie

Business Development Manager 

Aurora Drinkware

'Aurora', a vibrant range of acrylic drinkware, was developed for our client in the Far East; being, as our designer Matt puts it, "A place where they do a lot of sitting out in the hot sun. Not like here." Quite. The range currently includes a pitcher and tumbler, with a tray and storage jars in development. The first two orders of these products sold out completely on the strength of our computer-generated illustrations, well before they even hit the production line!

Acoustic Energy Reference Series

After several months in development, our 'Reference Series' speaker design has now reached the market. Acoustic Energy has been making award-winning audio equipment designed in Britain since 1987, with its products receiving critical acclaim within the industry. These luxuriously finished piano ebony lacquer cabinets mark the Reference Series as the pinnacle of current small loudspeaker design. Here’s the techie bit… They employ a constrained laminate layer construction for maximum resonance damping. A specially designed 7mm MDF/3mm high-density rubber/5mm MDF sandwich-material is used throughout the cabinet enclosure to maximise resonance and external cabinet noise.

Meet Matt Blofeld, Director of Product Design

Meet Matt , director of Product Design – what he doesn’t know about constrained laminate layer constructions you don’t need to know.

Tell us about yourself

I grew up in a village in North Devon near the sea. My universe during my primary school years was my brother, mum, dad and visits to my cousins who owned a large disused farm with so much land that we boys would disappear in it for the day having all sorts of adventures. During secondary school we moved to a new house, which was a 385-year-old cottage. Weekends were taken up with family time, loads of D.I.Y projects with my dad working out how things worked, how to make things, and how to sort problems when things don’t go the way you’d envisaged! Weekends and evenings included Army cadets, and developing a love for the bicycle. Early mornings were spent completing paper rounds in any weather on a bike over country hills and through windy village streets. On Saturdays I worked at my dad’s place of work, and then during college at a local art shop, where each member of staff had their own creative passion from painting, to sculpture and jewellery-making. College came and went and pointed me in the direction of 3d design, which in the second year I defined to mean product design. I completed self-generated projects ranging from a key fob for the then new Range Rover, which explored the use of leather and chromed metal, to furniture design projects. College led to University and being interviewed for my place at Cardiff by my now boss Julian Sanders on a hot July afternoon at Howard Gardens in Cardiff. I graduated University in the summer of ‘98 and started working at Sanders immediately.

Tell us what you like

Bikes (push bikes to be precise)

And what you don’t like?

The conditions of the roads in the UK, and the general level of respect given by drivers to cyclists. Cyclists are fallible human beings using a poor road network with little protection, and car drivers are fallible human beings using a poor road network who are in cased in a metal box.

Tell us something interesting

I had relatives on the Titanic

The worst job you ever had?

Counting the number of ball bearings in a supplier’s stock of power steering bearing race to ensure there were 13, not 12, individual bearings in the race in order to identify the races that needed to be returned to the manufacturer! 1300 bearing races checked in two weeks in the summer of 97! And the weather was nice OUTSIDE!

Tell us what you like about working at Sanders

The people and their skill and passion for their profession.

Tell us what you like about living in South Wales

Being close to the sea, with amazing scenery on the doorstep. Great climbs through the valleys to be ridden, and being close to Devon.

Naked Brands

Here, Romanian illustrator ‘MyHotJuly’ strips away the name of a brand to uncover what he believes it really stands for. It’s an interesting point, showing how a consumer will read certain values into an established brand, regardless of those that the company might have worked to portray.

This emphasises the importance of choosing the right branding at the conception of a new brand; at a certain point, perceived ‘ownership’ of a brand’s values will move from the company to the consumer, and it can be an involved process to change that perception.

It also serves to show their visual power – there are few people that wouldn’t recognise these brands, regardless of the name slapped on them.

Another example of how multi-layered and complex branding is.

Natalie
Business Development Manager 

Meet Lianne, our Studio Manager

Meet Lianne, our Studio Manager  - keeping us all in line , organised, functioning and  topped up with ketchup is all in a day's work...

Tell us how you got here
I’m South African born and I lived there until I was 12 years old. I had the iconic Table Mountain as my view every day. When I moved here that view and the sunshine changed to grey skies and rain and it was a bit of a shock to the system. I studied Business Management at UWIC and decided to stay in Cardiff.

Tell us what you like
Sport of any kind, sausages, fine wine

And what you don’t
Horror movies and fish. I need to be given prior warning if it’s being served so can psyche myself up.

Tell us something interesting
I don’t know if it’s dedication to the job or me just being a bit stupid, but before having my little girl, my waters broke and I still came in to work.

Tell us the worst job you’ve ever had
That’s a bit difficult as this was my first job out of Uni and I’m still here so it can't be all bad!

Tell us what you like about working at Sanders
The diversity of work, the lovely people, and the appreciation we get from clients.

Tell us something you like about living in South Wales
I live by the sea, and I can see the sea from my bedroom window. It might not be Cape Town but it’s close enough! Also, the Welsh rugby guys. Pure muscle and hot.

What makes a brand recession-proof?

You might have noticed that there’s a recession happening. You might also have noticed that many consumer and luxury brands seem to be doing very nicely, thank you very much.

Take Hermès, the lux French accessory house than began life in 1837 making leather horse saddles. Today, their handbags command years-long waiting lists and go for anything between €7,000 and €100,000. The last few years have seen the company prosper.

Their strategy is interesting. Hermès caters to the super-rich, for whom the recession has barely caused a ripple in the millpond of their wealth. But the principle makes undeniable sense; by keeping supply low, quality and prices high, the company has maintained a near-obsessive demand for their goods.

Brand managers often blame high prices for decreasing sales, but research shows that our choice of product is far from logical: “Rational factors make up only about 30% of why we choose what we choose – emotional factors make up the rest.” (Brand Keys)

In difficult times we look for value: the relationship between price and what we get in return. We’re not just looking for lower prices, which can devalue a product, but a sense of investing in something that holds meaning.

This is where clever branding comes in. You don’t have to be touting hand-died crocodile-skin handbags to count as a ‘luxury’ product: luxury means different things to different people. If your branding can foster emotional value, and exhibit clear brand values, consumers will buy into that sense of meaning.

Meet Alex, Graphic Designer

Meet Alex, Graphic Designer. Bit odd? Yes. Good designer? Definitely. 

Tell us how you got here
I’m from Llanrwst in North Wales. I studied Graphic Communication at the University of Wales, Cardiff (now Cardiff Metropolitan). I graduated in 2010 and went to work for a design agency in Italy, after doing a crash course in Italian. I then did a few placements in and around Cardiff before starting at Sanders.

Tell us what you like
Football, climbing, rugger (only since moving to Cardiff!) Design, photography, art (the talented kind not the contemporary crap!)

And what you don’t
Art - the contemporary crap! Although I don't mind the ones who know it's crap but get away with it and sell it. The ones who genuinely think it's amazing when it isn't, they are the ones!!

Tell us a little-known fact
I only shop using mobility scooters.

The worst job you’ve ever had?
There have been a few! Washing dishes, waiting on tables.

Tell us what you like about working at Sanders
The people, the work, and the studio.

Something you like about living in South Wales
Living in a city but still being in Wales. Cardiff is small but has everything in it! It’s also close to the Gower.