‘Slave’ Magazine Exhibition Opening
We are pleased to announce our celebration of ‘Slave’ magazine, this Friday night starting at 6.00pm. The highly successful and prestigious online fashion magazine is run by three of our Edinburgh college ex-students, Ania Mroczkowska, Louise Munro and Artur Dzlewisz.
The College Photography team will also be introducing ‘Retina’ the new Edinburgh International Photography Festival at the preview.
Looking forward to seeing you at Creative Exchange!
‘Experience’ Exhibition at Creative Exchange
We’re proud to announce our latest exhibition, ‘Experience’, showcasing work by Edinburgh College Interactive Design Students. The Exhibition runs from Friday 7th March to 28th March.
We look forward to seeing you there!
What makes our social lunches special?
Last Friday 14th of February generally represented the world’s commercial excuse to go mushy, and spend unusually large amounts on heart-shaped chocolates and flowers, all in the name of love…
Approaching the day from a different angle, we at Creative Exchange instead chose to embrace our sentimental side with a delicious lunch time soiree consisting of pulled pork wraps and tray bakes…how romantic!
Supporting local businesses in and around the Leith area is important to us and since we’re based just around the corner from the Shore Deli Co, we couldn’t resist making an order and chowing down on their famous delicacies. Based on 52 Shore, Edinburgh, The Shore Deli Co. opened its doors around the same time as Creative Exchange, in Summer 2013, and we thought a blog post dedicated to our new favourite caterers was in order.
We couldn’t fault the Shore Deli Co. on service and flexibility. Quick to respond, staff were pleasant and approachable when we needed to change our orders at the last minute. This positive customer experience allowed us to enjoy our lunch, and eat in style!
Now dubbed ‘CEXY Social’, we plan to make our social lunches a regular event for Creative Exchange members. Topped off with delicious food and music, let’s hope our next CEXY Social will be an equally enjoyable experience. Why wouldn’t it? Our venue and caterers have our seal of approval…and you can’t blame us for being a little biased…
Say Hello to…Border Crossing Media
We thought a regular blog post about the talented members of Creative Exchange would be a great way to start February and introduce you to who’s here!
First up, we’d like you to meet Border Crossing Media.
Based in Creative Exchange since our official launch, Border Crossing Media have been a fantastic and valuable business duo to welcome through our doors. As our only user experience designers, Esther Stringer and Francois Roshdy have contributed enormously to the ethos of the space, bringing many ideas and skills forward as we grow and develop.
Border Crossing Media ‘help their Clients fully understand people’s needs and deliver compelling customer experiences, across channels. Our services enable Clients to reach new customers, get to market quicker and reduce their operational risks.
Esther and Francois will assist you to:
- Develop your ideas into digital products or services
- Implement feedback loops and continuous improvement programmes
- Adapt your service or product with changing customer behaviour
Founded in 2006, Border Crossing Media have worked with clients such as NHS24, University of Edinburgh, Lockton and Cricket Scotland and provide the following services:
- User research
- Persona development
- Sitemaps and customer journeys
- Customer Experience strategy
- Wireframes and prototypes
- Analytic measurement models
- Heuristic evaluations
- Conversion rate optimisation
We asked managing director, Esther Stringer who has recently been shortlisted for Young Business Person of the Year by Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce, what has been the impact on the business since moving to Creative Exchange.
“The impact on the business since moving to the Creative Exchange has been phenomenal. The inspirational space has the level of flexibility that we require to do our work: You can often find us in one of the collaboration areas having a quick brainstorm or design critique session.
However it is the opportunity for collaboration that has been the biggest change to our business. Due to the diverse skill set in the building there have been plenty of opportunities to get great advice or help from experts or collaborate on projects. We have worked with a variety of the members on our Clients’ projects and have employed some to help us grow our business. That, together with the in-house business support available from Business Gateway and the Edinburgh College, makes this a wonderful platform for the growth of our business.”
Find out more about Border Crossing Media here.
http://www.bordercrossingmedia.com/
#edinblog event at Creative Exchange!
We’ve had a busy start to 2014, and event hosting is just the start of it!
