Accessibility is the foundation of our magazine redesign for the Local Government Association.

What is ‘good’ magazine design? 

Perhaps it is using an arresting combination of words and pictures. Maybe it is creating page layouts that draw the intended reader in and keep them interested. Or maybe it is having a selection of imagery that delights the eye and tells its own story. 

Recently, Man-wai Wong, one of the design team at CPL One, put the final touches to a redesign of first, the magazine read by members of the Local Government Association. 

As well as the above qualities, ‘good’ design in this case meant extra emphasis on accessibility features in both the digital version and in print. We needed to ensure that first is appealing and comfortable to read for everyone. 

Of course, this should be a given for any magazine redesign, but all too frequently, the integration of accessibility features is an afterthought.

When putting ‘comfort and readability for all’ front and centre of the first redesign, our team used their knowledge of accessible design to implement the following: 

• Use black headlines and high-contrast text for body copy, for ease of reading
• Use keylines to clearly separate different stories
• Avoid pictures or graphics that interrupt the flow of text
• Place headlines and associated body copy close together, for ease of navigation
• Place captions beneath or to the side of pictures – never over the image
• Ensure clear signposting of sections
• Create consistent layout templates from issue to issue, for familiarity
• Add QR codes to encourage readers online, for an alternative reading option.

Karen Thornton, editor of first, said: “The CPL One team developed a design that champions a fresh, vibrant new look, while retaining the essence and familiarity of the existing brand. We can’t wait to see it launched and get readers’ reaction.”

The new-look first will be unveiled soon (watch out for pics of the finished product on our social media channels), and we are very proud to be continuing our long-standing partnership with the LGA, having retained the contract after a competitive re-pitch earlier this year.

CPL One team creates stylish visuals to promote Godolphin’s online shop.

“One colour. One team.” This is the strapline at the heart of an exciting new campaign to promote Team Godolphin merchandise to its many thousands of global fans.

CPL One already carries out a broad range of marketing for the Godolphin racing and breeding team – and we were briefed to take a fresh approach to promote online sales via the Godolphin Shop.

As the images above and below show, it features a striking combination of black-and-white photography and the same blue colour that appears on the famous racing silks worn by Godolphin’s team of jockeys.

The black-and-white core photography ensures CPL One’s creative solution has a classic and authentic feel. This is reinforced by the way thumbnail images are displayed as if they were appearing on a traditional photographic contact sheet.

Before embarking on the design phase the CPL One team carried out research with a range of Godolphin employees, customers and stakeholders. 

With a brief to maximise existing photography, the creatives show various types of merchandise being worn by a combination of models – including current Champion Jockey William Buick and various Godolphin employees.  

The creatives are being used across all Godolphin websites, and for an organic and paid-for social media and digital advertising campaign.

Alison Horan, group head of marketing for Godolphin, said: “The first Godolphin online shop launched in April 2023 and sales have grown steadily since then. We are keen to further increase engagement and sales to our global fanbase so we set the CPL One team the challenge of pushing the boundaries with a new creative approach to promoting our online products.

“We really liked the way they took the time to research some different options and design routes and are delighted with the end result.”

As part of the next phase of development, the CPL One team is now overseeing a project to create a range of new product photography that will further improve the look and feel of the Godolphin online shop.

Celebrating recent work by CPL One’s video and animation team.

Our latest video showreel celebrates the wide range of animation and video work we have created for our clients.

It showcases how video projects we handle cover many different industries and sectors – from the maritime union Nautilus International and the Association of British Insurers, to Bourn Hall Fertility Clinic and South Cambridgeshire District Council.

Each video and animation project we create is tailored to the specific needs of the client. They support diverse communications needs, from recruitment campaigns, sustainability messaging and AGMs, to member value propositions, behind-the-scenes explainers, important organisational landmarks, and more.

By combining different styles and creative strategies, we create videos that not only tell stories, but also achieve targeted results for the clients with which we work.

“We always look to tell meaningful stories in a fun and bold way,” says Alex Lamb, senior account manager, who heads up CPL One’s video team. “Our in-house team of designers, animators and videographers works collaboratively with clients to achieve results that are right for them, their audiences, and the particular message they need to communicate.”

If you’d like to learn more about how we can help you tell a story through video and animation, get in touch.

The Great British Bonus (GBB) – British breeding and racing’s most successful incentive scheme – has just got bigger and better with the help of CPL One.

GBBPLUS, an extension of GBB, was launched on 1 July 2024 after months of work behind the scenes.

The current core scheme, GBB, which has distributed more than £15m to winning fillies and mares since its launch in June 2020, will continue, while GBBPLUS will offer additional incentives to breed, buy and race middle-distance and staying-bred fillies, and steeplechasing mares – two areas of the British horse population requiring specific support.

CPL One worked closely with the TBA to gain approval from key industry bodies for the new scheme. Once granted, the team worked to create a brand that complemented GBB, but stood out with its own identity.

The new brand uses key elements from GBB, but incorporates photography and new typography to create a fresh, contemporary feel.

Once the brand was approved, CPL One worked on a robust launch plan for both the Flat and Jumps markets, ensuring all key marketing touchpoints were covered to raise full awareness of the new scheme and eligibility within the racing community.

