The big new year round up

By Ben Walker on 10 January 2020

From exciting new projects, to the introduction of sustainable initiatives in the studio, 2019 was a big year for us.

Amidst new year’s resolutions, and the reluctant dismantling of Christmas trees, we’re taking a moment to reflect on some of the news you may have missed from Firefly over the past year.

Remote working

One of the most transformative changes of the year was our decision to close the studio one day a week to work from home, cutting out our commute and reducing our carbon emissions. This initiative was inspired by one of our clients, AnywhereWorks, who have developed an app that enables effective communication and collaboration across teams. The app allows us to not only catch up and discuss ongoing projects via the instant chat feature, but to also have group video calls, so we can connect just as easily as when we’re all in the studio.

The benefits not only champion sustainability but can result in increased productivity and contribute to a greater work-life balance for our team, who have really adapted to and embraced this new style of working.

Environmental action

If you’ve been following our social media channels over the last year, you may already be aware of a few of the changes we have implemented in a bid to reduce our impact on the environment. During the current climate emergency, we believe that small, sustainable actions can accumulate over time to affect change and help to protect our planet.

One of the actions we’ve committed to is regular litter-picks to clean up the area surrounding our office at Ocean Point. It is truly incredible what an hour of litter picking can achieve – one of our outings resulted in five bin bags full to the brim, featuring everything from LED Christmas tree lights to an unloved jumper.

Another new initiative is our promise to make a donation to plant ten trees for every new client we work with. At the beginning of 2020 we made a donation to One Tree Planted to plant 408 trees in Indonesia’s Tanjung Puting National Park. This was a result of our Christmas social media campaign, Christmas cards and new clients – and we plan to increase this number in the coming year!

Edinburgh University Press

Last year we were delighted to continue working with one of the UKs leading academic publishers, Edinburgh University Press. We created two short animations to help promote their range of publications across their website and social media, as well as at various events.

As a multidisciplinary agency, we love to get stuck into creative projects like animation. In this instance, we adopted a variety of skills and techniques to create a unique design, whilst maintaining the integrity of the brand and communicating the key messages. From the initial storyboard sketches to the sourcing of accompanying upbeat music, it was great to see the personable and inclusive design we created for Edinburgh University Press brought to life in this animation.

Amiramour

Our team also had the pleasure of creating the branding for Amiramour in 2019; an online boutique showcasing an eclectic range of table decorations designed for yachts, villas and chateaus, as well as the home.

As well as establishing the brand and creating the Amiramour logo, we’ve been designing their new e-commerce website, which aims to inspire and provide a seamless shopping experience for customers. We also created compelling copy to feature across the new website. It’s been thoroughly enjoyable crafting designs and copy to reflect the luxury nature of the online boutique, whilst maintaining a modern, minimalistic aesthetic. Keep your eyes peeled for the new website, which will launch early this year!