The different ways we find moments of calm
From a short walk outside to a couple of minutes spent learning something new, these are some of the little things we do each day.
Not a debate: mental health support at work is imperative
Remote working makes it all too easy for employees’ mental health to fly under the radar. Mental Health First Aid could close the awareness gap.
We are The Frameworks
A year in review: 2022
The end of office culture? The open talent economy is just the beginning
Can the open talent economy end office culture? Hasn’t office culture always been about far more than just the office? We certainly think so.
Interview: the culture of recruitment
Sheri spoke with Silicon, a UK business technology publication, about the importance of culture in hiring, especially in the context of the “great resignation”. Here’s what she had to say…
Operations in a post-Covid world
Covid pulled the operations function of our business into the limelight, and it responded. Insights into how we made it work.
How we build successful long-term client relationships
We work hard at our client relationships because it leads to excellent project outcomes, award-winning strategy and creativity, and long-term business success.
How internal comms leaders can help firms reap the rewards of flexible working
Tips for internal comms to consider in order to build a flexible working environment based on trust.
Why marketers must fight for equality of representation
As marketers, we have a unique privilege. We can choose to act as a force for good, or we can squander that privilege. We see this play out in the stories we choose to tell on behalf of influential brands – and who we choose to tell them to.
Remote control: why we may never return to work as we knew it
If you’d have asked me where I’d be in May of 2020, I'd have told you that I would be celebrating my first year living in the UK and looking forward to revelling in a (mostly) sunny London summer. But plans change, evidently for the whole world.
Upskilling (sort of) in a time of lockdown
With daily commutes now virtually non-existent and our focus turned to activities much, much closer to home, Frameworkers have taken on (or returned to) all sorts of new interests. Here’s a look at the novel pursuits we’re all enjoying outside of WFH hours.
Home truths: what it's like to start a new job in the age of isolation
Day one of a new job can feel daunting at the best of times. But what’s it like to join a consultancy when your new office has effectively just gone into quarantine? Our new Creative Strategist, Maja, reflects on two weeks spent getting up to speed with the “new normal”.
New hires bring fresh talent to the team
While it’s currently very far from business as usual, we’re thrilled to have added three new Frameworkers to our team while navigating the realities of lockdown.
Secrets of success: how to get ahead in a creative career (part 2)
More advice from Frameworkers as they reflect on the things they wish they’d known before starting out in their careers.
Harnessing the power of social media for good in times of crisis
Australia has gone from sunburnt to fire-scorched in a matter of months. The frightening impact of fires so furious they generate their own weather conditions has included the startling loss of animal life (it’s estimated that up to a billion animals have died) and utter devastation to homes and property, livelihoods and any dreams of a future unscathed by climate change.
Secrets of success: how to get ahead in a creative career (part 1)
We love visitors at The Frameworks, and we’re always pleased to welcome people to our London studio (not only so we can show off our amazing view). Recently, we had a visitor who made an impact on all of us. A graduate who has worked hard to get through university and was keen to glean some advice on the reality of breaking into – and sustaining – a career.
Which women inspire you?
Today, we’re celebrating some of the inspirational women in our lives. Women who have inspired us creatively and professionally. At home and at work. Women who have played a part in shaping who we are – and continue to influence how we look at the world. Today is International Women’s Day.
My Bed, contemporary art, and a question of genius
Those who know me will be aware that as well as being Non-Executive Chairman at The Frameworks and Executive Chairman at Kreston Reeves, I am also the Chair of Trustees at Turner Contemporary, the gallery that is at the forefront of art-led regeneration in Margate.
Onwards and upwards
Six months ago, The Frameworks engaged in an act of vandalism. On our clean white office walls, we broke out the Sharpies and released our inner Banksy. A few hours later, we gazed with satisfaction at the mural in front of us – and then we took a sledgehammer to it.
The Japanese narrative: re-defining a national identity
If I asked you to describe your personal narrative, what would you say? What characteristics would you use to describe yourself? Would you draw from your own experiences or try to project other people’s perception of you?
I've got something to tell you
It has taken me nearly two years to find the courage to write this. So please bear with me. Since I wrote my last blog post, I've given birth to a beautiful baby girl (without even popping a paracetamol), taken 12 months' maternity leave to care for her full time, returned to my role as Creative Content Director (on a part-time basis) and watched more episodes of Peppa Pig than I can count. I'm a "working mum", like so many others, juggling and stressing and laughing and crying. Doing my best to be my best – at the office, at home, at the pub, at the play centre. When I'm wiping away tears. When I'm pitching to clients.
