Our Client Service Director, Matt Small, looks ahead to 2025, highlighting key trends and opportunities for brands navigating an ever-evolving consumer landscape.
As we step into 2025,
As 2024 draws to a close, we see disruption not as a challenge to overcome, but as a catalyst for growth. This year has fundamentally reshaped markets, consumer behaviours, and operations across the globe,
Amid a rapidly shifting automotive landscape, one storied nameplate is rewriting the rules of engagement. Jaguar, once emblematic of British elegance and motoring heritage, has chosen a bold, brand-first path that values intensity over inclusivity.
Keely Shaw, Design Director at Straight Forward Design, explores how creativity drives innovation, supports diverse talent, and contributes to the UK’s creative economy.
Creativity contributes an impressive £125 billion to the UK economy,
In conservation, culling helps control deer numbers to prevent overpopulation. It’s well known that this prevents damage to natural and agricultural environments. What’s less appreciated, is that by selectively removing bucks with inferior antlers,
Matt Small, Client Service Director at Straight Forward Design, talks about fostering long-term growth both personally and professionally, staying focussed and motivated for the right reasons.
Established markets often spell legacy brands under attack from all sides by challengers. The opportunity for brands – whether traditional or newcomer – is to disrupt, and stay out of the sea of sameness,
How pet care brands can embrace the Gen Z fur-baby boom, by Mike Foster, Founder & Strategic Creative Director, Straight Forward Design.
Gen Z and Millennials are here for the pets – the floofy ones,
In today’s rapidly evolving business landscape, brands across industries face the challenge of staying relevant amidst shifting consumer preferences and technological disruptions. One industry that exemplifies this struggle is the automotive sector,
Crafting a brand that connects with people relies on telling captivating stories consistently. Mike Foster discusses forging strong connections and shares insights about weaving compelling stories that leave a lasting impact.
What is an idea really worth? It’s a question posed often by creatives who know that the true value of creativity has always been hard to price, explains Mike Foster,
Digital discovery – Mike Foster, founder and strategic creative director, Straight Forward Design, explores the virtual possibilities and what the future of shopping has in store for brands and consumers alike.
Mike Foster, founder and strategic creative director at Straight Forward Design, explores why brands should always be true to themselves.
While so many brands decorate themselves with rainbows for Pride month,
From police forces to politicians to TV presenters, trust in the establishment has sunk to an all-time low. Mike Foster, founder and strategic creative director at Straight Forward Design,
Microsoft recently unveiled its A.I.-enabled products, striking the perfect chord with the name: Copilot. This well-chosen name captures the essence of A.I. tools in the market, serving as our digital sidekicks to enhance productivity and streamline work processes.
Post-pandemic optimism at the dawning of 2022 was short-lived as Russia’s war in Ukraine stole the headlines. Like a wildfire, the impact on energy prices, inflation, and the cost of living spread around the world.
Only by knowing the true worth of their product can brands make sure they deliver value to consumers, while avoiding the race to the bottom, writes Mike Foster, our founder &
How can brands avoid creating confusion and help shoppers navigate clearly? Mike Foster, our Founder & Strategic Creative Director, talks to Brandingmag about how reducing cognitive load makes for seamless shopping.
“Find a job you enjoy doing, and you’ll never have to work a day in your life.” Mark Twain said it more than 100 years ago and it’s still true,
The cost-of-living crisis will force a third of Brits to cut back on their household spending this year, according to research by KPMG. So, in a world where consumers can only justify spending their hard-earned cash on the brands they love – why should they choose yours?
The world of OTC is awash with oval logos, bland brands, and garish colours. And in a category where everything looks the same, consumers can get tired of looking at it.
UK advertising restrictions come into force for HFSS brands next year. How can brands get creative to tackle the HFSS ad ban?
A total ban on paid-for UK advertising is coming for HFSS brands in late 2022 – primarily in the name of tackling childhood obesity.
Eat me, drink me: the rise and rise of nutrition hacking
Much more than just a tummy filler or a thirst quencher, food and drink has gone through the looking glass to take on new meaning as a problem solver.
