Isn’t it always nice to receive gifts?

This morning we had a quick visit from Howard Reid, the UK Director of  one of the top African charities Watoto.

Over the past few years we have helped Watoto out,with not only their merchandising, but also on kitting out the charities amazing choir, with Fleeces, Hoodies etc.

Every year Watoto, put together a children’s choir to come to the UK and tour churches, exhibitions & shows. This year, being the Queen’s Jubilee year, Watoto will be performing three times for the Queen, as well as their normal schedule of events.
Now we didn’t get very long to see Howard as he had to dash off to a meeting, however, he did tell me to check out the choirs recent video for their Beautiful Africa Tour.
He also gave me the latest copy of the Beautiful Africa CD, which is now playing in the office, you can’t fail to be inspired by the music and the rhythm gets you bopping in your seat.

BUT!! the icing on the cake is a gorgeous limited edition hard back book, filled with imagery and snippets from the children and volunteers in Watoto Uganda.
It highlights the story of Watoto in Uganda…

One of hope, transformation and empowerment. Since 1993 Watoto has enabled thousands of disadvantaged people to regain control of their lives and to understand their potential. With a unique holistic approach and a commitment to excellence, Watoto continue to rescue vulnerable women and children and raise them as leaders so that they can help rebuild the nations of Africa.

Make an effort to watch the video at the very least and if you wish to visit the choir at one of their amazing performances throughout the UK check in to see their schedule at http://www.watoto.com/the-choir

Beautiful Africa with WATOTO is a post from .

I have to be honest, I’m not that great at creating videos. Actually my real problem is that I am really camera shy.

Not good for me, when everybody these days seems to be promoting themselves with video and why not, they are quick to make and easy to do.
Video can be a really cost effective way to promote your company or product – have you checked out the price of a First Class Stamp lately!!
Whether your creating video sales letters, web TV shows or online product demonstrations, if you’re not using video you’re missing out.

However, there is a very common mistake people often make, even some of the most well known marketers make this mistake.

Maybe you’ve seen it too…

This happens time and time again for iPad and iPhone users. So if you cannot view the page you ‘X’ off it quicker than grease lightening and never return again.
Frustration for the viewer and even more for you, as your hard work is being ‘X’ before it’s even got started.

So what’s the solution?

Well actually it’s quite easy to fix and the answer is in the video format that you are using. By selecting the format that is the right format for the maximum amount of viewers, you pretty much solve the problem.

Just about every web video format, bar one, can cause issues with various computers and mobile devices. Example if you’re using SWF, FLV, AVI, MOV or WMV (to name a few), there’s a good chance many people will not be able to view your web video.

So, if you’re not getting the type of response you think you should be getting to your video, then make sure your NOT making this deadly mistake!

I’m certain your goal will be to make a high quality video, with maximum capability, so don’t break the golden rule before you start – make sure you’re using the MP4 web video format.

What does that mean?

MP4 stands for MPEG-4 and is currently the best choice of web video format for playback and compatibility.
So many people have a vast variety of devices that they use, (iPad, smart phone, MacBook etc.) using an MP4 video will mean they will be able to see it in the way in which you intended. No other standard format can do this.

So if you’re like me and scared of camera’s and probably even more scared of the technology to go with them, here’s a couple of simple tips to follow.

Start off slow, why not try an animated video with Animoto.com – they give a free version, which allows you to make a 30 second video or invest in a reasonable subscription for a year. It’s a funky way to get you started.
This leads nicely into YouTube, this will also convert your web video into a suitable format for all viewers and you can start to build a list of subscribers on your own YouTube channel – brilliant as again it’s free.
I have two other resources you can use to turn your masterpiece into an MP4 format.
Firstly, there is a free software tool called Handbrake, this allows you to convert your non-MP4 files to MP4 files for web use.
Go get it at www.handbrake.fr

The other amazing tool you can use to create videos is Camtasia. This allows you to quickly and easily create great-looking screen capture videos, Power Point videos and even on-camera videos. And the lovely people at Camtasia will even give you a 30 day free trial to see if you like it.
Personally, I think this is worth the full investment, but for now…
Go get it at www.camtasia.com

So, whether you’re a total scaredy cat like me, or a seasoned web video maker, make sure you are using the MP4 format for all your (non YouTube) videos!

How to Avoid the X of Death for Your Videos is a post from .

