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It looks like 2019 is set to be more vibrant and a little bit more tropical!

Or at least that’s the tone that’s come from Pantone’s colour of the year.

For the past 20 years Pantone has released their chosen colour to represent the year ahead. It influences product development and purchasing decisions made in a number of industries including fashion, home, graphic design and packaging.

Share the love this XXMAS

This year for our Christmas campaign we decided to do things a little differently. Instead of running a competition to win a prize we just wanted to get everyone to share the love this XXMAS. If you haven’t had a chance to check out the campaign visit maxx-design.co.uk/xxmas to create and send a kiss!

Christmas is here! We are in amongst the food shop stress, secret Santa fails and Christmas party hangovers. In all seriousness, Christmas is a time for celebration and to feel good with our nearest and dearest. Christmas adverts start launching at the end of November, kicking off the festive season. This year we have dissected the offerings presented from some of the UK’s top retailers and brands. There is a lot to talk about this year, with some standouts and some that leave a lot to be desired. Let’s kick things off with none other than John Lewis.

When someone asks ‘what is your favourite Christmas advert?’ there is always one that instantly pops into your head. It could be because it makes you laugh, makes you cry or because it makes you feel particularly festive. I asked the MAXX team what some of their favourite Christmas adverts were, with some popular choices emerging from the results. Here are the most popular choices, with a few special mentions thrown in.

Print brochures are an incredibly effective method of targeting your key prospects, but they can also be very hit or miss. How many brochures have you accepted from somebody with a smile, only to dispose of them at the earliest opportunity?

Here we outline some tips to help your brochure stay in hands and out of bins.

The rise of social media influencers is something that is still relatively new. In the last two years, more brands have utilized this marketing channel and we have seen the impact of this on our social media feeds. At the core of influencer marketing is a personal recommendation. According to findings by CIM, 83% of consumers report that they are more likely to trust the recommendation of a friend over and above traditional advertising. To their followers, influencers are like friends.

In Digital, we love new projects, no day is ever the same! We can be working on a websites SEO one minute, creating homepage banners the next, knowing you have a website rebuild immediately afterwards. We thrive on the variety of work we have every day, and love to let our creativity go wild!

Last month, members of the European voted in favour of a controversial update to copyright law, proposing tighter rules around what can be posted on platforms such as Facebook and YouTube. As someone who works within the digital communications field, the nature of this latest legislation came with a definite impact. However the more you read around the strong opinions on both sides, the more you realise where this has come from and why it’s happening now. But what is it going to mean for small and medium sized businesses and how is it going to work practically?

As an established agency with over 20 years of experience, we know a thing or two about content management systems. In this time website design and development has evolved into more than a simple landing page and some thrown together content. The impact of e-commerce, social media and smartphones has presented new challenges as well as opportunities. At MAXX, we are confident in the systems that we use, and have a team of experienced developers who can bring innovative ideas to life. For us Drupal is the content management system of choice.

With advanced mobile apps, snazzy websites and social media marketing available, are traditional printed materials really still a necessity for schools?

We say yes!