Steven Piper

Aspex Gallery – the Lighthouse

Steven Piper — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 15:32:22 +0000

The Lighthouse, part of Aspex Gallery aimed at children and education, sits amongst the cafes and restaurants in Gunwharf Quays and offers a great space for kids to go and get creative. And this year they are also offering an escape for parents whilst they do the Christmas shopping.

If we want to keep educational, inspirational & interesting spaces like this available for the benefit of future generations, then we all need to get involved.

What is the Lighthouse?

Aspex Lighthouse

The Lighthouse is a small stand-alone building, located near to Loch Fyne and forms the new base of the Aspex Gallery Learning & Participation programme, which through a series of workshops and events for all ages encourages people to participate, learn and try something new.

Lighthouse is a community education initiative which has been supported by local companies and organisations (Portsmouth Univeristy, Warings and Covers to name a few).

This week Something Interesting donated a Christmas tree to the Lighthouse to give the children attending something to decorate.

Christmas Shopping Without the Kids

And this year they are offering a series of art based activities for your children as you do your shopping. You can drop your kids off from 5pm to 7pm on various days, they can get creative making decorations and you can do your shopping in peace.

Can’t wait to take my kids down there and see what they create.

You can book a place on one of their events through this website.

Education & Skills

As a parent of two young children I want to ensure we expose them to a wide range of activities and experiences in the city. Part of this is seeing and getting involved in all forms of art & creativity – which is why we will be taking them to the Lighthouse more and more often. It’s things like this that make Portsmouth the great city it is. Sometimes it’s too easy to forget about all the amazing things available to you, right on your doorstep.

As funding becomes harder to get hold of from central government, we the people and businesses in the local area should be helping out where we can to keep these places open for all children of Portsmouth & Southsea to access for years to come. I think you’ll be surprised at how far even a little assistance can go.

Don’t Forget About Small Business

Steven Piper — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 10:32:40 +0000

During last night's Education & Skills work stream meeting, there was a lot of talk about getting businesses to assist with schools and children locally to help improve maths results.

A worthy and knoble cause and definitely a step in the right direction. However, one comment made my blood boil..."let's get big businesses in to talk to the kids, companies like Tescos."

The Joy of SMEs

There is nothing wrong with wanting big businesses to get involved in the local community & education, however I think it is incredibly short sighted to constantly trot out the same ‘big business’ names time and time again.

Image has no connection to the story

Don’t get me wrong, there are some excellent and aspirational big businesses in the local area, Astrium, Warings, Wiggle & Fat Face for instance. However, for each big business in the local area there are far more ‘small businesses’.

I run a small business, but I like to think that we are an aspirational company. We build websites and apps for major companies as well as ourselves. All of our work requires a level of maths, some areas more than others.

I also personally know the owners of other small businesses where maths is used day in day out, for instance:

Bar & Restaurant – working out profit & loss, bulk order discounts, wastage %
Search engine marketing company – working out improvements in rankings, % variation on previous months
Company that tracks the movement of 30,000 ships & 8,000 planes across the world – server optimisation, data loads, triangulation
Digital imagery company producing CGI images for architecture & marine clients – lighting angles, camera angles

Each one of these businesses uses maths in their day to day business operations along with the usual working out profit margins, P&L accounts, payrolls, bonuses etc etc.

Give SMEs a Chance

There are a lot of commitments when running a small business, your time is precious and you have to be careful you are doing the most important / profitable things at the right time. However, I don’t think it is above any owner of a small business to allocate one day a quarter to help schools and children improve their results.

A relatively small improvement in maths for the children in the area will take Portsmouth schools from being 148^th out of 152 schools nationally to sitting in the middle of the table.

There is a new initative being worked on getting local businesses working with small groups of kids in the workplace and helping them understand the real world uses for maths. I will post more about this when the time comes.

Excited Atom on Dribbble

Steven Piper — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 16:13:40 +0000

Whilst setting up Excited Atom, we decided to outsource the design of our branding to a designer based in the US. It seems like we made the right choice, as his Dribbble post of our design is slowly making its way to the first page on Dribbble.

What is Dribbble?

Dribbble is show and tell for designers. Players share shots—small screenshots of the designs and applications they are working on.

As Dribbble is invite only (I don’t have an invite) it tends to showcase some of the best designers’ work from around the world. On the site a designer will post a small screenshot of what they are currently working on, or have just completed.

Excited Atom

Why we used Dribbble?

Normally we outsource to local designers where ever possible for any design we do for ourselves or our clients. However, on this occasion I wanted to try something different & see what some of the talent from across the pond could produce.

We spent days as a team trawling through the designers on Dribble & shortlisting our preferred choices until we made our final selection. I am very happy with the results and it seems that we chose our designer well.