One of the first questions we get asked is I need such and such embroidery – How much will is cost?

This is actually a difficult question to answer, so let’s endeavor to give you an insight into the costs of embroidery. There are of course a lot of variables and the phrase ‘How long is a piece of string’ generally comes to mind…
The basis for most products is the length of time it takes to produce and the complexity of the finished article. Because we have the capabilities to not only embroider standard designs for use on clothing e.g. uniform, staff clothing etc. and also the skill to produce the more Bespoke embroidery work the answer needs to be investigated in a bit more detail.

Not every enquiry is suitable for embroidery or indeed cost effective. Popular requests to put names on ‘Snap Back’ caps is the current favorite. No-one is willing to embroider just one cap. Why not says the customer, I’ve bought my cap and now I want my name on it. Shouldn’t take you long, they think, it’s just a name. Reality is, to produce a cap with an embroidered name can take as long as TWO hours!
By the time we have chatted to our potential customer, clarified their design, proofed it to them and then set the machine up and actually stitched it, we really would have spend two hours on it! That’s a Bespoke design. Our customer only wishes to pay maximum £10, we think our skill and expertise is worth more than a fiver an hour…

So, as you can see pricing is not quite so straight forward, so let’s give you some ranges that will give you a better idea of what to expect.

The Set Up – correct term is Digitisation.
This is where we turn your idea or image into a useable file that we can embroider the design with. This task is highly skilled and we pride ourselves on our digitisation. Quite often we are not just presented with a design, but a whole problem that has to be worked out and then physically produced.

	Basic Text £7.50 – £12.50 This is a name for a garment e.g. a Bridesmaid’s robe using our customisable fonts
	Simple Designs from £35.00 This would be a company logo for example
	Crests & Insignias from £55 – £75.00 This type of design is far more complex and would take longer to produce
	Bespoke Badges/Patches from £35 – £65.00 Our machines can cut complicated shapes using veneer needles a technique that it quite rare in embroidery.

Embroidery Charges – the cost of stitching the design.
This is the cost incurred for actually stitching the design.
Prices will vary according to the quantity of the design and the stitch count.

Simple Designs on Workwear start at £4.35 per item and the price will be adjusted according to the quantity required

Crests & Insignias – this type of work is more involved, it may include metallic thread work. This charged by the stitch count or if small quantities are required by the hourly rate. Stitch count costs vary – this can start at 25 pence per thousand stitches and go up to 55 pence pts- dependent on complexity of the work

Bespoke Work – this involves either a degree of high creativity or intense speed for turning the job around for Theater, TV Adverts or Film work.
Our rates are charged at either our hourly rate – currently £35 per hour or our day rate of £395 per day with a minimum of half a day.

We are a VAT registered company and therefore all of our work is liable to the addition of VAT at the current UK rate.

Simplifying the costings for embroidery work in general is not an easy task, so we always recommend that you ask for a quotation first before deciding if this is the right process for you. It’s simple and quick to request a quotation, just fill out the Contact Us form and include any images you have and as much information about your project as possible.
Alternatively pick up the phone and give us a call during office hours on  – 020 8523 1617 – and become one of our happy customers.

Embroidery – How Much Does It Cost? is a post from .

Yet despite this, some companies are still unaware of how colour can influence their market. Colour can still be a mark of status – brand status that is. Applied to product design, colour can influence sales to such an extent that it can make or break the sales for that year. Applied to a brand, colour makes a strong statement about corporate strategy and philosophy.
Leading marketers follow colour trends and research colour options before launching a new product line. They hire colour consultants and participate in colour forecasting organisations like the international Color Marketing Group. They also evaluate sales to determine which colours sell best and then trim or alter their product lines.

Need more evidence that color choice makes a difference? Consider these statistics from the Color Marketing Group:

• Color increases brand recognition by up to 80%.
• Color improves readership as much as 40%.
• Color ads are read up to 43% more than similar ads in black and white.
• Color can account for up to 85% of the reason people decide to buy.

Humans can only process a limited number of stimuli at one time. In order for an object or communication to get noticed, it must catch our eye.
Colour plays a critical role in drawing the eye and attracting our attention.

For decades, researchers have tried to identify human preferences and associations with colour. Results may vary, but there is no denying we have an inherent association with colour. We often describe our emotions in colour; ‘Green with envy’ and ‘feeling blue’. We associate red with anger & passion, our police officers wear navy blue and our officials wear dark coloured suits. Interestingly red is still the colour of the ‘power-tie’.

