We loved the integration of the twitter wall.

I Believe I can Fly ( flight of the frenchies). Trailer from sebastien montaz-rosset on Vimeo.

From the 1st-26th July we’re exhibiting as part of the 26 Flavours of Cornwall project at Trebah Garden. 26 designers have been teamed up with 26 writers and tasked with the challenge of coming up with a ‘piece of art’ on the theme of Cornish food. The project has been initiated by the writer’s group 26 in a joint project with Cornwall Design Forum and University College Falmouth. We created our submission in partnership with the brilliant writer Claire Falcon on the topic of Cauliflowers- a fascinating subject as it happens and in the process we’ve learned a lot!

So head down to Trebah Garden before the 26th July and feed your senses!

Toby, Pip and Martin in piratical mood

I’ve always argued that you could ask anyone in the world if they’ve heard of Penzance and they’d be very likely to say yes, but possibly not have a clue where it is. This is largely due to Gilbert and Sullivan’s comic opera ‘The Pirates of Penzance’ which put Cornwall firmly on the world stage after its debut in New York on New Year’s Eve in 1879.

We’ve lived in Penzance for over 15 years and I can safely say that I have never really felt the inclination to dress up as a pirate, however last weekend the opportunity was too good to miss as a Guinness world record attempt to gather as many pirates in one place was staged. Last year Hastings held the title with circa 6000 pirates so clearly Penzance had to try hard to beat that. However, I was truly amazed to see how many pirates had gathered on the Promenade in the glorious summer sunshine to take part- and when the final tally was confirmed at 8,734 pirates, the shouts could no doubt be heard in Hastings.

The recent launch of the Performance Centre at their Tremough campus saw the unveiling of a £19m facility which will attract national interest for University College Falmouth.

We are now working on the early stages of the 2012 Prospectus and here is a behind the scenes look at a recent photoshoot for UCF. It involved an early start for our team (er, 5am no less!) but thanks to the huge talents of photographer Matt Jessop and a willing group of aspiring student models we believe it was all worthwhile.

The 2012 Prospectus will be revealed in all its glory in January, but in the meantime you can find out more about the Performance Centre here.

Sharp’s Brewery has just relaunched the first of its new Seasonals’ ales following a redesign of the brand by us, here at Nixon.  The ales have been developed in partnership with Eden.

Red Ale is the first beer to feature in the range, aged with Cornish Oak, and we’ve given it autumnal colours and an illustration combining an oak leaf, hops and acorns.  We’ve also used bold and contemporary typography to increase its appeal to the new generation of ale drinkers – in their twenties and thirties and many female – who may even choose an ale to accompany a meal.

Our Martin says: “The new Seasonals’ branding reflects Sharp’s progressive and innovative approach to brewing.  The brewery identified an audience of ale drinkers that aren’t being targetted currently and developed a design brief to address this gap.  We’re confident the new Seasonals’ brand will appeal to a wider audience and help to increase awareness and grow sales for this leading Cornish brewer.”

James from Sharp’s adds: “Until recently design and ‘brand’ have been of secondary importance in the priorities of many UK brewers.  At Sharp’s strong, contemporary design has been of central importance to our business and has contributed to our success in becoming the No.1 brewer in the South West region.  Eden Project has helped us become one of the UK’s most sustainable brewers and we remain committed to producing beer from natural, whole ingredients.  In this debut project Nixon has quickly identified our core brand values and that of the Seasonals’ brand.  We are delighted with their approach and even more so with the results.”

So what are you waiting for, get down the pub!