Currently the design for our new branding is sitting firmly at the top of page 2 and we’re hoping that it will make it to page 1 later today. So, if you’ve got a Dribbble login and fancy giving it a like we would be really grateful.

Excited Atom branding on Dribbble

Excited Atom website

Apprenticeships in Portsmouth

Steven Piper — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 10:54:30 +0000

Years ago, if you lived in Portsmouth you were almost guaranteed a job for life. With the extent of the dockyard, apprenticeships were rife and skills were taught, and learnt, within the city.

With the rise in university fees and other factors we should now be looking at increasing the number and variety of apprenticeships available in Portsmouth.

The Dockyard School

From 1843, the Dockyard School provided fundamental and a high standard of technical education to thousands of apprentices, mostly from a working class background, who would not otherwise have had the opportunity of receiving such an education.

Source – www.portsmouthdockyard.org.uk

The apprenticeships at the Dockyard School went on until the start of WWII after which they dwindled out as the dockyards key functions got moved elsewhere.

Modern Day

Apprenticeships

I’ve tried to find exact numbers of apprenticeships in Portsmouth but it hasn’t been easy. However, from what I know there are approximately 440 apprenticeship placements within the Portsmouth area each year. There are likely to be a few big employers who offer the lion’s share of apprenticeships.

Considering the number of school leavers in the area, this does not seem to account for enough.

This year, the number of people starting apprenticeships in England has risen by more than 50% on last year. There were 442,700 apprenticeship starts in the academic year 2010-11 compared with 279,000 the previous year.

This is broken down as:

40% aged over 25
31% aged 19 – 24
29% aged under 19

Source: BBC News | 27th October

As we know, there is a rather low aspiration in parts of the city amongst some of the younger people. With no desire or aspiration to continue “formal” education, we should now be looking at increasing the number of apprenticeships available across all the industries in the area.

How Apprenticeships Work

For employers these work-based programmes provide training towards a national recognised qualification. Funding may also be available.

For employees apprenticeship employees can earn a wage whilst learning and working alongside experienced staff. Anyone living in England, over 16 years-old and not in full-time education can apply.

Having never employed an apprentice before, I am going on what I’ve heard and read. However, I passionately believe that there are lots of opportunities to educate & train some of the kids leaving school with no desire to carry on with education.

I believe that business leaders in Portsmouth & Southsea have an obligation to get involved and start an apprenticeship scheme. We will be starting an apprenticeship scheme at Something Interesting next year.

Further Information

The following links may help you find more information about apprenticeships and hopefully allow you to start an apprenticeship scheme soon.

10 Years in Business

Steven Piper — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 10:30:51 +0000

Today sees the 10^th anniversary of me setting up and running Something Interesting. 

During that time the company has had its fair share of ups and downs, but, at the end of the day, it has been....interesting.

How I Started – A Potted History

After dropping out of Kings College University in the first year and working in a bunch of techie jobs, I was lucky enough to end up working for a hotel chain in Romford. Whilst there I got employed in their website team, when the internet was all brand new and shiny.

After a couple years managing the third party design company (who built the first site using tables, five frames and Cold Fusion) my director was made redundant. The company had a lot of financial problems and were making wholesale cut backs everywhere. Unfortunately, this was the first boss I had who I actually admired. This left a bitter taste in my mouth and, being a headstrong 24 year old, I decided to hand in my notice the next day and go out on my own.

The Present

Right now we have a team of four full time staff all working from our office in Southsea (just off Kings Road) and we get to work on some amazing projects.

Something Interesting

We’ve worked with clients of all sizes from a range of different industries. Recently we have worked with the likes of The Belle Isle, Coverbox, The Co-Operative Financial Services, Plane Finder and a whole host of other companies.

The Future

Excited Atom

In the next few weeks, I will be officially launching my new company, Excited Atom. This company, still based in Southsea, will focus on app development for the iPhone and the Mac.

It’s good fun going through the whole setting up a business again. And now that I have the benefit of hindsight I should make a lot less mistakes – hopefully.

Thank Yous

There are lots of people that have helped me out with Something Interesting, clients, friends and family alike. There are far too many to mention here, but I would like to say a big thank you to the people below:

My wife (Vicky) & children (Lucy & Sammy) who have put up with me having to take the occasional call at the weekend or on holiday.
Kieren who has given advice and listend to me rant about everything.
My team, Kev, Alex, Nial and Oli without whom we would not be putting out the amazing sites we build.
JP who has inspired me to keep doing what we’re doing, but doing it better.

Here’s to the next 10 years.

Free Art In Southsea

Steven Piper — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 16:24:16 +0000

Driving back from a manic day at Gunwharf Quays and lunch with the kids, I happened to spot a couple of pieces left out by local artist, My Dog Sighs.

Southsea is Awash With Talent

Yesterday I took a lunchtime walk down to Aspex gallery to check out the “Must Have….Been Something You Said” exhibition, which features some really well constructed text inspired pieces.