When choosing a corporate brand colour, many entrepreneurs choose with their gut, or follow the industry trend. Perhaps that is why so many brands are blue…
The best way to develop your brand, however, is to choose a color that represents your philosophy and your audience. One way to do this is to evaluate your brand attributes and compare the results to recognized color psychology associations.
Start with the list of possible brand attributes below and adapt as appropriate. Include an equal number of criteria that you believe define your brand and as well as criteria that don’t. Ask employees, stakeholders and interested friends to rate your company on a scale of 1 to 10 for each brand attribute.

1. Expensive
2. Traditional
3. Businesslike
4. Modern
5. Groundbreaking
6. Caring
7. Technical
8. Natural
9. Lively
10. Fun
11. Sedate
12. Serious

Average the responses and determine which brand attributes rank the highest. Then review colour psychology literature to determine which colours best reflects your brand identity.
An excellent resource is Colour – Messages & Meanings: A PANTONE Color Resource by Letrice Eiseman.

A quick overview of common color associations is found in the table below.

Recognise that associations change drastically with the saturation and hue. For example, light pink says romantic and nostalgic while a bright pink says energetic and playful. Dark green says conservative and wealthy while light yellowish-greens say natural and modern. Note, also, that colour associations can change with region and ethnicity on that later on).
Another relevant consideration is the application of your brand colors. Consider the different ways you might apply brand color across a variety of mediums (e.g. uniforms, vehicles, décor, letterhead, and signage) as these decisions may influence your ultimate color choice.

Perhaps there’s no better example of color’s impact on sales than the August 1998 launch of the teal iMac®. Consumers bought up more than 800,000 machines in less than five months, and by January of 1999 Apple had launched five more fruity colors in blueberry,grape, tangerine, lime and strawberry.
At least one manufacturer in the PC market had been considering colored computers several years before Apple launched its bright palette. In 1996, Zilba Design, Inc., a company that designed for Hewlett-Packard, asked Eiseman for color recommendations. She suggested a turquoise color—only slightly different from the iMac’s® teal launch. HP rejected it, and any colors, because they felt there wouldn’t be a market demand.
Arguably, that teal color launch set off a series of marketing innovations that the PC market has still to overcome.
“Color is often the one thing that will pull people in a particular direction,” said Eiseman. “They will choose it simply because the color speaks to them. The color gives them the message of what the product is all about.”

Attract Attention. Colours make a product look new and catch consumer attention. When product development funds are tight, changing colors is an affordable way to boost sales. The consumer is more likely to notice the product and may perceive it as new and feel the need to purchase another one.

Status Symbol. Colour can also be marketed as part of an exclusive palette to signify status. When Volkswagen offered premium priced limited edition Beetles in reflex yellow and vapor blue (available through online sales only) the carmaker sold 2,500 vehicles in just over a month. Range Rover did the same thing, offering orange on of its most expensive models.
No matter what your market, one thing holds true—colour choices matter. Flip through a Pottery Barn or Crate and Barrel catalogue, stroll the home goods aisles at Target, or key up the latest iPod® colours on your computer. These companies are leaders in leveraging colour marketing to stimulate consumer desire. They know that colour translates commodity products into objects of innovation. Choose the right colour at the right time and your product sells.

We’ll say it again—colour choices matter. Look at your company logo. Would it mean the same thing if the colour were pink or brown or orange? Colour adds a layer of meaning to your brand. It’s one of the first brand elements customers will recognise and the last they’ll remember. It’s a powerful tool. What is it saying about your brand story?

Colour…What’s Your Hue on it? is a post from .

At JeaP.co.uk, we get a lot of requests for T-shirts with images on.
Most of the time our clients provide their own photograph, which is of course copy write free.
So, what do you do, it you need an image for your shirt, that you did not take the photograph of?

Firstly, what a lot of our client’s don’t realise is that to just ‘borrow’ an image from the internet or someone else’s website is actually illegal. Secondly, by lifting an image directly from the internet the quality tends to be quite poor. Internet images are low resolution, designed to upload quickly on the net, for print purposes, we require good quality high resolution images.

