Service Network member Calm Asylum has been making changes to their organisation to ensure that they survive the current economic storm. Calm is not a word you usually see in the same sentence as the credit crunch but here at Service Network we know that staying calm and thinking differently might just be the best way forward.  Here’s ten things you didn’t know about them.

1. Calm Asylum is a creative agency with a digital backbone. Calm offers digital innovation, customer experience, design, marketing, strategy and customer insight.

2. Originally formed in December 1999 by Simon Brown, MD, the company rebranded to Calm Asylum in December 2003.

3. Calm Asylum is an adaptable company which should stand them in good stead in the current climate. Simon has recently made several changes to roles and work practices within the company to make it more effective and has developed online digital tools to help set it apart from competitors.

4. Calm has 11 employees and has recently welcomed Bianca Robinson, Creative Manager; Andrew McCarron, Digital Project Manager and Steph Every, Reception and Admin to strengthen the team.

5. Calm believes that Service Network is a great way to get closer to companies that have previously been competitors and explore working collaboratively for mutual business benefits. This is crucial if businesses like ours are to stand a chance in the global economy.

6. Calm knows the importance of relationship working closer clients and has a fantastic client list including Northgate Plc, Darlington College, Middlesbrough College, Business and Enterprise North East (Business Link), Newcastle University and Wolf Systems.

7. Calm Asylum was runner up in the NE Business Awards, Business and the Community category. This recognised its offer to charities that need effective brands and communications without an unrealistic investment.

8. MD, Simon Brown is on the board for charity The Main Project which supports families of and children with Autism. The company also works with Teesside Hospice.

9. To beat the housing slump, Simon and his wife Vicki are raffling their 6 bedroom, £650,000 home in Ingleby Barwick – tickets are £25 each see www.winfellowshall.com

10.  The name Calm Asylum is sometimes mistakenly called an oxymoron. In reality it refers to a safe haven and a space to think differently.

Anyone that knows a (good) website designer or website developer will have observed that we are a picky lot. Accessibility, usability and good old ‘doing things the right way’ are top priorities in our lives (yes thats BEFORE love and money).  This can be a difficult sometimes when you spend ages making sure your code meets W3C and WAI standards but knowing that there’s people out there that don’t care.

When I’m sat in Digital corner and I feel a little sad I like to read “19 Things NOT To Do When Building a Website” This article really makes me laugh because I agree with everything he says (although possibly not with so much anger) and everything on this list is very, very right.

Its well worth considering some of these points if you are getting a website or redeveloping one - so many times something that seems like a good idea and is attractive to you, can be very fustrating for your users and without users your website is a very expensive way to entertain yourself.

Introducing the Calm Asylum online interactive Advent Calendar 2008!

Forget sending Christmas cards this year, they’re not good for the environment and they are BORING!
 
Send your clients to a fun online Advent Calendar instead, and let them play a game a day throughout December. Take advantage of our early booking offer and save £200 by ordering your interactive Advent Calendar today. (Early booking offer ends August 15th)

Click here to try one of our all time favourite games and see just how easy it is to put a smile on your clients faces.

We’ll personalise it for you to include your company logo, you’ll get a graphic to add to your own website, and a branded email to send to your clients too.

We’ll also keep track of how many of your clients and their friends visit your own website from the Advent Calendar. Last year one company received over 200,000 hits to their website!

Posted by Calm People