With Apple’s WWDC Conference fast approaching, the internet is full of predictions surrounding new Apple hardware. I suspect though, that the bigger story will be the changes coming to iOS.

Now that Sir Jony Ive (Apple’s accliamed industrial designer) is overseeing the “human interface” design, many hope (myself included) that this will mean an overhaul of a now rather dated-looking operating system.

Up until now Apple has opted for a skeuomorphic aesthetic – a look which references a real world object, so a notebook app would look like a spiral-bound notebook for example. Most online rumours point towards a more minimal aesthetic with flat colours and shapes like Microsoft’s Metro Interface. This is a prevalent design trend at the moment.

It will be interesting to see if the changes are purely cosmetic or if Apple will make more fundamental changes to the user experience. Will the new design employ the same grid? Will it still use nested folders?

One of the key challenges Apple faces is creating an environment that houses the multitude of popular apps in a consistent manner. Will they offer more stringent design guidelines for App icons?

I expect that the changes will be more than cosmetic and we will see something dramatic in terms of how the system functions and feels. The iPhone experience has been roughly the same since launch and Apple is losing ground to rivals like Samsung and Google’s Android. Add the new Facebook Phone / OS to the mix and Apple are facing some serious competition.

The last few months have seen plenty of speculative concepts, this recent one from Simply Zesty seems to be the favourite amongst tech bloggers:

I for one can’t wait to see what comes out of the WWDC this year. I hope to be amazed.

One Marketing Communications has been appointed by contractor accountancy and payroll specialist Danbro to kick-start a fresh multi-channel campaign following a competitive pitch.

The brief will see integrated agency One handling all advertising, marketing, public relations and digital output for Danbro which has clients throughout the UK.

Danbro managing director Damian Broughton said he is delighted to be working with One to elevate the brand and promote its limited company and umbrella accountancy services to contractors and freelancers.

He comments: “One Marketing Communications demonstrated a solid understanding of our business throughout the tendering process. As an integrated agency, One is well placed to deliver the targeted, results driven marketing support Danbro requires. We are confident that the firm’s innovative, commercially compelling ideas will take the Danbro brand to the next level as we look to increase customer numbers and drive turnover.

One Marketing Communications is a specialist agency that works with a wide range of nationally recognisable B2B and B2C clients.

Wayne Silver, deputy managing director, One Marketing Communications said: “This is a fantastic win for the agency that further strengthens our credentials in the financial sector. We are really excited to be marketing the services of such a fantastic company and look forward to working closely with the Danbro team to deliver some excellent results.”

Whether it’s Wonga or QuickQuid, the market for high-cost short-term ‘payday’ loans has boomed in recent years. However, there is growing concern that rather than help to solve debt problems, these so-called ‘legal loan sharks’ with their ludicrously high interest rates, are actually exacerbating the problem.

Motivated by a recent online campaign from Labour MP Stella Creasy to target these lenders, our client NUS decided to launch its own campaign aimed at ensuring that universities and colleges stop accepting advertising from the culprits.

NUS tasked the team here at One to create a campaign poster and infographic to highlight some of the shocking statistics about payday lenders and the effect they can have on students’ pockets.

The educational campaign will launch at the start of April, and NUS have already secured some key press coverage to raise awareness of the issue leading up to its annual National Conference.
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The ladies of One Marketing Communications are taking part in Race for Life to raise money for Cancer Research UK.
We have teamed up with our nearest and dearest to take part in the race this year, all to raise money for this fantastic cause.
We are not all naturally runners so it will be an interesting day to say the least, however we are all determined to finish the race – run, walk, shuffle or crawl.
Events like Race for Life are vital in funding Cancer Research UK’s life-saving work into preventing, diagnosing and treating cancer. You can find out more about Cancer Research here.
Please dig deep and donate and help us to support this wonderful cause by visiting our Race for Life sponsorship page.
Many thanks for your support!

Manchester based integrated agency One Marketing Communications has won a brief to relaunch leading construction brand Unifix after a competitive pitch.

Unifix owner, Hexstone Limited, made the appointment following its acquisition of the plastic fixtures manufacturer from the Wolseley Group.

The contract will see One implement a fresh multi-channel campaign including a new website, advertising, digital marketing, exhibitions and promotions.

Hexstone sales operations director Andrew Lowrie said: “Throughout the tendering process, One Marketing Communications demonstrated a solid understanding of our business. The firm delivered a compelling creative presentation and we are excited to be working with them to re-position Unifix as the go-to brand for all plastic fixtures, clips and plugs.”

Wayne Silver, deputy managing director commented: “This is a fantastic win for the agency that further strengthens our credentials in the building and construction sector. At One Marketing Communications we drive highly targeted, results based campaigns for leading, nationally recognisable brands.

“In addition to working closely with our new partners to elevate the brand, we will be charged with promoting the brand’s Thunderbolt, Vortex and Kliplok products which now sit within the Unifix family. We cannot wait to kick-start the campaign.”