Be careful, one of our client’s spent a lot of time and money having her catalogue photographed, put it up on her website, only to find that a competitor had come along and swiped the majority of the images for his own site, short of taking him to court there was nothing she could do.
However if you’re the one swiping and you manage to swipe a big companies images and they find out, then you really will not have a leg to stand on and will find yourself owing a lot of money!
Our advice, use stock imagery for your shirts, e-mails, blogs and websites. However, buying all of those images online can be expensive, so what’s the alternative?

Check out some of our favourite sites for free stock imagery that are safe to use, here are some of the best.

Firstly try www.Morguefile.com – a free public image archive for creatives by creatives. I did a few searches on this site and there were a lot of great quality images available to use on shirts and blogs etc. for free. A site that is definitely worth checking out!

Another firm favourite is www.sxc.hu. They have close to 394,000 photos available online that you can use for free.

One more tip if you register with www.istockphoto.com (which is free to do), you can download their free picture every week. This is a great way to build up a collection of images.

For free clip art and some vector images try www.clker.com.

Note: Always check the sites terms and conditions to make sure that your specific use of the photos or artwork does not violate their policies. It is your responsibility to make sure you are following their rules.

Choosing the Right Image for Your Shirt is a post from .

Whether you love it or hate it, if you live in England you can’t avoid the Olympics and all of the hype that goes with it.
We are only five weeks away from the New Year and the start of 2012. The big clock is counting, I’ve seen it with my own eyes, Trafalgar Square is now home to the Olympic Countdown Clock and what a hideous monster that is, thank goodness it’s only there for another 241 Days, 22 Hours, 31 Minutes and 34 Seconds, strike that 33 Seconds, oh you get the idea…
With such a short space of time left till the start of the New Year and more importantly to the start of ‘The Games’ the UK is set to go crazy with Olympic fever.
So how can we, as the host nation, cash in on some of the spoils of the Games?
Economically, the Olympics have been like a money tornado, striking one house and leaving the neighbour’s untouched. Hotels and restaurants expect booming business, whilst Florists will spend the summer twiddling their thumbs, hoping to be picked as the official supplier of the celebration bouquet.
One thought, is to become an official tour guide of Stratford and Olympic historian, sadly this vocation is for anorak wearers only and one career I will choose to avoid. Or perhaps if not a tour guide, I could become a play write, portraying tales of great woe & even greater joy at historic Olympic triumphs. Hmm can’t see the Royal Shakespeare going for that!
So for us, mere shirt providers, we will stick with tradition and advise you all to be visible. London is going to be crawling with tourists and if you’re in business in London, you and your staff need to be seen. Clever advertising campaigns will no doubt be swamping the market, but a good old silent salesman, brandishing your sales message or logo on the back of a polo shirt, will always do the trick.
So come on, jump on our Olympic bandwagon, we are an Official Supplier to a rather large construction company, who built a rather large village, for the odd 1 or 2 thousand athletes, who will be coming to stay in Stratford, at the Summer Olympic Games 2012.
If we’re good enough for them, we will certainly be of Olympic standard for you!

Are you Ready, Steady Olympic 2012 is a post from .

This year JeaP Clothing is a proud sponsor of the world famous modelling contest, Elite Model Look UK 2011.

To celebrate we have offered a unique promotional code to all guests attending the final event.
Simply enter your code in our shopping cart, or quote it for telephone orders, to receive your 15% discount, on all orders over £100.

JeaP provided the printed ‘Goodie Bags’ for this year’s EML Final.
Interested in ordering a similar promotional bag for your company or event, then call us direct on 020 8523 1617.

This will be the third annual contest in the UK which has had the Elite scouts scouring the country for potential professional models and for the very first time they have also been searching for male models this year too.

Winners from past contests have been fortunate enough to have appeared on catwalks around the globe, feature in top fashion magazines and been used for new campaigns for some of the very best fashion designers.

JeaP Clothing – an official sponsor of Elite Model Look 2011.

Elite Model Look 2011 is a post from .

Moody Cows had the most successful season to date in 2010 making the finals of the Bournemouth 7s and the Semi Finals in Newquay. More successfully though they came away with wins at both the Lytchett 7s and the famous Stockholm International 10s tournament.
With the 2011 rugby sevens season about to take off, Moody Cows are preparing for a fun filled summer starting with the defending of the title at Lytchett on Sunday 1st May followed by the memorial Kay Cary 7s tournament in Dorset in memory of their founder member Kay Booker.
The bank holiday weekend at the end of May sees the Moody Cows head back to Bournemouth to try and make it third time lucky and come away with the title of Bournemouth 7s Champions.

