Mar 10 2015

Exciting new products and direction for

our growing brand The online gifts company;

Personalised Gents watches from The Online Gifts Company.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

building on the success of our pre-christmas watch collection we have introduced 5 more watches to the online gifts company, each personalised gents watch and ladies watch in the new ‘city’ collection is hand picked by curator and lead designer David-Louis.

The designs are based on the ‘city’ theme and each watch has unique design elements including, batons, numerals, day and date display, leather straps, design led cases and chic dial design.

Each curated watch in the  ‘city’ watch collection can be personalised and shipped in one working day, striking the balance…. The online gifts company is delivering elegant, functional product design to a global audience, swiftly.


Feb 15 2013

Palladium Wedding celebrations

Celebrating our 15th year working as a design and personalisation company in true entrepreneurial form The Online Gifts Company are delighted to announce our new specialist business.

We make, personalise using hand engraving your wedding ring in the beautiful metal Palladium all of which can be ordered online at Palladiumweddingringstore.com

We hope you enjoy it, live it and wear it just as much as we do.


Feb 15 2013

Step-by-step visual guide for 3D printing for everyone.

Further developing my passion for and introducing the process of 3D printing to the world (It is the next generation of consumer products) I thought this was a great way to illustrate the process for both the public and the engineers involved in using it – consider it a visual guide to 3d printing. Over the next few weeks I will introduce a very simple keyring made using 3D printing to the David-Louis collection, this item has now been tried and tested and is ready for delivery to market.

Flow sheet of idea to 3d product

Flow sheet of idea to 3d product

 

 

Thanks to ArvidJense for the great work producing the flow chart!


Jan 11 2012

Entrepreneurship in the creative sector

Well, I am coming up to the end of lecturing at BCU School of Jewellery for this academic year and have been creating a summary of the content for the students to discuss tomorrow and lo and behold when put in order it appears to me to be a useful guide to starting up a new business in the creative sector.

Although I have many projects on the go at the moment including launching a  new brand plus developing my MA project alongside the running of the businesses and oh yeah I am organising an exhibition called “Made in the Jewellery Quarter” for Feb 2012… next month please do come along, anyway, I do think there is the makings of a good start your own business book there so perhaps in the future I will be able to apply myself to this.

Here is the basic content of the course I have developed if you have need of a lecturer or two in any of these areas in the creative sector just give me a call.

Course Overview

Entrepreneurship in the creative sector.

David Hendley (c)

Course Goals

To develop the skills you need to succeed in the current working climate.

To assist with developing an online portfolio.

To assist with developing your vision and create a clear next step when you graduate.

Course Overview

Puropse of a career / business plan

Create a mission statement

Outline of a basic career / business plan

Establish your personal vision

SWOT analysis of your core skills or idea.

Researching & developing your own logo and brand.

Market research -types of, how to & practical.

Freelance employment – rates & marketing

Costing your work professionally

Overheads of a studio

Distribution of your products strategically

Legal structures of a business

Marketing using press releases

Developing your online strategy

Basic web design and architecture

Building an online portfolio

Harnessing social networks

………………………………………….

of course I will keep developing the course so get in touch if you wish.

David Hendley.

Check out our other online gift businesses

http://www.gifts-of-distinction.co.uk
Gifts of Distinction I Sterling Silver goodies for that very special gift – engraving is available.

http://www.david-louis.com
Lifestyle giftware for the home – designed by our lead designer David-Louis

http://www.flaskstore.com
A vast array of exceedingly well made hip flasks and all can be engraved for free.

http://www.tankardstore.com
A specialist web site focusing on an exquisite range of tankards for every occasion.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Nov 14 2011

Top 5 Stocking Fillers for Christmas 2011

At some stage during Christmas 2011 I know I will need a stocking filler, a quick, lovely gift that will be appreciated by the recipient & I suspect you will need one too. So here is a list of our top 5 stocking filler gifts, they will be in stock, can be engraved, shipped worldwide & are not too expensive.

Stocking filler gift No. 1.

The David-Louis Bottle Opener, its magnetic and sticks to the fridge, we will engrave it for free and ship it really quickly.

Magnetic bottle opener

The Beer Cube

Stocking filler gift No. 2

Small yet perfectly formed, back pocket, front pocket, breast pocket, polished steel, robust and stylish 3oz hip flask, engravable and great value for money.