And today I got to pick up a piece of free art left on the side of the road by a local artist I have admired for quite a while.

A quick Twitter conversation with him to check it was ok to take it (not sure why) and then I was running back down the road to pick up the piece below.

I’ve said it before but I will say it again – I love Southsea!

Phone Your Mum by My Dog Sighs

Ten Degrees South – Photography Exhibition

Steven Piper — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 11:35:07 +0000

2nd year Photography students at the University of Portsmouth have been exploring the concept of ‘Territory’ and a group of us will be exhibiting our work at the historic Round Tower in Old Portsmouth.

As part of a 3 year Honours Degree course, this group of 10 students, calling themselves “10 Degrees South”, has come together from around Europe to show their wide-ranging interpretations of this exciting concept – from local landscapes to military campaigns, from nature reserves to wine bars to football supporters.

This small group of students, some of whom have already won awards and had work exhibited both in the UK and abroad, will be exhibiting their work at the Round Tower, Broad Street, Old Portsmouth on the 8th and 9th December, entry is free.

Daniel Alexander, Leader of the Photography Degree course at the University of Portsmouth, said that,

“This aspect of the course is intended to expand the student’s skills and abilities, stretch their creative talents, and give them a practical insight into the dissemination and promotion of their work outside of the University”.

Tyran Hawthorn, one of the exhibiting students who has just had a phenomenally successful solo exhibition at the University’s Eldon Gallery, said,

“This is a great opportunity for us to exhibit our work at an historic venue which is rapidly becoming an established part of the ever-expanding Portsmouth Art Scene”.

The ten students exhibiting at The Round Tower are Lauren Whatling, John Farnhill, Viktorija Zelenkova, Chris Pledge, Bill Hummerstone, Lauran Vohmann, Claudia Silva, Liliya Ivanova, Tyran Hawthorn and Justyna Kloch.

Prints will also be available to buy on the day, so bring some cash. For more details about the exhibition see the events page or their website.

Good Businesses Don’t Work Longer

Steven Piper — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 00:25:21 +0000

I always thought that working really long hours to get things done was the way all owner managed businesses worked. Recently I have been lucky enough to have the time to reflect on this, and now I realise that it's just a load of rubbish.

Starting a business is hard work

There is no way around it, starting a business, especially if you don’t have a large investment, is hard work. It takes blood, sweat and tears just to get it off the ground. When I first started I was working 10 hour days regularly and working weekends. For the first couple of years I didn’t have much of holiday and, when I did take a holiday, I would just end up working whilst on holiday.

I accepted this as being the norm, just what was expected of someone struggling to get a fledgling business off the ground.

Now with the benefit of hindsight I know that working every hour of the day actually set my business back.

Let me explain…..

Working smarter is not just a tired cliche

When you are working every hour available on just churning out stuff (whatever your trade) you fail to notice the opportunities that are available.

If I had my time over again, I would set aside time to not work. Time to reflect and plan. If I did have my time again, I would try and take a day out once a month (or more often if possible) to clear my head and regroup.

After running a business for 10 years, I can now do this relatively frequently and the benefits are clear. This free time allows my brain to relax and contemplate the underlying issues that will cripple a business if not dealt with. These are the types of issues that you don’t notice when you’ve got your nose to the grindstone.

It also gives you the time to plan. To decide on what path you want your business to take. Not just the path that the next client says you should take because they are waving money at you.

Do this and you will feel better about yourself and your business. You may still end up working for clients that you don’t want to at the outset but at least you have a plan to change this.

Human beings are designed to pulse intermittently between spending and renewing energy. Great performers — and enlightened leaders — recognize that its not the number of hours people work that determines the value they create, but rather the energy they bring to whatever hours they work.

Rather than systematically burning down our reservoir of energy as the day wears on, as most of us do, intermittent renewal makes it possible to keep our energy steady all day long. Strategically alternating periods of intense focus with intermittent renewal, at least every 90 minutes, makes it possible to get more done, in less time, more sustainably.

Taken from Four Destructive Myths Most Companies Still Live By.

Spec Work Will Destroy The Creative Industry

Steven Piper — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 11:32:19 +0000

In a recent screw up of monumental proportions, Moleskine have basically asked their huge community of passionate followers to create a brand new design for them - for free. This is speculative work, and this is has become a cancer amongst our industry. Hopefully the below will make you think twice before you commission a designer and ask them to do something cheap or, even worse, free.

What is Spec Work?

Spec work is defined as producing a piece for a potential client with no guarantee that your work will be chosen and/or paid for. Source www.no-spec.com

In essence, a client will come to a creative agency and expect them to spend time and effort creating a design for free before they get paid. They are asking a person whose only commodity is time & experience to use these assets for free.

