Sonia Ashraf and Stuart Gilbert

In the past couple of months, The Gate has been joined by two bright sparks who promise to bring creativity and enthusiasm to the team. Mild-mannered Stuart Gilbert, formerly of Edinburgh’s Navy Blue, is our brand new creative artworker, while supergirl Sonia Ashraf is our new account executive with extra duties on reception.

While Stuart is busy learning the intricacies of CSS in the Creative Department, Sonia is perfecting the people skills she gleaned from working as an assistant in Harvey Nicols, and latterly, on reception at Arnold Clark. So she should have no problem with the challenges of account handling. Both seem happy in their new roles, with Sonia saying: ‘I love being on the ball – every day there’s something different to learn.’

We’re glad to have them on board. In fact, the best news The Gate has heard for a while is that Stuart is a champion tea maker, having honed his skills making regular brews for 10 during his time at Navy Blue. He was even top of their agency tea-making league for a while. We’ll have milk, no sugar thanks, Stu. And don’t forget the biscuits.

The Gate had the power to win at the first Scottish Creative Awards last month – scooping the award for Best Advertising Strategy for our work for Irish energy company Airtricity. It’s another plaudit for this highly successful campaign, which also won a Drum award earlier in the year.

2011 is the first year of the Scottish Creative Awards (previously known as the Scottish Advertising Awards) and the competition was fierce. Overall, The Gate were nominated for three Scottish Creative awards – Best Advertising Strategy, Best Integrated Strategy and Best Integrated Campaign –  for our work for both Airtricity and Scotland’s Census.

We’re looking forward to adding this prestigious dagger to our other awards for Airtricity, which we helped turn from a virtually unknown niche wind farm operator into Ireland’s biggest energy company.

The Gate’s creation of the ‘Airtricity Family’ had a huge impact in Ireland, which was in the grip of devastating recession. Our strategy, with the addition of charming and cheerful creative, created an upbeat and instantly recognisable image that the public could get behind. Airtricity’s customer numbers went stellar – gaining 90,000 customers in the first 3 months, growing to 200,000 within the first year –  2 years ahead of target.

Account handler Dan Gilmore, who worked extensively on the Airtricity account said:  ’This is another great acknowledgement for The Gate’s strategic work for Airtricity, proving once again that smart, creative thinking really does get results.’

Advertising Strategy

• Award: The power to win new customers
• Client: Airtricity
• Company: The Gate

Best Integrated Strategy

• Nomination: Scotland’s Census 2011
• Client: The Scottish Government
• Company: The Gate

Integrated campaign

• Nomination: Scotland’s Census 2011
• Client: Scottish Government
• Company: The Gate
• http://vimeo.com/22996863

The brief: eat baby food instead of normal for a week.
Yes, seven whole days.

So that’s jars of baby food instead of breakfast, lunch and snacks – then have a normal dinner. Lucy was disgusted, then intrigued, then disgusted again… but never one to shy away from a challenge, Lucy accepted. After all, if Jennifer Aniston was a fan of this diet, it couldn’t be that bad right?*

Find out how Lucy got on by clicking on the images below…

*It was worse than you’d imagine.

From the outside, Mirazozo looks  like a bouncy castle but inside you’ll Tron-like labyrinth of find coloured caves, tunnels and nooks. Each area is lit up from the outside by daylight – and as the light changes, so do the the intensity of the colours.

With ambient music playing throughout, you’re encouraged to find a spot and relax – something almost unheard of at the Fringe.

Our tip: don’t forget to bring a camera with you.

For some it’s a half-cut musing down the pub (legendary agency adman Ogilvy professed a brandy or two made him better able to write). For others it’s a doodle on a restaurant napkin (Einstein sought his creative genius through drawings rather than words). But whilst we all arrive at creative ideas by different means, one thing is certain – for our imaginations to run free, our minds need creative spaces.

Here are some of my personal favourite creative spaces in Edinburgh, from an otherworldly garden to a down to earth studio. They are places where I seek out the new and feel inspired by the old. Where my head is emptied of certainties and filled with possibilities. Places where I think creative thoughts.

1. Jupiter Artland

This contemporary sculpture garden has all the whimsy and adventure of Lewis Carroll’s Wonderland – from the giant psychedelic ‘Orchid’ by Marc Quinn and manicured grassy ‘Life Mounds’ by Charles Jencks to the eerie ‘Weeping Girls’ by Laura Ford, seemingly alone and lost among the woodland.

The sculptures were commissioned by the garden’s owners Robert and Nicky Wilson and are all inspired by the surrounding landscape. Out with the confinements of stark gallery walls, nature breathes life into these pieces and that is makes Jupiter Artland a majestic creative space.

2. The Gallery of Modern Art

When you’ve hit a creative block and the deadline is tighter than Beth Ditto’s leotard, you only have to look up at Martin Creed’s neon sign to feel reassured that ‘Everything Is Going To Be Alright’. And if a little bit of Andy Warhol or Tracy Emin’s creative success rubs off on you when you’re there then it probably will be just that.

3. The Filmhouse

The Filmhouse is Scotland’s most prominent arthouse cinema and, as well as being home to the Edinburgh International Film Festival, it plays host to events where knowledge is imparted, ideas are shared and creativity is expressed.

Playing with the Past was one such event – where movies from the past and music from the present came together in a foot tapping, crowd whooping kind of way. Local bands FOUND, Meursault and Eagleowl provided live soundtracks to short films from the Scottish Screen Archive dating from the 1930s and 40s, including ‘Granton Trawler’, ‘Night Train’ and ‘Begone Dull Care’. Music can be a compelling force in communication and this event was a master class in audiovisual harmony.

