Mustard Design Weblog

An online courtroom which allows users to pass judgement on fictional court cases has proved popular with more than 10,000 visits in a just over three months.

The ‘You be the Judge’ online courtroom was launched by the Kent Criminal Justice Board (KCJB) in May. The interactive website design gives people the opportunity to learn more about the sentencing process and to voice their opinion on how those that commit certain crimes should be punished.

The website was initially launched over concerns that many people are unaware of the processes that take place inside a real courtroom and that they do not appreciate how complex a hearing which appears simple can turn out to be.

When the website launched it only had one case for users to judge but since then, three new crimes have been placed online. One is based on a fictional male that is 26 years old and has previous convictions. He pleads not guilty to a charge of burglary at a crown court.

Another case features a 35 year old drug addict who pleads guilty to robbing a young woman at knife point to feed his habit and the third case involves a man in his late teens with no previous convictions pleading guilty to using threatening behaviour towards the elderly.

Users can see if their sentence matches the one that would have been passed by a judge or magistrate sitting in the actual case and they can also see how their sentence compares to other users.

Deputy Chief Constable Adrian Leppard is chairman of the KCJB, he told YourCantebury.co.uk: “Initiatives such as You be the Judge aim to help improve people’s knowledge and understanding of the criminal justice system, to explain how it works and show the influencing factors on decisions.”

A Belgian-born history enthusiast has embarked on an ambitious computer project to re-create a Scottish town as it would have been 200 years ago.

Liliane Colpaert’s project uses 3D animations to create images of the streets of Banff, Aberdeenshire, as they would have looked in the 1700s.

According to local news source The Press and Journal, Ms Colpaert’s project is driven purely by personal interest. She began working on the animations last year, and expects to spend at least another year getting them finished.

The ultimate goal of the project is to create a DVD allowing viewers to go on a virtual tour of Banff, and see the town’s streets and local landmarks as they would have been centuries ago.

Ms Colpaert, who has been a Banff resident for more than 20 years, uses a local map from 1823 as a guide for creating the virtual tour. She also uses a mix of old and new photos to make her images as accurate as possible.

She recently released a short sample of the work completed so far. It is only a few minutes long, but Ms Colpaert says it is the culmination of more than 400 hours of work.

Explaining her motives for the painstaking project, Ms Colpaert told the Press and Journal: “I am a history geek and that was a period of growth in Banff when many of the country lairds built their town houses.”

“It’s a hobby that needs patience but I have plenty of that,” she added.

Teens are more receptive than their parents when it comes to direct marketing and, because they’re part of the ‘I want it now’ generation, they are most likely to use cross-channel media to enhance their shopping experience.

As reported by Brand Republic, research by Experian found that young people tend to research their purchases online first, and then buy them in store so they don’t have to wait for delivery. Experian claims it’s a trait of the ‘I want it now’ generation.

This is important information for shops and retailers, as it provides an insight into the way a certain target market buy products. With the help of a creative design agency, retailers can optimise their site so that it provides all the information young people would need when researching their next purchase, in a bid to encourage them to buy the product at that store.

“Younger UK consumers will engage with offline and online channels not only to get the best price, but also get their hands on the products as quickly as possible after purchase,” explained Experian’s director of marketing information services, Nigel Wilson. “After researching items and price comparisons on the internet, they will then purchase from the high street rather than wait for delivery.”

He added: “This really emphasises the rise of the ‘I want it now’ generation, who use a cross-channel approach to optimise their purchasing experience.”

It also found that 15 to 24-year-olds are “highly receptive” to direct mail, and are the demographic most likely to engage with it, after the over 65s.

Ebay’s newly launched Fashion Outlet is to be promoted by a huge advertising campaign across both outdoor and print media in the UK, as the e-commerce/”online marketplace” site seeks to head off competition from high street retailers in the online sector.

The Guardian reports that eBay is to launch its biggest UK advertising campaign to date this autumn, with both extensive outdoor activity and prestigious ads in closely targeted print magazines. Double page adverts – among the most expensive traditional formats – will run in Grazia, Elle, Look, Vogue and OK!, with the estimated cost of each spread as much as £60,000.

It is thought that the ad campaign is aimed at promoting the new ‘Fashion Outlet’ aspect of eBay and incorporating it into the company’s branding design - moving away from the perceptions of second-hand goods and into direct retail. Another likely reason for the new advertising approach is the potential growth in online retail sales – and the increased competition.

The IMRG e-retail sales index showed that online sales for both clothing and accessories grew by 64% in June. Meanwhile, within a month of each other three prominent high street retailers have entered the online marketplace with the launch of their own sites. Boasting the typical interactive website design of the e-commerce industry, the online stores for Gap, H&M and Zara are all potential threats to eBay’s new venture.

Still, according to the director of eBay Enterprise Angus McCarey, the move into the “online fashion market” has been largely successful so far.

“Over the past year we have seen a 25% increase in the number of fashion savvy shoppers who are choosing to shop online at eBay instead of the high street,” said McCarey in a press release about the advertising campaign. “There is huge potential growth in the online fashion market, as consumers seek out greater choice and value.”

Key business activities such as e-marketing could become even more important as news published today revealed that three quarters of people want cold calling to be banned.

As reported by The BBC, Which? conducted a survey of over 2,000 people. A quarter of them said they had felt intimidated by cold calls.

Consumer group Which? also said that the average consumer gets six cold calls a month, and two-thirds of people had received at least one unsolicited call in the last three months.

“Cold calls are at best a nuisance and at worst and intimidating intrusion into our lives,” said Which? telecoms expert Ceri Stanaway. “Three quarters of people we asked said they’d like the practice to be banned outright.”