This included some creative postal mailouts, launch text messages and e-comms, a social media content plan, and print and digital advertising.

GBB and GBBPLUS Operations Manager Charlie Newton said: “We have been lucky enough to work with CPL One for a number of years now, so when it came to the creation of branding and launch marketing for the extension to our scheme, we knew that we were in safe hands.

“The team immediately ‘got’ the concept and provided a fantastic branding presentation that fitted our requirements perfectly. They then proceeded to roll out an extensive and sometimes complicated launch plan seamlessly. It has been fantastically well received and we’ve seen some impressive engagement because of their work.

“CPL One has an energetic and enthusiastic team for whom nothing is ever too much bother. Their professionalism and creativity continue to exceed our expectations and we look forward to continuing to work with them.”

Moving on is the latest in a series of campaign films made for South Cambridgeshire District Council’s Homes for Ukraine scheme.

A music video by rock legends Radiohead provided some of the inspiration for our latest film supporting refugees from Ukraine.

Moving on offers simple guidance on the steps that guests from Ukraine can take to find their own accommodation after living with host families.

Created for South Cambridgeshire District Council and shot entirely in Ukrainian, the continuous movement in the film draws inspiration from Radiohead’s 2016 video Daydreaming. It guides the viewer through four options: staying where you are; financial support; social housing; and renting.

The focus of the film is Mayrna, who was a teacher in Ukraine and now lives with a host family in Cambridgeshire. It was created by a CPL One team that included director Marcus Codrington Fernandez, camera operator and editor Jonathan Sankey, and producer Alex Lamb.

CPL One also worked with the team at South Cambridgeshire to create and design a written guide that gives further details on how guests from Ukraine can find their own accommodation.

The film and guide have been sent directly to guests from Ukraine who are living in the South Cambridgeshire area and they are also being used at various community events.

Moving on is the latest in a series of films we have created to promote the Homes for Ukraine scheme in Cambridgeshire. Our previous campaign, Spare room, encouraged more people to become hosts for guests from Ukraine.

Ben Thackray, Homes for Ukraine – Development Officer, for South Cambridgeshire District Council, is delighted with the campaign.

“We have welcomed hundreds of people from Ukraine to our district over the past couple of years, with the majority starting as guests with host families,” he said.

“Our goal now is to help them understand the steps that can be taken to find their own accommodation in the future. This can be a confusing and daunting prospect, so we are delighted to have some campaign materials that explain things in a simple and accessible way. The CPL One team have done a brilliant job again.”

CPL One’s Alex Lamb added: “It was a pleasure to work on this project and fantastic that Mayrna was willing to be the focus and voice of the film. This adds to its authenticity, effectiveness and impact.”

Could a film help you achieve your content marketing and communications objectives? If so, get in touch today.

See our CPL One film and video showreel here.

CPL One created a unique film to raise awareness and encourage people to choose a career in occupational therapy.

What connects CPL One with a cat called Felix?

Felix is the star of a short campaign film we made for Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Integrated Care System.

The aim of the campaign was to help Cambridgeshire & Peterborough encourage people to choose a career in occupational therapy.

How could we do that? Well, by showcasing the breadth and value of the profession.

But to do that we needed a story and a hook to make it memorable. And that’s where Felix came in.

“With video you can spark interest and then grab an audience’s attention,” says producer and senior account manager Alex Lamb. “In the right setting, film can be more impactful than the written word. For Cambridgeshire & Peterborough, for example, we knew that a film could play a key role in encouraging people to become occupational therapists.” 

Alex says the aim was to softly challenge pre-formed notions of occupational therapy.

“That’s why we flipped the script a little, switching perspectives on who was telling the story, and I think that comes across in the way we made the film,” he says. “Hopefully, it will make people sit up, take notice and recognise the real benefits of the role.”

And our client’s initial response?

“We have proudly shown the video to our project group and senior leads in Cambridgeshire & Peterborough – the feedback has been brilliant, with everyone being very impressed.”

We’re proud of the film too. As Alex says: “Film lets us tell a truly emotive story, using different visual styles and music to really deliver the feeling we want to convey. A web story can carry valuable insight and information, but a video can be something really memorable.”

So, don’t leave Felix waiting… hit ‘play’ to watch the video.

Could CPL One help you add impact to one of your campaigns through the emotional impact of video? To discuss how we might be able to help, get in touch.

Lucy Oakshott, CPL One’s new board director, says that cultivating inclusivity in the boardroom and beyond helps businesses thrive.

The UK celebrated a notable increase last year in the proportion of FTSE board seats held by women, rising from 28% to 40% over five years – a positive shift for women across the country.

Given statistics like those, joining the board of CPL One last month – where four out of five board members and 55 per cent of our 69 employees are female – felt like a significant personal step.

If I think back to a decade ago, when news outlets were advising female leaders on how to navigate boardrooms dominated by white, male and middle-class members, it feels like progress.

As an award-winning full-service content marketing agency, having a strong female board is indicative of the inclusive culture and work ethic we cultivate with our employees and clients, which contributes to our success.