Why this will kill the creative industry

I run a website design agency in Southsea, we are not the cheapest and actively tell prospective clients this, it’s clearly mentioned on our about page.

When I set up the business 10 years ago, I was building websites for £100. £100 for a full blown website, design, build, hosting the whole lot! Because I was charging so little I didn’t have time to develop my skills or improve on what I was creating. Most worryingly is that I had little passion for what I was putting out – I was living hand to mouth.

Andy Rutledge's contribution to the request from Moleskin

We now charge considerably more for our work and it shows. Something Interesting puts out amazing sites. Everything is considered, the sites are designed around the users, we use some of the greatest technology in really innovative ways. Most importantly, all of the team have a passion for what they do. You can’t put a price on that.

Andy Rutledge, a designer from the US, came up with a lovely response to the request from Moleskin which he put on Dribbble. I think this summarises the overall feeling of the once passionate Moleskine community in a rather simple icon.

I also found that Jonathan Ive’s comments on the fragility of design sums up the importance of not undervaluing design work.

So, you want a cheap design?

Just think about it for a moment – your logo, branding, website, app or sign will be potentially seen by hundreds, thousands or millions of people throughout the world. More often than not, these elements are the first interaction your potential customers have with your company. Before they walk through your door, phone your customer sales team etc, they will have been touched by your branding. Is this really where you should be cutting corners?

Would you go to a Cafe Nero and explain to them that you want the same quality coffee they serve to everyone else but, you want it cheaper. Or maybe you would like to drink the coffee and then pay them for it if you like it?

If we are not careful, the design & creative industry will become awash with people trying to earn a pittance for their work, devaluing their work and breeding complacency in design. The same old crap will be churned out again & again and no design boundaries will be pushed.

Most worryingly of all, a young talented designer will pack it all in and get a job in a bank just because they can’t make ends meet.

We use outsources for some of our work, and I make the promise now that we will never request spec work or under value the work of any designer we ever commission. I hope that all businesses in Portsmouth & Southsea will do the same.

Paul Tinker – Portsmouth Freelance Illustrator

Steven Piper — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 20:49:15 +0000

Always on the look out for cool and inspirational local artists, designers and creative types, I was lucky enough to find Paul Tinker on the internet the other day. In my first attempt at schoolboy journalism, I asked Paul some questions about him and his work.

Tell me a bit about yourself and how you got in to illustration.

Chameleons by Paul Tinker From the "Man Attacked By" series

Hello, I am Paul Tinker and I am an illustrator from Portsmouth. I always used to draw as a kid, from cartoons to painting. However I went into Product Design at university and am now an engineer.

I never get to draw at work, so I started to draw cartoons in my free time and started to pick up freelance jobs on the way.

What’s your favourite type of commission or client?

My favourite type of commissions are ones that give me a lot of freedom and that sound really exciting. As I already work 9-5 my free time is very precious. I have to be fully excited about the project to take it on, otherwise I end up working late into the night on something that I would not be proud of putting in my portfolio.

My last client wanted a series of illustrations of superheroes to advertise their products. That was great fun, and the client was just as enthusiastic about the project as I was, so that helps a lot.

Stag with a Garotte Wire from the Man Attacked By series

What inspires you to do what you do?

I would love to be a 2D Game Artist for social games, so I am incredibly focused on improving my portfolio and studying art to reach that goal. The illustration work is just for fun, especially the Man Attacked By project. I guess I just love seeing my artwork evolve, and also seeing people’s reactions when they look at the gory artwork. If I am not working for a client, I am always working on personal work anyway.

What you like about Portsmouth and Southsea

Not m'chips mush! by Paul Tinker

The thing about Portsmouth/Southsea is that it has a fantastic community feeling to it. There is a huge art culture down here and thanks to the Strong Island website, I am constantly updated with art events and nights out. It kind of feels like Southsea is always organizing great piss-ups/events and everyone is always invited. It is also refreshing to see so many independent shops down in Albert Road that are all pulling together and using/promoting each other’s businesses.

I love drawing people, and Portsmouth is a great place to sit outside with a pint and a sketchbook. There are quite a few people that I have spotted and they have unknowingly been made the main subject of some Man Attacked By images (though I hope they don’t recognize themselves!)

Any plans for the future?

I am going to keep working hard to break into the gaming industry, but I also want to keep going with my illustration work. One day I would love to have a gory Man Attacked By book published. It would make me laugh to see that on the table of a fancy coffee shop.

Up Coming Exhibition

On the 18th of November, Paul will be exhibiting his Man Attacked By project at the Bonzo Studio in Albert Road, Southsea.

On display will be Paul’s prints and also some merchandise – so get along from 6pm to 9pm and buy some cool gory bits. I will be there buying some bits for the office.

You can find Paul and his work on the following: Paul Tinker's website Man Attacked By website and on Twitter