Plenty of reasons to holiday in Yorkshire

With the weather the way it is, there is no reason to need to head on over to Spain or the south of France for your dose of sunshine. And as for things to do, the UK, and in particular, Yorkshire, has a wealth of places to visit and things to see. So whatever you're planning to do with your time in the sunshine, Yorkshire has something for you. Here at United by Design we are proud to work with some of the wonderful attractions situated all around Yorkshire, here are just a few:

Heading to the city?

York is a beautiful city, full of history, as well as beer gardens to sit and soak up the sun in! But if the sun is getting too much, and you're looking for some shade, as well as a place to soak up some culture, then York has some really great options.

York Mansion House sits right in the middle of the city, and for over 300 years has been the official residence of the Lord Mayor of York, one of only two Mansion Houses remaining in the UK, the other one being in London. This beautiful house runs tours Thursday - Sunday, or you can book one of the themed tours for groups of between 10 and 30.

York Mansion House

Another magnificent building in the centre of York is the Merchant Adventurers' Hall. Originally built 650 years ago as a meeting place for Medieval merchants, the building now houses silver, furniture and art collections which help to tell the story of the hall. Throughout summer the house is open every day. The beautiful gardens surrounding the hall are a great place to stop and get out of the hustle and bustle of the shopping areas.

The Undercroft- Merchant Adventurers Hall

And if you're visiting York then you may be looking for a place to stay. It's a lesser known fact that York Conferences offer bed and breakfast facilities within the halls of the York University, for very reasonable rates. The Uni is situated around 2 miles from the city centre with regular buses to and from the centre and the railway station.

Cooling off on the coast?

Situated on the picturesque headland at Flamborough you can find the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust Living Seas Centre. The centre is free to visit and provides you with information about all the work the YWT is doing to protect the marine habitat. You can get involved with seashore safaris, beach cleans, living seas safaris and much more! There's lots for the kids too, the centre has a 'magic floor' and provides marine themed arts and crafts activities, so grab a cuppa while the kids are entertained, then head down onto South Landing beach to get up-close and personal with some of the Yorkshire coastal wildlife.

The Living Seas Centre at South Landing- Flamborough.

If you're heading a bit further south then it's definitely worth checking out Spurn Point.  This unique spit of land is a great place to relax, take in the sea air and witness some of Yorkshire's diverse wildlife; the area is very popular with bird watchers. When the road is open you can drive down the spit, but please check before visiting, sometimes the road is shut due to poor weather.

Lighthouses at Spurn- Credit Kelvin Percival

Prefer the countryside?

The Yorkshire Wildlife Trust guidebook will tell you everything you need to know about all the nature reserves throughout Yorkshire, but there are a couple that we have worked with closely that deserve a special mention.

Potteric Carr, just outside of Doncaster, is great place to spot Kingfishers and other species that enjoy wetland habitats. The Kingfisher Tearooms are a great place to stop before or after a walk around the reserve, and the paths are even suitable for pushchairs. Check out their sightings blog on the website to get an idea of what you might spot when you visit.

Potteric Carr- Credit Paul Carter.

Another wetland habitat worth a visit is Staveley Nature Reserve where otters are spotted regularly. Visit the viewing hides so you can take in the peace and quiet, and observe some of Yorkshire's varied and beautiful wildlife.

Aerial shot of Staveley.

Or are towns more your thing?

One town you must visit is Malton, especially if you are a foodie. Malton hosts an annual Food Lovers Festival, as well as an annual Beer Festival, both of which are popular with locals and tourists alike. There are also monthly Food Lovers Markets, and the town boasts about it's independent food shops, which are supplied by the rich farmland surrounding the town. If you're in to fine dining then you could always book a table at James Martin's restaurant in the Talbot Hotel.  As an added bonus, due to the generosity of our newest client Fitzwilliam Estates, parking in the town centre is free (2 hours), meaning you will have plenty of time to explore and taste some of the delights the town has to offer.

Malton's market square.

As you can see, with all this on your doorstep, (or a few hours drive at most), why would you need to go anywhere else?


Where is your favourite place to visit in Yorkshire? Do you have a favourite attraction? Tweet us @ubd_studio

Guest Post- Luna Moon iPhone Case

Kiera's HTC phone!