Moody Cows have just named Macmillan Cancer Support as their official charity and will now be officially affiliated with the cancer charity helping to raise money and awareness for Macmillan as well as playing the sport they love. On Saturday 7th May, Moody Cows host their annual fundraiser at Cheshunt Rugby Club in Hertfordshire where they hope to raise money for Macmillan whilst playing a rugby 7s tournament, BBQ, bouncy castle, cake stall and much more.

For all the up to date news with the Moody Cows, see our Recent Press Release

Moody Cows Update is a post from .

Just like in a dream Michelle arrived with a ferry on the river. There were decorative hearts, flowers and inspirational words hanging from a huge tree. The one providing shade to the guests who were seated on white linen covered seats – all contributing to the magical mood of this special day.  Mofam River Lodge close to Grabouw, South Africa was the perfect location. Situated between these massive mountains next to a crystal clear river.

So how did JeaP get to hear of this joyful couple. Michelle contacted us in November last year, requesting some personalised embroidery on her entourages prenuptial attire. She wanted the girls and herself to have their body wraps individually embroidered with their names on. Michelle sourced the cute towelling bodywraps and after a colour & design consultation with Michelle we came up with just the look she wanted.

As you can see in the pictures below we did a good job of naming everyone, including Michelle. The names were embroidered in deep crimson red to match the colour scheme and outlined in silver grey.

Personalised Embroidery

Embroidered Names

What an amazing time they had with the photo shoot! Johan and Michelle decided on the old school ‘Just Married’ suitcases as props to fit their fairytale theme. With the river, mountains and vineyards as the perfect backdrop, their photo’s are so impressive we thought you might like to see more.

http://pnphotoblog.com/?p=833

This must watch video is great to watch and see just how much fun this amazing couple had – follow their story on their fairytale day.

Nothing short of stunning!

Johan & Michelle’s wedding music video from Jacques Burger on Vimeo.

Getting Married…. is a post from .

The fashion for staff to wear uniform has fluctuated over the recent decades and now more than ever it has become a popular addition to any business. Both large corporations and small one man bands have opted for the smarter line of wearing staff uniform. With accessibility booming over the Internet, the costs of producing personalised uniform has dropped dramatically and it is now extremely easy to kit out your staff smartly and cost effectively.

Having a personalised uniform or customised work wear offers employers and employees a host of benefits:

• A well turned out employee will give customers a positive image of your company by wearing staff uniform or logo embellished work wear. Reports show, that customers feel more confident in staff who arrive in smart logo marked clothing, as opposed to scruffy non-uniformed workmen. The first impression is that if the company do not care how their staff are presented, then what will the standard of work be like. First impressions count and uniform boosts your chances of success on a job by as much as 78%!.

• As a business owner how would you feel about having daily free advertising. With customised staff clothing that carries your company name or logo, your name is displayed wherever your people go. Just like a walking billboard your staff will be constantly promoting your business.

• Another advantage to your customers is making your staff easily recognisable.  In some environments, you need customers to easily identify your staff. They need to know the difference between customers and staff and in some cases also the level of staff. Different styles of clothing can help customers to recognise who is in charge and therefore assess who can best help them if they have a query.

• The clothing you choose for your employees is generally practical & hard wearing, it also helps if it matches the environment of the company. Colour and design can include the brand logo or symbol. Choosing a corporate image for your company and carrying it through to your staff uniforms is essential. Try differentiating the colours from the upholstery that may be used in the office or restaurant furniture.

• Your staff will have a sense of unity and belonging. Uniforms have a positive impact on people’s behaviour – they know when they are wearing staff clothing, their behaviour can reflect well or poorly on their employer and they are therefore more conscious of their actions.

• Staff find it easy to wear uniform, no more choices of what to put on every day or damage to their own clothing.

• Normally tax relief cannot be claimed by an employee for clothing. However, the Revenue will grant relief for specialist clothing (including a uniform in certain circumstances) if the employer requires the employee to provide this at his (or her) own expense. Tax relief may also be available to the employee on the cost of repairing and cleaning this kind of clothing.

So all in all there are numerous benefits to supplying your staff with uniform, in short, your staff will be smarter, more easily recognised and best of all, give you FREE advertising.

Why Choose Staff Uniform is a post from .