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PITMAN TRAINING Pitman Training has come a long way in the last 180 years. Once seen as the industry standard for secretaries to learn typing and shorthand, we have since evolved into the complete office training service for businesses, organisations and their employees. As the office has changed, we’ve responded with the times and now offer a wide range of courses to develop the individual and group technical skills that matter in today’s competitive environment. Our online courses allow users to develop skills across a wide range of business functions and software packages. With more than 250 courses available for all aspects of office life, we now provide one of the most comprehensive training packages in the world. We offer training for all business functions including PA & Secretarial, Microsoft Office, Finance & Accounting, IT Training, Web & Graphic Design and personal career development. You can study with Pitman Training in several ways, either by visiting the local centre or working online via distance learning. Most students
decide to do a mixture of both with a blended learning approach. We have trained advisors on hand at the Guildford centre to help you work through the range of courses and pick the ones that are best for you or your company. It’s not only individuals we help at Pitman. Our dedicated staff work with businesses and organisations to provide block training for their employees, helping them to excel in everything from bookkeeping to web design. Courses and workshops are regularly scheduled across a range of subject areas and businesses can arrange to have sessions tailored to their specific needs at a time that suits them. Training sessions can take place either at the training centre in Guildford or our trainers can run courses at your business premises. Contact Pitman Training in Guildford today on 01483572855 or visit www.pitman-training.com/Guildford
FARROW CREATIVE Throughout the year, we get a lot of enquiries from businesses asking if we can help them ‘get to the top of the Google rankings’, or simply make them ‘look fresh and exciting’. Such requests, however, tend to hit a peak in early January. For some, it’s a positive, proactive move: new year, new start, all that jazz. For others, it’s a slightly panicked response to a slow start, and the need to regain momentum quickly after the festive lull. And yes, of course, we’re always ready to help (although the top-of-Google thing is not something we’d ever promise!) But before we start drawing, writing or flicking through colour swatches, we ask one crucial question: why? Because if our first 10 years in business, which we celebrated in October 2016, has taught us anything (and believe us, it has!) it’s that good design depends on sound strategy. Your brand is one of your most important and valuable business assets, and needs to be treated accordingly. Tearing it up and starting again should be approached with the same circumspection as rebuilding a factory or relocating your entire operation to another country. Tempting as it is, especially in uncertain times, change for change’s sake is rarely a good idea. For example: say your logo is now five years old. Are you still the same company you were in 2012, with the same offering, values, customer base and competition? If things are substantially unaltered, why go to the trouble of reinventing yourself? A new brand – of which your logo is just one small, albeit vital, element – requires an investment of time and effort that reflects its true importance. If, however, you conclude that your brand no longer reflects who you are and what you do, it’s definitely time for a rethink. Again, though, the actual ‘design’ work is just part of a longer, deeper process. Done properly, it’s a journey of discovery, in which you get to the heart of what you offer your customers beyond your products and services, what you stand for and what makes your business unique. Then you have a sound, reasoned and objective basis for shaking things up – and a much greater chance of making it a change for the better. Sam Farrow is a professional graphic designer with over 20 years’ experience. She is the founder and managing director of Farrow Creative, a full-service design agency with offices in Petersfield and Guildford. She is also a mentor and regular speaker on the MBA programme at the University of Surrey. www.farrowcreative.co.uk
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