We’re delighted to announce the launch tonight of Austin and Nicola Gregg’s In Quest of Adventure: 25 Challenges To Do Before You’re 12. The book, which is aimed, as the title suggests, at the under-12s, was designed and illustrated by Hilary Mullen and Joanne Bent here at Designbytes. It will be launched tonight at The Book Centre in Wexford.

 In Quest of Adventure is geared towards getting kids of between the ages of 6 and 11 off their screens, out of the house and playing outdoors. It achieves this with a series of challenges, some educational, some just downright fun!

 The book centres around two “Bucketeers” Finn and Ayla, a pair of young, outdoorsy-types who are always up for adventure and a bit of healthy mischief. Kids follow Finn and Ayla’s antics in a series of 25 challenges, each one laid-out over six pages. There’s something here for everyone from mini-beast hunts to making seashore art to having a water-fight.

 Austin and Nicola, a pair of educators with three boys of their own, came to us with the idea and content for the book and we created the visuals from scratch. The end result is a beautifully polished, visually stunning book that should give readers hours of fun.

 In an age of sedentary lifestyles and increasing isolation from the natural world, In Quest of Adventure is a tonic which will hopefully help inspire, among kids, a lifelong love and appreciation for the great outdoors.

 Although it’s far from Designbytes’ first book (https://designbytes.ie/our-work/), we really enjoyed this one. It’s a fabulous book and it was a pleasure to work with Nicola and Austin. We really enjoyed creating the characters and we’re thrilled, after working on it for so long, to finally see the characters come to life.

 Praise:  There’s been a lot of praise for the book so far, notably by renowned Wexford author Eoin Colfer who described it as “the ideal way to get away from screens,” adding that “this book should be top of your bucket list”.

 Buy: Following the launch, In Quest of Adventure: 25 Challenges To Do Before You’re 12 will be available in all good bookshops and online from www.inquestofadventure.ie

We were delighted to attend Jim’s launch on Saturday night where a huge crowd gathered for this special occasion to give Jim the support he deserved. Launched by All Ireland star Tom Dempsey, Jim Moore, mayor of Wexford was also in attendance.

St. Anne’s GAA Club History

“Coping with the Pressures of Farming” is a new booklet that promotes positive mental health among isolated people living in rural areas including farmers and farm families, and contains lots of useful information for those seeking help to manage stress.

We were delighted to be commissioned to design this new booklet for such a worthwhile cause. Keeping in line with the theme of promoting positive mental health, we created the booklet using a combination of text and uplifting imagery and illustrations.

“Coping with the Pressures of Farming” was recently launched at the 2017 National Ploughing Championships in Screggan, Co. Offaly, by Mairead McGuiness MEP, which was also attended by Hilary Mullen, our Creative Director at Designbytes.

We are truly pleased to have been involved in such an important and worthwhile project and we hope that the new booklet will bring much help and support to rural communities.

“Coping with the Pressures of Farming” is available to download here.

Looking forward to dusting off the wellies and glad rags for the occasion, will pop over to see John Murphy and the gang from Murphy Concrete Products also while we are there!

Check out the categories and good luck to everybody shortlisted!

The Shortlist for the 2017 Wexford Business Awards

As more and more consumers shift their spending online, it is vital that Irish businesses embrace e-commerce and don’t get left behind.

To help small Irish businesses to make the move on-line, the Department of Communications, Energy & Natural Resources has launched a Trading Online Voucher Programme online offering financial assistance of up to €2,500.

This really is a fantastic scheme and we would encourage all our business customers to consider this initiative.

To take advantage of this Trading Online Voucher Programme, you must apply through your Local Enterprise Office. You will then be invited to attend an information seminar to learn more about the scheme and the best way to get use out of your voucher.

Eligibility Criteria

If your business has a limited online trading presence and has less than 10 employees, then your business might be an ideal candidate for the programme. Turnover must be less than €2m and the business must be registered and trading for at least 12 months.

Once you submit your application, an evaluation committee will asses your project. Your application will be deemed successful or not based on the following criteria.

• Eligibility for scheme
• Value added potential
• Export potential
• Job creation potential
• Financial sustainability

To learn more about the scheme, please contact your Local Enterprise Office. The scheme has been launched on a pilot basis so we would encourage you to apply as soon as possible.

Click here for more information from Wexford Local Development Office.

At Designbytes, we are especially looking forward to this new year as we officially launch our new graphic and web design studio in Enniscorthy and bring our unique blend of creative and contemporary web and graphic design to the South-East.

My name is Hilary Mullen and I’m the founder and Creative Director of Designbytes. I have been working in creative and design roles for over 25 years and my passion is for helping businesses find creative solutions to problems they face communicating their brand in a way that will connect with their target market.

I have spent several years working in Dublin, London and Sydney but now I’m returning to my home town of Enniscorthy to establish Designbytes as a leading graphic and web design studio in the South-East. We aim to offer something different to businesses who value good design as much as we do as a powerful medium to communicate their brand’s message.

Together with my colleague Kenneth Murphy, we create beautiful websites that will work for you and give your business the professional edge it needs to stay ahead online. Whether you want a brand new website for a new business, or your current website needs a revamp, we can provide a package to suit you.

We also create professional and contemporary brand identities and logos that will communicate your values clearly to potential clients and boost your brand, whether that is online or in print. Our graphic design services extend to business stationery and publication design including brochures, newsletters, flyers, business cards, packaging and reports.

If you’re in business you might use this new year as an opportunity to assess your brand identity and marketing efforts as you try to put your best foot forward in 2017 and grow your business.

Your logo may have been on-trend five years ago but does it still speak well for your brand?

Does your brand identity need to evolve to match how your business has developed?

Is your website still stuck in a time warp from the early days of the Internet with a dull, clunky design that looks terrible on smartphones?

These are the sort of problems we solve for our clients using our own unique, creative solutions to bring your brand right back to date with clean, contemporary and beautiful design that will speak volumes about your brand (and all good stuff).

If you think your business might need a boost this new year, please get in touch to discuss how our web design and graphic design service can help win you more business in 2017.

Happy New Year!