On Saturday 1st February, The Creative Exchange gallery space was the perfect venue to host Edinblog on behalf of DigitasLbi.
Edinblog is a mini blogger conference in Edinburgh aimed at an exclusive group of Scottish bloggers.
The event included presentations from professional bloggers Karen Burns-Booth and Muireann Carey Campbell of bangsandabun.com and lavenderandlovage.com, respectively. In addition, DigitasLBi industry insiders Simon Bennison and Ali Nickson talked SEO and Analytics.
The all-day conference proved a huge success and Creative Exchange was the perfect venue to facilitate such an occasion in a space hotly utilised by fellow social media savvy copywriters and bloggers *cough cough*.
The event received a fantastic response from participants. Check out #edinblog and see some of the top tweets of the day!
Of course, some more studious attendees were quick to blog about their experience and feature some lovely photos!
http://www.thelikelylady.com/2014/02/three-things-4.html
http://www.elevatormusik.com/2014/02/sunday-summary-110.html
Photos: Jakub Michalski https://twitter.com/jjakubjan
The question on everybody’s lips now is when will DigitasLBi be hosting their next #edinblog event at Creative Exchange?
Watch this space as there are no doubt more to come!
Social Media workshops at Creative Exchange
We all know that Social media isn’t going away any time soon.
Using Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn to gain leverage and communicate with worldwide audiences is now customary for most industries. Social media is a 2 way street for clients and businesses and is one of the most effective means of creating exposure for those based in Creative Exchange.
However, effective use of social media to maximise publicity in a relevant and meaningful way requires planning and expertise. Luckily for us, Creative Exchange is currently home to on-site social media trainer Colin Gilchrist, The Social Tailor.
We couldn’t resist dedicating a blog post to the fantastic courses Colin is currently offering from Creative Exchange, catering to those keen to enhance their business strategy by gaining a step-up in digital marketing.
‘Social Tailor is a Digital Marketing Consultancy providing Growth for businesses through the provision of strategic content planning, using social platforms and creative thinking. Using our experience (and active examples) we also provide training workshops in Social Media specifically for Business Development, Marketing and Brand Management.’
Colin is currently using our board rooms to facilitate weekly training workshops.
The following courses are still available for booking:
30th January 2014 = Google+ and Facebook for Business
6th February 2014 = LinkedIn for Business Development
13th February 2014 = Crisis Management in Social Media (this course runs independently and is not part of the series above)
Each session is held on a Thursday morning 9:30 – 12:30 (with a 20 minute break).
Click here to find out more about prices and booking
Be quick! Sessions are filling up fast!…and don’t forget to check out The Social Tailor’s social media links below.
G+: +TheSocialTailor (Google+)
T: @colingilchrist (Twitter)
F: The Social Tailor (Facebook)
IN: The Social Tailor (Linkedin)
We look forward to seeing you there!
La Vie Parisienne Exhibition. 28th January - 28th February
After our very first successful exhibition, ‘Head Studies’ by Albie Clarke, Creative Exchange is proud to announce the opening of our second exhibition La Vie Parisienne.
Edinburgh College are displaying the work of HND2 Professional Photography students, documenting their time on a 2 week educational exchange trip to Paris.
‘In April, 26 Students on the HND2 Professional Photography Programme at Edinburgh College spent two weeks in Paris shooting stock photography projects as part of the course curriculum. The Students produced fantastic work, a selection of which is exhibited here. This intensive exchange trip was funded through the Leonardo da Vinci Lifelong Learning programme.
The Students and Staff worked throughout the fortnight with staff and students from the Parisian apprenticeship college CAMPUS, whose local knowledge and hospitality led to an enriched educational experience for everyone.’
The Exhibition will run from Tuesday 28th January – Friday 28th February and promises to be a visual delight!
We look forward to seeing you there!
What’s your top new years resolution?
Happy New Year from Creative Exchange!
With decorations slowly stored away for the next 12 months and the chocolate stash gradually dissipating, New Year is often regarded as a time to create goals and reach for our hopes and desires.
When life gets in the way, focusing on our aspirations can be a difficult task.
Making stress work for us, perseverance and stamina when pursuing our goals, and a sense of gratitude along the way are all included in TED talk’s list of 10 TED-inspired resolutions. Sounds tricky doesn’t it?
