OffGrid

06/12/2023

We love working on Ramble Guides with Athena.

07/12/2022

What makes us different?

A week or so ago, we met to walk and talk about all things Off Grid. One of the things that came up during our long rambling chat, was how much things have changed over the last 6 years.

When we set out on our journey the world was a very different place. Pre-pandemic, remote working was unusual, we felt like we were breaking the design agency mould, working from remote locations, hiking at lunch, and running to the hills or for a wild swim when our work was done. Fast forward to 2022, we're pleased to say, so many more people have the joy of working from home and the benefits of fitting time outside into their working day. But what does this mean for us? what makes us unique? What makes us stand out from the ever-growing crowd?

Along with our love of nature and our need to spend every spare moment up a hill, with at least one dog and a flask of hot tea, we also find ourselves drawn more and more to creating by hand. Whether it be a branding project that needs personality and creative flare, assets for a new website, or a map for an adventure book - again and again, we come back to hand-drawn, printed, or painted designs. These techniques allow us to create truly unique designs that bring warmth and a human touch while telling our clients stories. This is what makes us different and what dictates our style. We'll always be inspired by nature, but it's how we translate this inspiration and how we tell stories that make us who we are.

-drawn

05/12/2022

*NEW WORK*
Back in 2020 we were lucky enough to work with the wonderful to create a beautifully creative and bespoke brand that brims with personality.

This year Rebecca asked for our help again. This time to design and build a website that would showcase her unique floral designs, display her services and allow her to sell workshop and floral kits via an online shop.

We worked closely with Rebecca using Squarespace to create a beautiful site that is easy to use and will allow Rebecca the freedom and autonomy to continue to add to and develop her website as her business grows.

01/12/2022

Each morning until Christmas Day, we’ve set ourselves a challenge to create something before work. The reason for the challenge is:

1. It gives us opportunity to flex our creative skills in a playful way
2. It’s a moment of creative calm and escape without pressure during quite a stressful time

We’d love people to join in if they can. It doesn’t have to be every day. Just a creative moment during the festive madness!!

04/11/2022

From this weeks newsletter:⁠
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Conflicted Makers.⁠
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A few weeks ago we made the decision to close our shop - temporarily. We'd not had the time or headspace to create anything new and to be honest, we'd lost the connection to why we were even doing it. ⁠
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The shop started as a creative outlet for us, to hone our skills and celebrate what we loved. For anyone who knows our work as a creative studio, we've built up a style for branding and design that is rooted in something handmade and hand-crafted. Unique. We also loved the idea that our products could continue sharing the connection that we have with the outdoors - making prints that would bring the outside into your homes, inspire you to adventure and inform you to swim, grow and hike with confidence. ⁠
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In part, we did achieve that. Yet, something has always niggled at us. Sustainability. We sourced recycled papers, we only print to order, we run or walk to the post office when we can, everything is made in our studio in North Wales, and we use recycled packaging - but we know that deep down, one large problem to society's environmental crisis is overconsumption. Were we contributing to that? ⁠
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Note: This newsletter does not come with a sudden, profound moment of clarity. These issues are still whirling in our brains as we fight to see a way forward for our shop. ⁠
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We know that joy, beauty, and inspiration are always going to be needed. People will always want to make homes that speak of who they are, with artwork and prints to celebrate that. The year-on-year joy that you feel every-time your favourite artwork catches your eye makes sustainable sense. Maybe that is our answer. Maybe investment pieces to adorn your walls out-way the cards and decorations that only offer a fleeting fancy? ⁠
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I'm sure that many of you, dear readers, are small business owners yourselves - and we'd love to hear your thoughts on our ramblings... As the festive period runs towards us at pace, and with limited time to create products for our shop. Should we be doing it at all?⁠
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Answers on a postcard/carrier pigeon/just reply to this email. Please, be honest… we can take it!

04/08/2022

As we approach yet another period of turmoil, anxiety is running high here at Off Grid. How much more can the world throw at us? Being a small business, we really do feel every bump in the road, and there sure have been a fair few bumps over the last few years! ⁠
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When we feel this way, feel the world buzzing around in our heads, our worries louder than our dreams, we always feel drawn to the hills. Here we feel safe, feel grounded, like we can press pause on the real world and hide here for a beat. ⁠
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28/07/2022

We're choosing to rebel. We're being pushed to be loud, when we like to sit in the stillness. And this is where we'll be if you want to find us, sharing our love of the quiet places, the wild, the remote, the inspirational and the beautiful.

13/07/2022

So incredibly proud of the work we've created this year already. A lovely mix of branding, web, print and editorial design for outdoor industry, wellness, health, children and family and social impact brands as well as many other wonderful businesses.

23/06/2022

After chats with .co about where their brand and website is headed next - we thought we'd reflect on the original brand we created two years ago. Still in love with these illustrations.

22/06/2022

From last nights newsletter:⁠
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"I am overjoyed to be writing to you from the studio, with the door wide open, the sound of the trees blowing in the breeze, the hum of a tractor, lambs having a chatter, and a wood pigeon in full voice. Today is the summer solstice and each year it comes round I am filled with joy and a tinge of sadness in equal measure. Joy, because after a very mixed spring it marks the start of summer, with the longest day of the year. A summer that will stretch through until the Autumn Equinox in September, with a promise of more sunny evenings after work, and late walks for sunset. It holds hope for change, of energy and light. Sadness, because it marks midsummer, where the nights will start to get longer from here on in, meaning we're on the downward slope to winter.⁠
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This morning my social feeds were filled with people dipping, walking, and running at sunrise to celebrate the solstice, something I intend to mark myself with a sunset potter up a local hill with a brew. I have noticed that my relationship with the outdoors has changed of late. Not waining, but how I access it has changed. This is something we have both noted. A result of the pandemic perhaps, or maybe just a progression with age.⁠
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The outdoors was always an adventure playground, to be scrambled on, swam in, and raced over. Now, more often than not, it's a long slow walk, a float in a lake, or head down in the veg plot that I yearn for.⁠
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I think I used to feel that to be 'outdoorsy' you need to be the super fit, super-capable human that treated every excursion as such. Adventures such as this will always be a part of who I am, but the more grounded, mindful, and slow approach will probably be the place I reach for more often.⁠
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Have you felt your relationship with nature change?"⁠
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Subscribe on the Off Grid website or pop us a message.

16/06/2022

Earlier this year we worked with a fellow graphic designer to explore ideas for her new business. This brief was a little different. She knew that she wanted to play with the colour and typography herself, but she asked us to explore a mark to be the central point of the brand. We created this mark to hold the feelings of support, life, loss and precious moments. We are so excited to see where she takes the brand next, and it was such an incredible experience to be a part of her future.

18/05/2022

NEW JOURNAL POST: "Stop! I want to get off." Having a creative career crisis.⁠⁠
Modern society asks us to all be the most successful versions of ourselves, to strive for that perfect career, have the perfect house, perfect car - but the success that I have found is through going against the norm, and not caring what people think (still working on that). ⁠
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As a designer you may start as an intern then junior, middle-weight, senior, lead, and then probably some sort of creative director role. This is the career ladder I had been running towards my whole life, yet, a few rungs up the ladder I paused. "Stop, wait, I think I want to get off!". This linear path only seems to lead to less design and more people management. It just didn't make any sense to me? ⁠
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Read more on the Journal on

Modern society asks us to all be the most successful versions of ourselves, to strive for that perfect career, have the perfect house, perfect car - but the success that I have found is through going against the norm, and not caring what people think (still working on that).