4. National Museum of Scotland

The National Museum of Scotland is an architectural marvel filled with art, scientific wonders, and archaeological artefacts. My favourite piece is the Millennium Clock Tower, a 10meter high kinetic sculpture created by furniture maker Tim Stead, sculptor Eduard Bersudsky, glass artist Annica Sandström, and clockmaker Jürgen Tübbecke, and illustrator Maggy Lenert.

The sculpture reflects events throughout the 20th Century and speaks as much of life, compassion and hope as it does of death, persecution, and despair. The museum has recently undergone a £46 million pound transformation and will soon boast 16 new galleries housing nearly 8,000 objects.

5. Edinburgh Printmakers Studio

Interactive Creative Director at Disney, once described design as ‘learning by making’ and that’s exactly what The Printmakers studio is all about. The studio is a paint-splattered melting pot of artists, designers, students and anyone with a creative curiosity who wants to experiment both long established and innovative printmaking practices.

The open-access space provides you all the equipment and help you need to print, etch, and book bind your way to being a better designer.

Images 1, 2, 5, 6 and 7 via Kirsten Murray.
Images 3 and 4 via National Museum of Scotland.

Here at The Gate, we’re not the sort of agency that shies away from difficult social issues. That’s why we have recently just completed a brand new website and logo for Edinburgh Women’s Aid (EWA). This vital charity helps 2500 women a year in the Edinburgh area who are suffering from domestic abuse and relies on donations to survive.

EWA has been in existence since 1973, offering help, support and refuge to women in abusive situations. And as those situations can be life-threatening, it was very important to present information clearly. Using a simple intuitive structure and clean design, The Gate was able to do this very effectively on a small budget.

The Gate worked closely with Michele Corcoran of Women’s Aid to understand the challenges we were facing. It was important to debunk some of the myths surrounding domestic violence – namely that women who are abused are only ever subjected to physical violence.

It was also important that we presented information about all aspects of domestic violence and control, including emotional and financial abuse. We designed areas for young people featuring FAQs and helpline links so that they could determine whether they were in abusive situations. Most importantly, a ‘Leave This Website Now’ button was designed so that women in danger could cover their tracks and hide their internet use from abusive partners.

Using this understanding we were able to create a website that was simple, informative and sensitive. As part of the rebrand, we also designed an updated Edinburgh Women’s Aid logo which has been used on a number of materials including compliments slips and business cards.

Michele Corcoran and Edinburgh Women’s Aid were delighted with the results. The Gate is similarly delighted to have made a creative contribution to a charity which makes a real difference to women’s lives in Edinburgh.

A pinhole camera is a lightproof box, with a small hole in one side, and, usually, photographic paper placed on the opposite side. A shutter is used and is normally manually operated. It can be made of practically any kind of box (as long as it is lightproof) from a Coca-Cola can to an oatmeal box. It is great for new photographers to start out with and experiment, as it does not involve any electricity or professional equipment. The pinhole camera was even used in the 5^thcentury BC!

The box is left for a certain amount of time – this is what is used for Solargraphy – the tracking of the sun’s movements over a long period of time. They are also often used as spy cameras because they are tiny and so, difficult to spot.

The image produced is inverted and negative, as it works by the photographic paper absorbing the light from the areas where it is most prominent, which turns the paper black, and so creates a white outline of the areas that are blocking the light – such as trees, houses etc. which gives the overall appearance of the image in negative.

To make your pinhole camera, it can be as simple as taking a metal sheet reclaimed from an aluminium can or tin foil, using fine sandpaper to reduce the thickness of the material in the centre to the minimum. Using a suitably sized needle can create the pinhole, although in professional cameras, the circle is cut out using a laser for optimum precision.

The pinhole can be any size, depending on how sharp or bright you desire the image to be. The smaller the pinhole, the less light is let in, but the image is much sharper than when a larger pinhole is used.

The depth of field for this type of camera… is pretty much limitless. This means that the image can still blur, but not because of distance. If the image blurs, it is because of other factors such as the wavelengths of the light source.

To make your own pinhole camera, just follow the instructions here. Good luck!

Image via Matchbox Pinhole.

Last weekend saw the 6th MoonWalk (http://www.walkthewalk.org) to take place in Scotland’s capital with over 10,000 bra-flashing women taking part. Our small but mighty Art Director, Kirsten, was one of them.

After raising a not-too-shabby £700 in sponsorship, Kirsten power-walked her way through the overnight marathon in less than 7 hours. The 26.2 mile route, which began at Inverleith park, took in the moonlit sights of Arthur’s Seat, The Royal Mile, Leith, Crammond and a spirit-raising sunrise at Portobello.

The theme of this year’s MoonWalk was Moulin Rouge, which saw the streets of Edinburgh festooned with pink feathers, sequins and lace – and that was just the men!

The festival atmosphere continued throughout the night with volunteers and local residents cheering walkers on and keeping morale high.

“Supporters dishing out Haribou sweets and high fives really kept me going. It feels special taking part in such an important event. I can barely imagine what people go through during cancer treatment, but knowing that the MoonWalk is raising money to help fight breat cancer makes the marathon feel like a walk in the park.”

All the money raised from the event goes towards breast cancer causes in Scotland including Edinburgh’s Breast Cancer Institute and Maggie’s Centres.

If you’re interested in taking part in the 2012 MoonWalk you can sign up here (http://www.walkthewalk.org)