Turn Key Blog. Things we've done and the things we love.

Let me introduce myself, my name is Richard Burgess – or ‘Richy Red Pants’ to everybody in the office. I am a first year PR student at Leeds Metropolitan University and I am the most recent intern to take a seat at one of Turn Key’s sought-after desks.

After working a few days a week from March until May, I was lucky enough to be offered a full month’s work placement with the PR team – something I could not turn down. I never thought I would get an opportunity like this in my first year of university, especially with a company like Turn Key.

Working for Turn Key has been a great experience, not only have I gained some valuable hands-on experience in the world of PR but I enjoyed myself at the same time. When you think of an Intern you’d expect them to handle all the filing, photocopying and the morning bacon sarnie run (which I have done once, but it’s food, you can’t complain). But, I’ve been lucky to get involved in all aspects of PR, working on a range of different accounts.

Working on everything from press release copy to journalist follow ups as well as in-depth research and great social media activity was not all I managed to get involved in. Somehow whilst at Turn Key I have managed to become the handy man in the office, from fixing the printer to dealing with the server as well as feeding the office with cake and organising the Euro 2012 sweepstake with my partner in crime, Leanne Seward.

I have also learnt some very valuable lessons from my time here:

• ‘A company is never plural, refer to them as is not are and its not their . ’
• How to build an effective relationship with the media.
• Always replace the waste toner cartridge don’t try to empty it!
• Never call a journalist on deadline.
• According to Nik Entwistle everybody comments on my fashion sense.
• A hard working team loves cake.
• Radio DJ’s love free food.

Getting thrown in at the deep end has really helped to build my confidence and improve my communication skills, all key elements for a successful career in the PR industry.

I can’t believe my time at Turn Key has finally come to an end, the last few months have flown by and the 8.45am starts were a doddle! I’ve been getting involved in real life PR campaigns and I’ve found that working with the design, digital and marketing teams to bring everything together is really interesting.

Thank you to everyone at Turn Key for such a warm welcome and for having me. I’m sure I will see you all in the future and I trust you won’t all miss me too much. For now, it is summer, sun and a short break at home for me.

Follow me on Twitter:

Ps… I hope the office isn’t too full with all of the magazines I have ordered in for clients.

Tess, our resident foodie here at Turn Key loves eating and drinking in Leeds because of all the tucked away independent gems.

Here is a selection of her favourites…

 

The Reliance

Leeds LS2 7PN

Who can resist this place once they know about it! Huge open windows, homely mix n’ match furniture, local art and plenty of greenery… and I haven’t even mentioned the gastro delights yet!

From the much-loved specials of beer battered fish and chips, mussels and the infamous banoffee pie to exciting dishes using the best of fresh, local produce, there is something for everyone on the menu. The drinks range from ‘Reli Best’ ale, bottles of American Pale Ale, great UK ciders and an excellent wine list. To top it off, the staff are brilliant and there are board games and a quiz on a Sunday! Discover the Reliance at the far end of North Street, over the big road from Sandanista.

Laynes Espresso

,
Leeds LS1

BOYCOTT STARBUCKS!! If you want a proper coffee made with real barista skill (without your name on your cup!), then head to Laynes Espresso, perfectly placed near the train station opposite Evans cycles. This has to be the best flat white in Leeds – especially if enjoyed with one of the yummy croissants, cakes or sarnies. You can also buy the gourmet beans to take home.

La Grillade

,
Leeds
LS1 4EA

This really is a hidden gem and I almost don’t want to tell anyone about it incase it gets too busy! This is the perfect place for a special meal as everything from the food to the service and environment is just right. Tucked away in an old wine cellar down Wellington Street, it feels like a true piece of France. Make sure you visit when the three courses for £53.50 deal is on – and go for the Cote de Bouef to share (there are also cheaper deals available). The cheese selection arrives on a pop up table – so you can choose (or avoid) the stinkiest!

Fuji Hiro

,
Leeds,
LS2 8NJ

First impressions can be deceiving, as this dark windowed canteen-style Japanese restaurant will show. Relaxed and casual, this is my favourite place to go with friends. There is something for everyone on the menu and a great £15 fixed price deal including a bottle of beer. The soups are really interesting, but my favourite has to be the chicken katsu curry and a teapot of green tea. A great meal out, without spending a fortune! Find this place around the side of the Merrion Centre.

This week, the Daily Mail has reported yet another Photoshop blunder, this time from the photographers for jeans designer, J Brand. The image in question features a model holding a giant bicycle whilst showcasing the brand’s 910 Sterling Sparkle Jeans. The Mail has insinuated that the photographer, in their post-shoot edits, has removed the model’s right hand and the second half of the bike, including the wheel.

Photoshop errors are something of a running joke here in the Turn Key office. Big brands make the same mistakes over and over again and, as creative enthusiasts, we often pick up on them before anyone else. Extra arms, missing fingers, airbrush disasters; you name it, we’ve seen it!

Our design team are sceptical about J Brand’s reported mishap however. When researched further, the shoot seems to have captured a number of images, some with the model holding the bike itself, and others focussed on the jeans, with her clasping the bike wheel alone. It could be therefore that the wheel has not been edited out at all; it was simply missing from the bike in the first place meaning it wasn’t shot.