This could see a marketing focus shift from telephones to online, boosting a demand for e-marketing. Businesses should focus on other aspects which help attract customers, such as engaging websites rich with features such as informative content and 3D animations that will attract potential consumers, encouraging them to return.

According to The Press Association, two thirds of people hang up the moment they realise they’re on the receiving end of a cold call.

A spokesperson for the Direct Marketing Association told The BBC: “There is the need for businesses to make legitimate calls to customers and potential customers, however this should always be on the basis that they have indicated their interest in receiving such calls,” 

“Householders can screen out unwanted sales calls by registering with the free Telephone Preference Service.”

People are most likely to sweep work to one side and indulge in a spot of online shopping at 4pm on a Wednesday, according to a recently published study.

The research was conducted by price comparison website InvisibleHand and, according to The Daily Mail, discovered that internet shopping is 75% higher at this time than other quieter times during the week.

It’s important news for online retailers, especially those with an interactive website design which facilitates and stimulates online purchases, because it provides an invaluable insight for e-marketing as well as website and search engine optimisation.

The study claims that people are sneakily dismissing their workloads in a bid to escape work pressures and stave off fatigue.

In general there is a 52% increase in online shopping as soon as the afternoon hits, claims the study. In fact, trying to beat the post-lunch slump is blamed for this. There are 11% more people shopping online at 2pm than at midday.

However, it’s getting over the hump of the week on a Wednesday afternoon when they flock to the websites of online retailers.

“With workplace stresses and problems, there’s little wonder people head online to spend money,” said Robin Landy, founder of the company behind the research.

Saturday night proved to be the least popular time to shop online.

Online sales grew at their fastest rate since before the recession in July, according to figures published last week.

As reported by The BBC, a survey suggests that the wet weather gave internet shopping a boost, which led to an 18% increase in sales when compared with the previous year.

The Office for National Statistics said that sales volumes jumped 1.1% on the June’s figures and almost all non-food sectors showed strong sales growth.

The news shows just how important websites are as a business tool; IMRG said that £5bn was spent online in July, which works out to be more than was spent in any other month during 2010.

Chris Webster, head of retail consulting and technology at Capgemini, who published the sales index, said: “Although online retail sales survived the recession more convincingly than High Street sales, the last two years or so have no doubt been shaky at times. It is really encouraging to see growth levels returning to those seen pre-2007 and before consumer confidence was knocked by the financial crisis and the recession.”

According to The Register, multi-platform businesses such as High Street shops who have a website that has a virtual retail store design, saw sales grow of 18% on average, where as online-only websites saw sales grow by 8%.

Designer label Ted Baker saw its profits surge in the first half of 2010, boosting the popularity of British fashion across the globe.

The brand features innovative retail store design across its stand alone and concession shops. The brand has expanded rapidly in recent years, opening stores in Europe, Asia, America and Australia. Building on expansion plans, it aims to open more stores this year, including four more US outlets and one in the United Arab Emirates, taking British style to fashionistas all over the world.

In 2006, the brand even enlisted the help of store designers to create a Casino Royale, Bond themed store, reflecting its Brit-cool origins.

According to The Guardian, the company have reported an 18 per cent rise in profit from 1st January – 12th June 2010, with both its UK and overseas markets seeing revenue increases.

Speaking to Sky News, founder and chief executive Ray Kelvin said of the announcement: “We have made a good start to the financial year and I am pleased with our performance, especially in our overseas markets.”

“Whilst we are mindful of the uncertain macro economic environment, our strengths continue to drive our business forward and we have been pleased with the customer response to our spring/summer collections.”

Waitrose, the high-end supermarket who recently topped customer satisfaction surveys, is reinforcing its branding design with a revamp of its exclusive online members club MyWaitrose.

Adding more features to its members area, the supermarket is launching a monthly prize draw to give users the chance to win £250 of Waitrose vouchers, as well as giving them access to specialist web content and events. MyWaitrose consumers will also be able to utilise a brand-new ”reader panel” to offer opinions on product development.  

Users of the members club will be able to offer ideas for a new summer dessert and then vote for their favourite out of a shortlist of 10. The chosen pudding will then be available to shoppers in 2011, according to mad.co.uk.

Head of direct marketing at Waitrose, Paul Hogan, spoke to Marketing News about the supermarket’s new online strategy, saying: ”MyWaitrose is the ultimate club for food lovers and now it has even more benefits for our members to enjoy. We’re looking forward to seeing their ideas for a new Seriously From Waitrose dessert, one of which will ultimately become a new product for us.”

Waitrose has recently announced expansive growth plans, aiming to double its size by 2017 and increase its market share.

A mobile film production studio is currently making its way around the UK, offering budding young artists the chance to contribute to an animated feature film.

The Tate Movie Truck has been touring the country since July and will have visited 55 locations across the UK by the end of its 3-month journey in October.

The tour is part of the Tate Movie Project, which is run by artists and film producers from the Tate Art Gallery and Aardman Animations, who created the Wallace and Gromit animated films.

A series of national roadshows form the basis for the project, with the ultimate aim being to create an animated film designed entirely by children.

According to BBC News, children aged between 5 and 13 will be responsible for every stage of the film-making process, from hand-drawing characters to designing costumes and creating sound effects.

The roadshow will give youngsters a unique insight into film-making techniques including 3d animations, with state-of-the-art equipment on hand to make it a truly interactive learning experience.

Blue Peter, the BBC’s long-running children’s’ program, will follow the production process of the special film and will be encouraging young viewers to get involved.

One of Blue Peter’s presenters, Andy Akinwolere, said in a press release: “We are giving children an amazing opportunity to see their drawings, jokes, ideas and characters come to life as part of this fantastic animated film.”

“We’re passionate about kids trying out new things, learning new skills and, most of all, letting their imagination loose,” he added.

The finished animation will be shown on BBC TV in 2011.