Neat highly polished hip flask

The sleek, neat steel hip flask

Stocking Filler Gift No.3

The NEW stack of post-it coasters.

Pre coffee stained coaster post-its, make your desk fun and funky with a stack of paper coasters that double up as post-its..

Post it coasters

Post-it paper coasters

Stocking Filler Gifts No. 4

The Steel Tankard

 

A stylish stainless steel tankard in a beautifully polished finish.

This tankard holds 16oz, and the high quality stainless steel will retain it’s lovely bright finish over time it is also ideal for engraving, we hold it in stock and can ship it quickly.

Steel tankard polished

Our steel tankard

Stocking Filler Gift No. 5

The Plectrum Rockstar Coaster & Bottle Opener

 

The Plectrum Coaster & Bottle Opener

The Plectrum Coaster & Bottle Opener

Don’t forget to peruse The David-Louis Group of comapnies.

http://www.gifts-of-distinction.co.uk
Gifts of Distinction I Sterling Silver goodies for that very special gift – engraving is available.

http://www.david-louis.com
Lifestyle giftware for the home – designed by our lead designer David-Louis

http://www.flaskstore.com
A vast array of exceedingly well made hip flasks and all can be engraved for free.

http://www.tankardstore.com
A specialist web site focusing on an exquisite range of tankards for every occasion.


Nov 14 2011

Post it coasters by David-Louis

Exciting new product launch, after testing the new POST-It Coaster at a recent trade fair I am delighted to formally launch them via our blog and website. Here is an image of our new POST-it coasters, 50 paper coasters stacked together with coffee stain on it before you use em, you can write on them and stick em to the wall or put your coffee cup on them and protect you desk from stains – I hope you like them, they are formally on sale at www.david-louis.com from today November 14th.

Post it coasters with coffee stain

The David-Louis Sticky Paper Coasters

Coaster and Post-its - 2 in 1.


Jan 14 2009

David-Louis – word from the street, or rather Warstone Lane.

Well the New Year has arrived and we have all crossed over from the fantastic frenzy that is the Christmas rush.

I wanted to look at how creative enterprise and entrepreneurs can avoid the dreaded credit crunch and somehow come out stronger when it passes, which it will eventually. It does call for action though and simply doing the same thing year on year especially when moving into quieter times will not create growth in any business.

In my own business (es) we have come up with a few commercial strategies to combat the potential fall out from the dreaded credit crunch, the words on all entrepreneurial lips at the moment. Some of these are real world bricks and mortar strategies and others are online – where the potential for growth is incredible.

How can a creative enterprise flourish in this climate? Well, I believe the answer is to target you product online to people that adore what you do.

This is a valid strategy as far as sustaining the Jewellery Quarter and holding onto heritage. The income streams comes form both local people, just down the road who find you online and indeed order both online and visit you in your workshop and also from global customers that are looking for high quality individual work.

The key is to actually get very specific, sell specific products online and target specific niche markets by using strategy, the generic term or keyword ’silver ring’ will get you nowhere on the internet, you must describe the attributes of the ring that the customer will use when enquiring about a desired item. Text based content is king.

At the moment I am working in several ways to encourage new, emerging and existing makers to think strategy not just ad hoc responses to enquiries.

I am currently writing a business course for the BA Honours Design for Industry course at the School of Jewellery and will deliver it over five days in January and February 2009.

Update: here is a news artice about Rachel Briggs from the BA about her designs going on sale in Jewellery Quarter after winning competition: http://tinyurl.com/bcpz5h

The business content of the course I am writing gives an overview from the initial stages of concept development all the way through set up of the business to delivery to market using current trends in distribution and marketing while supporting traditional routes – the emphasis is on strategy and sustainability – we want designer makers to succeed in business and to stay in business as a career and life long makers and designers (Lifers) not simply to open what I will call ‘spring flower’ businesses that explode in a burst of colour only to fade away after one season.

I am emphasing the fact that the bottom line is… the bottom line, in other words a creative enterprise should capitalise on low cost systems to attract a new audience to the business in question.

Sustainability is achieved through strategy and foresight this takes planning, January is a great time to look at your strategy for the next year and I would encourage all designer makers to sit down for one day and think as opposed to do. It will reap rewards.

David-Louis

www.david-louis.com

www.gifts-of-distinction.co.uk

www.flaskstore.com

www.gifts-of-distinction.co.uk/blog