On further inspection, the angle of the bike also implies that its frame is hidden out of the shot too. As our Creative Director, Rich’s overlaid image proves, the bike – even with the second wheel attached – would fall behind the model, no matter how tiny she is!

Could it be then that the writer of the article has jumped on the story without researching it fully? Possibly. Although whether the author is right or not, this has awarded J Brand more publicity than the image ever could have on its own.

The story does go to show however, the importance of retouching images with care, as the devil is always in the detail. This example may be a misjudgement, but checking images for visual errors is a key part of the overall image design process and something that we at Turn Key pay utmost attention to. So fingers crossed, we won’t be the Daily Mail’s next victim!

Carl and Paul two of our creative designers took a step into the world of design last week, visiting the Metric Exhibition at Dock Street Market in Leeds.

The month long exhibition showcased 27 different British street and graffiti artists, illustrators, designers and printmakers.  After the patriotic Jubilee weekend, the Metric continued the celebrations by exhibiting the best pieces from the British design world from Banksy cohort and Bristol legend Inkie, to Leeds’ own Drew Millward – this truly represents the pioneers in UK creativity – some great inspiration for our budding design legends to-be.

Check out the boy’s favourite pieces and some cool shots they got from the exhibition!

Here at Turn Key, we love any excuse for a cup of tea and a slice of cake. On Friday we donned our favourite red, white and blue outfits in honour of the Jubilee and munched on Victoria sponge as vibrant bunting (put up by the lovely Kirsty and Vikki!) decorated the walls.

As we all went our separate ways for the bank holiday weekend, our Senior Account Exec, Gina was lucky enough to be leaving Leeds for London as one of 10,000 guests invited by the Queen to Buckingham Palace. On Monday 5 ^th June, she attended the Diamond Jubilee picnic in Her Majesty’s gardens before taking a seat opposite the Victoria Memorial Fountain to watch some of the world’s biggest entertainment acts (and JLS).

From sipping on Moët and enjoying grub made by Heston Blumenthal to seeing Kate Middleton arrive in the Royal Box with William and Harry, Gina has told us all about her day at the Windsors’. Although right up in the rafters, she waved her Union Jack proudly to performances from Elton John, Stevie Wonder and Madness, culminating in a grand finale by Paul McCartney and an extremely memorable tribute from Prince Charles to his ‘Mummy’.

Here’s a selection of the photos she’s been showing off since her return to TK Towers:

Over at Turn Key, we love a good competition, even more so when we can all get in on the action! Over the past month we’ve gone T-shirt crazy as we were challenged to channel our creative juices into the form of a funky top starring the fabulous TK logo!

There were ten entries in total designed by the creative experts amongst us.  Here’s a look at the good, the bad and the (slightly) ugly competitors:

The idea behind the competition was to design a modern, trendy T to be printed for every member of team TK. As the deadline for competition entries passed, voting commenced and we, along with guest judge and our favourite photographer, Guy Farrow, picked our preferred style.

It was a tough decision but our Senior Designer, Phill Smith triumphed and was named the winner with his black ‘block’ design:

When quizzed about his inspiration for the creation, Phill said he’d aimed to design a cool T-shirt that everyone could wear. As for the mysterious black block on the front… he wanted to get everyone’s imaginations going to interpret the meanings behind it.

Phill will be adapting his design to perfection over the next few days before it is sent to the printers – needless to say we are all itching to try it on!

 

At Turn Key we’re all about working together as a team. So when the opportunity arose to take part in a charity Euro 2012 tournament for St Martin’s Hospice we jumped at the chance to show off our team skills.

The boys (Nik, Mike, Sean, Christian, Derrick, Oliver and Darren) dusted off their football boots and headed on down to the new Lucozade Power League stadium in Seacroft. Representing Croatia we were feeling confident – what did it matter if many of us hadn’t played football for a few years? Or in Christian’s case hardly ever kicked a football!

We arrived in our mix matched old shorts and t-shirts and ready for a nice friendly kick-about – until  we spotted our competition all suited and booted in branded corporate colours.

The first game against the Republic of Ireland kicked off with a promising start with some fancy footwork from Sean, Nik and a free kick from Mike scoring our first goal. We even had a good defence with Darren (aka Safe Hands) in goal and Derrick playing as sweeper, so the confidence started to grow.

Next we were up against Spain. With two goals from Nik and some power shots from Sean and Oliver we were in with a chance. But unfortunately we couldn’t hold them off as Darren went all Gordon Banks on us to save a goal and broke his wrist in the process – real dedication to the cause!

Team Turn Key (aka Croatia) may have been at the bottom of the league but spirits and morale stayed on top, despite the injury – with Mike remaining optimistic at 7–1 down and spurring the team on with “Come on guys we can still win this!” as another goal flied into the goal.

A disallowed goal from Nik – apparently flying headers aren’t allowed in a five-a-side – meant we bowed out of the competition, but we did it with our heads held high. Team Turn Key did Croatia proud by remaining positive and playing well as a team right until the end, and most importantly we all had a great time while raising money for a great cause.