Keeping market share and winning the battle for shelf space is an ongoing and ever more difficult challenge for brands. In a ruthless, highly competitive and fast moving market how do brands get shelf staying power –
The global gummy vitamin market was valued at 5.9 billion USD in 2020, so it’s not surprising that brands want in on this multi-billion dollar industry.
How has lockdown inspired your creative side and changed your outlook?
With the end of lockdown in sight and a growing movement to more healthy ways of living, attention is turning once again to the non-alcoholic drinks market. And there is a real sense of optimism about the growth potential for the NoLo sector, with the emergence of health-conscious younger audiences and new premium brands launching.
The late Steve Jobs was known and will always be remembered as a pioneer of technological design. Whether you’re an Apple lover or a Windows aficionado, you can only admire how Apple’s products made a name for themself,
As shopper behaviours and emotions continue to change amid conditions thrust upon them by the pandemic, how do brands connect seamlessly across a variety of platforms and channels, embracing both digital natives and digital immigrants?
Traditional routes to market are serving big brands less well by the day, as social media enables smaller rivals to connect with customers. And with Covid-19 accelerating that shift, time is running out to move from playing in easy to hard mode, writes Mike Foster, founder and creative director, Straight Forward.
Many household pet care brands have been around for more than 50, 60, even 70 years, supplying pet owners with the very best products for their pets. But will these same much-loved brands cut it with younger,
Lockdown has resulted in a shift in shopping habits; what does this mean for brand discovery?
More than a meat-free Monday… food of the future is created by humans, for humans.
By Mike Foster, Founder and Creative Director,
As a great philosopher once wrote; the only constant in life is change. And 2020 has been full of it: from the arrival of Covid-19 and the WFH world, through the increased profile of the Black Lives Matter movement, to Brexit’s closing chapter, and the advent of a vaccine: a much-needed signifier of hope for injection (figuratively and literally) into beleaguered communities and economies.
So here we are — almost at the end of what’s been perhaps the strangest year of our lives.
As we move from anytime, anywhere to always at home; how can brands gain a slice of our sanity breaks, asks Mike Foster, founder and creative director, Straight Forward.
As consumers have been forced to embrace change amid conditions thrust upon them by the pandemic, the ability of brands to connect seamlessly across a variety of platforms and channels is vital, especially as shopper habits, emotions and methods continue to change, writes Mike Foster, founder and creative director, Straight Forward.
Roberto Bagnoli, designer, shoots straight from the hip when it comes to ethical fashion.
In the midst of so much big scary uncertainty, consumers are looking for brands they can trust. So it’s now more vital than ever to create open dialogue and listen to consumers. That’s why we have two ears, says Mike Foster, founder and creative director, Straight Forward.
Who would have thought that a global pandemic could make global brand owners so much more nimble?
Lenka Vomelová, designer, talks about her changing shopping habits and rides the subscription wave.
Covid-19 is accelerating the transition to the direct-to-consumer model, says Mike Foster, Founder & Creative Director, but this is a long-term shift that requires smart tactical and strategic decision-making.
Do you have a pet name for your favourite brand? Julia Ripley, marketing and business development director, keeps it up close and personal.
There is a time for subtlety and nuance. There is a time for brands to play at the top of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, helping us achieve our full potential. This is not it. This is a time for brands to be direct and show how they can help deliver more fundamental physiological and safety needs.
Our founder and creative director, Mike Foster, talks to Digital Arts about how to land your first job in a creative agency and how graduates can best present themselves in these times of flux.
Grace Marsh, client manager, talks about brand values and shopping with a conscience.
In the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, how will your brand break through in an ultra-competitive groceries marketplace? One consequence of the crisis is going to be the squeeze on new entrants and smaller players.
Mike Foster, founder and creative director, covers a lot of ground on his hunt for the right trainer. But what is the right thing to do?
This is the moment for the corporate entrepreneur. As the virus makes its terrible way through our society, so a new world is taking shape, and businesses will play a vital role in that future.
Mike Foster, founder & creative director, looks at what we can learn from 50 days of UK lockdown, and how to prepare for the emerging consumer…
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