What the Tour de France can teach us about teamwork
Leicester City – not Jamie Vardy or Wes Morgan – won the “fairytale” Premier League title in 2016. And it was the United States that dominated Rio 2016, not Michael Phelps or Simone Biles. Time and time again, sporting success depends on the combined individual efforts of the people that make up the team.
Challenge university: making a case for apprenticeships
It’s September and the new academic year is upon us. Children are going back to school, teenagers are starting their A-levels and more than a few 18-year-olds are frantically filling out student loan forms, eagerly anticipating the freedom of university.
Beware the new IT virus: institutionalised thoughtlessness
Nothing worthwhile has ever been achieved in isolation. Communication and collaboration are behind mankind’s greatest endeavours, from mapping the human genome to landing on the moon. So, it’s surprising to me that communication remains a real challenge even among some of the world’s biggest businesses.
Yeezy does it: is Kanye West a marketing genius?
So this is it. The week Kanye West finally went into meltdown. Debate rages as to whether his rant about Donald Trump, rage against long-time friends Jay-Z and Beyoncé and cancelled show this week are just publicity stunts, but reports of his hospitalisation have understandably sparked concern.
A problem shared: how World Community Grid volunteers are powering scientific research
When the lights go down for the night at Frameworks HQ, some of our most important work begins.
When inspiration bites: Nine ways fishing informs creativity
Every summer, I spend a week fishing on Cranberry Lake in Danbury, Wisconsin. Friends, sun, beer. We don’t take the fishing very seriously, until we do. I’ve been lucky enough to win the coveted “Fish of the Week” trophy exactly once.
Tending to the task at hand: finding writing inspiration in the garden
I may just be ready for spring, but while I watch the snow fall outside and type away in The Frameworks Minneapolis office, my mind continually takes me back to the garden. Growing up in North Dakota, I learned to cope during long, dark winters by finding solace in my work.
A shore thing: how art is helping to regenerate the English seaside
I grew up in Margate on the UK’s North Kent coast. As a child in the 1960s, the seaside was a magical place – it still is – particularly in the summer season when the town buzzed with activity. The Winter Gardens was fully booked with television stars coming down for the summer show and Dreamland was in full swing with its rollercoaster, thrill rides and brash “kiss me quick” sense of fun. My first paid work, before training to be a Chartered Accountant, was working on the deckchairs on Margate Sands – the best summer job ever for a 17-year-old boy.
Brand building in the Lone Star State
Welcome to the great state of Texas – or East Texas, which is where I’ve lived for almost eight years. If you consider each US state as an individual brand, Texas is one of the most iconic. From cultural symbols like cattle and cowboys to historical figures and events like Davy Crockett and the Battle of the Alamo, Texas is instantly recognizable by Americans and people across the globe. And when you look a little deeper, it’s fascinating to see how brand Texas is growing and the role Texans play in shaping and building it.
Inconspicuous luxury? It’s just human nature.
What does luxury mean to you? Is it the brand name emblazoned across your handbag? The comfort of a five-star hotel room? Or the quiet satisfaction of knowing you can afford the best?
Think Frame Bake Cake
Last week we held our second Macmillan Coffee Morning, where we all got together and enjoyed some baked goods created by Frameworkers. It got me thinking. At The Frameworks, the work we do is a little bit like baking a cake. Bear with me. There’s the science – or, for us, our “Think Frame Make Work” philosophy. There’s the creativity of the finished cake – or, for us, an identity, a logo, a website, a change programme, a book. The list goes on
Bye, bye baby
So yesterday it really hit me. In six weeks my life will change beyond recognition. Actually, make that one and a bit. In six weeks (or thereabouts), I'll be attempting to push something the size of a watermelon through a hole the size of an orange...
Bolt versus Gatlin: the classic tale of hero versus villain
9.58 seconds. That's how fast Usain Bolt ran 100 metres at the 2009 IAAF World Championships in Berlin. It’s a world record that still stands today. A lot has happened in athletics since then and this week sees the World Championships begin in Beijing – the same city that hosted the 2008 Summer Olympics.
Staying mobile: how apps are driving a fitness renaissance
My iPhone alarm goes off at 6am every weekday morning except on Wednesdays (when I get rudely awakened by the dustman). Half asleep, I get up, head to the bathroom, brush my teeth then put on my gear. An hour later, I’m in the gym.
Seoul: the side effect of success
Seoul is a city on the rise. The Korean capital has become known to the west in recent years as a hub of innovation. For me, it is – or rather, was – my home. I moved my life to Seoul last summer to spend a year studying at one of the city’s biggest universities. I returned to the UK less than a month ago – but I still consider myself a Seoulite.