At CPL One our purpose is that ‘We help people belong’ . We are about supporting real people doing real things in the real world. When we do that, we help people belong: our staff, our clients and their audiences thrive. 

We help people belong is also a principle we use for future-proofing the relationships we build with our clients and their audiences.

I’ve always been fortunate to work in environments that prioritise excellent leadership, irrespective of gender. Perhaps, I’ve subconsciously but consistently sought out organisations that value their people, fostering a culture where belonging is paramount.

As a mother of three young girls, I really hope that female board directors will soon be an unremarkable reality across all workplaces. And regardless of the career path they choose, I hope my girls always feel a sense of belonging and empowerment.

A group of CPL One colleagues spent a day learning how they can have a positive impact on sustainability in the workplace and at home.

How carbon literate are you? This was a question a group of CPL One journalists were encouraged to face up to when they took part in a recent training course.

The day course was organised by Lead With Sustainability, an expert group that focuses on helping businesses like CPL One reduce their environmental impact by helping employees raise awareness and take action.

“The day course was a really useful mix of presentations and discussions,” says editor Louise Parfitt, who took part in the training along with colleagues Ian Farrell and Helen King.

“We were all asked to think of two pledges – one professional and one personal – to take from the course. A professional ambition might be to research energy suppliers to find more environmentally friendly alternatives, or to consider what financial products your company uses to see if it could make more sustainable financial investments.”

Helen says that considering more sustainable options for business can also have a positive impact on the content CPL One creates for clients.

“Environmental, social and governance (ESG) is a major topic for pretty much all the organisations we work for. Carbon literacy training helps us understand the challenges their businesses are facing, and the opportunities available to them.”

Ian agrees: “As editor of Circular magazine for the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management (CIWM), I’m always exploring issues around sustainability and the journey to net zero, so I’m keen to learn as much as I can.

“In the workplace, that could be about how we can nudge colleagues into improving our collective recycling behaviour or ensuring we power down appliances at the end of the day. At home, it could be about switching to a green energy electricity tariff.

“The training was really valuable. It showed how we, as individuals working in companies, can really make a difference.”

By joining the Internet Advertising Bureau, CPL One gains a wealth of knowledge in a fast-evolving space.

CPL One is now a member of the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB UK), the industry body for digital advertising.

Becoming a member underlines CPL One’s position as a content marketing agency with the skills and knowledge to succeed in the digital advertising space, now and in the future. 

As we join the IAB in its commitment to building a sustainable future for digital advertising, we also become part of its community of 1,200 members that includes media owners, agencies and brands.

Membership means CPL One employees can access the IAB’s wealth of resources, including research, reports, tools and insight, and benefit from its comprehensive range of training courses, events and networking opportunities.

“Digital advertising is continuing to grow at pace,” says CPL One managing director Mike Sewell. “We know that digital is increasingly a priority for organisations and brands when it comes to reaching, influencing and delivering for their customers.

“Becoming a member of the IAB means we can stay ahead of the curve as new digital channels continue to emerge and evolve, and ensure the advertising services we offer evolve at the same time.”

Ian Farrell, editor of Circular magazine, chaired an expert discussion at our client CIWM’s latest sustainability conference.

At CPL One, we know that engaging membership audiences isn’t only about creating fantastic printed magazines or digital content, it’s also about developing trusted relationships and helping to build supportive communities in which useful knowledge and experience can be shared. 

For example, last week, CPL One editor Ian Farrell chaired a round table event at the Festival of Circular Economy 2023. The festival is a sustainability conference organised by our client, the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management (CIWM), for which we create the award-winning Circular magazine. 

Across the festival’s two days of virtual live-streamed content, changemakers and thought leaders from around the world gather to share their insights and expertise on all things to do with developing a circular economy to create more sustainable futures for us all.

This year, Circular was the official media partner of the festival and Ian, the magazine’s editor, was invited to chair a panel session on the role of technology in the circular economy. The expert panel consisted of: Chukwumaobi Ibe from Sheffield Hallam University, who has a special interest in the building and demolition industry; Dr Michael Groves, CEO of data aggregation and analytics company Topolytics; Philip Mossop from climate technology company Pentatonic; Matthew Gawn from waste management software company ISB Global; and Abi Heijgelaar from NHS Services Scotland, whose role is in the procurement of non-disposable supplies can improve the NHS’s environmental credentials.

Across the session, the varied discussion included topics ranging from waste crime and AI to big data and smart materials. 

“Exploring the interconnected ideas of expert contributors in different sustainability and circular economy roles is fascinating,” Ian said after the event. “Circularity represents a way to cut carbon emissions, look after natural resources and deal with pollution – all while protecting jobs and giving people a better way of life. 

“To get it to work, we need people right through the value chain to talk to each other, from product designers to retailers to waste managers. That’s why bringing people together at events like the festival is so vitally important,” he said.

For CPL One’s dedicated editorial staff, chairing discussions at conferences and festivals demonstrates their investment in and knowledge of our clients’ industries and specialist sectors. It also reflects our understanding that connecting communities is a foundational aspect of creating positive change for organisations.

You can read more about our work with CIWM here.