At Creative Exchange, we’re great fans of TED talks, though perhaps what we found most interesting, and apt, was number 1 on their list; ‘Be an artist, right now!’
Young-ha Kim highlights the fact it is so easy to place obstacles in the way of creating art, no matter what form. Art and creativity can be suppressed over the years and manifest in other, possibly more negative, ways - ignoring how good it makes us feel.
Creative Exchange would like to echo Young-ha Kim’s statement and encourage our members and visitors to build on their creativity through their work and hobbies. Writing, designing, crafting or illustrating. You name it, there’s a creative interest out there waiting to be welcomed through our doors. Making a career out of your art is also greatly encouraged with our on-site business support teams from Business Gateway and Cultural Enterprise Office.
At the same time, we certainly don’t want to forget the reason for pursuing our creative passions. Our resident charity, Voluntary Arts Scotland, honours this philosophy in their #fortheloveofit campaign, urging individuals to acknowledge the positive effects of participation in arts and crafts. Their gallery is ever-growing and it would be wonderful for our readers to contribute, even add it to their list of resolutions? Find out how here
Perhaps this is the fun and achievable goal we’ve been searching for? In fact, as Young-ha Kim believes, be an artist, right now!
Merry Christmas from Creative Exchange!
As promised, we’re bringing you a special seasonal update!
Creative Exchange held its inaugural Christmas shin dig, with members kicking off the night in style indulging in a beautiful buffet and mulled wine.
Jonathan Stevens of Starbit stated: “As a recent addition to the community at Creative Exchange, this night proved not only that the Creative Exchange is exactly the right place for Starbit, but also that the space is brimming with talent and fresh ideas. I think we’re going to have a great time getting to know all the other extremely talented people using the space.”
Many thanks to our members for contributing to out festive pot-luck spread!
Friday 13th December was the opening night of our first official exhibition, ‘Head Studies’, by Edinburgh College artist in residence Albie Clarke.
Head Studies is a studio-based project focusing on still life and anti-figurative portraiture. Using Expired film, continuous lighting and shooting on large-and medium-format cameras, Head Studies is an exercise in using studio techniques – rather than digital processing – to create a particular aesthetic. Influenced by abstract expressionism, the images are a celebration of film: its idiosyncrasies and its continued relevance to modern photography practice
Head Studies will be on show until 17th January 2014.
With two successful events under our belts before Christmas, all we could ask from Santa is to continue with more in the New Year!
Wishing you all a Merry Christmas from Creative Exchange!!
What’s been going on at Creative Exchange?
How can we describe the last month? Energetic? Exciting? Extravagant?
Whichever adjective you choose, Creative Exchange has surely expanded its repertoire of networking opportunities and exciting events!
November saw Creative Exchange host the final Edinburgh Apps prize giving ceremony with winners in all 5 categories including ‘Trashman’, ‘Accessible Domicillary Care’ and ‘Pedestrian Neatbox’.
The event was a huge success and demonstrated the innovation of Edinburgh’s creative and digital sector when developing inventive apps of great social value.
You can read more about Edinburgh Apps by clicking the image below.
Digitas LBi and Creative Exchange!
In addition, last Thursday night also saw Creative Exchange host the DigitasLBi Christmas party!!! #DLBix
The event was a fantastic opportunity for Creative Exchange members to meet and network with a host of individuals and agencies also working in Edinburgh’s vibrant creative and digital sector. Complete with DigitasLBi branded Barney’s beer, the night brought a touch of festive cheer to Creative Exchange.
We were also fortunate enough to host the lovely DigitasLBi Kilt man! Under his tartan outerwear, this unassuming jock came with a flash of an unusual kind…
See www.twitter.com/up_oor_kilt for photographic evidence!
So what’s in store for us in the coming weeks?
Creative Exchange will be hosting our very own Christmas shin dig for members and staff. In addition, our key partner, Edinburgh College will be showcasing the work of their artist in residence, Albi Clark, on Friday 13th December. Surely it can’t be too unlucky if we’re fortunate enough to have such a busy and exciting schedule…