For the last two weeks we have had two more members of the United by Design team: Kiera and Esme, students from Joseph Rowntree School, through the NYBEP immerse education programme, who have been here on their work experience. As well as working on some of the live briefs in the studio alongside Annabel and Ross, the pair have also been introduced to the social media side of things, and we tasked them with writing a blog post. Having looked at our previous posts, the girls were inspired by the Apple accessories post we released last week. They have found another great accessory they wanted to share, the Luna Moon iPhone Case.

Kiera:

This week I upgraded from my old HTC to an iPhone. To say it was in less than good condition would be an understatement. My phone I’d had before the HTC was also smashed to pieces. So considering the condition of my previous phones, I thought it was probably a good idea to actually purchase a case for my new phone.

The problem with trying to buy a phone case is the fact that there are just so many to choose from. Unless you are looking for a particular type of case, you could very easily end up scrolling through endless pages of cases, that all look pretty similar.

Whilst browsing for inspiration Esme came across the ‘Luna iPhone Skin’.

Esme:

The skin is made from a thin, flexible concrete, and has individual craters on it’s surface. The innovative design is unique to each skin, no two are the same. The product is named ‘Luna’ as the finished result looks like the surface of the Moon. The skin sticks on the back of the model, like a screen protector. We really liked the design as it was innovative and unmatched. As it is one of the sturdiest backs for an iPhone that you can buy, I think Kiera needs one.

The Luna iPhone Skin.

"We’ve both been on work experience here at United By Design for the past two weeks, and we’ve loved being here. Our work placement has been interesting, educational, and everyone has been really helpful and lovely. It’s fun too. Thanks guys."

Sources of information:
http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/122411-concrete-luna-iphone-case-offers-solid-protection-each-one-unique
http://www.thecoolist.com/luna-concrete-iphone-5-skin/
http://knstrct.com/
http://www.trendhunter.com/trends/luna-iphone-5-case

Owen's View: 'Branding' yourself- tattoos

Examples of sugar skulls

Since my college days I have been thinking about getting a tattoo, but haven't yet made the commitment to a design that I am prepared to wear on my body for the rest of my life. Our recent work with Treboom Brewery, and our research into sugar skulls got me once again thinking about tattoos, but also branding, and how the two are alike in so many ways. 

Tattoos symbolise being part of tradition, part of a group or clan, or to stand out and even shock. In the same vein, the reason businesses and individuals 'brand' is to differentiate themselves from the next person or business.

Recently the worlds of branding and tattoos have mixed quite dramatically, with huge brands including Reebok, Red Bull, HBO, ASOS and Sailor Jerrys offering free tattoos at various film and music events. The number of willing participants just proves how dedicated some brand fans can be, and that tattoos are no longer a symbol of rebellion.

And what about being dedicated to your company? I have thought about having the United by Design logo tattooed on my body, but this is my business, it's a part of me and something I feel strongly about. But I am not so sure about what's going on over in New York at Rapid Realty, the company is offering a 15% rise in commission to every member of staff who has the company's logo tattooed on them. Over 40 staff have been inked so far!

Tattooing is highly profiled in the media. The rise in popularity of shows such as Miami Ink is inspiring more people than ever to go out and get inked. The amount of celebrities now sporting tattoos makes the once frowned upon art-form even more part of the norm. After the 2012 Olympics, several of the GB athletes, including the majority of the women's basketball team, went and had tattoos incorporating the 5 Olympic rings, highlighting their dedication and pride to sport, Great Britain and the Olympic games.

Azania Stewart- Member of GB Women's Basketball team with her tattoo.

On the other hand, there is still a certain amount of prejudice when it comes to those with tattoos. Air New Zealand have been forced to rethink their policies after being slated for turning away a prospective employee due to her moko, (Maori), tattoo on her forearm. It is reasonable to say that some tattoos are offensive or inappropriate, but taking in pride in your heritage is no bad thing!

In Japan, tattoos still shock and unnerve people, as the showing of body art by Yakuza gang members is considered a sign of aggression. Attitudes are warming slightly to the tradition, as more and more people have started experimenting with irezumi (japanese style of tattooing).

As for my tattoo, I am inspired by japanese, polynesian and moko styles, in fact I have a Pinterest board dedicated to the tattoos that inspire me, check it out here. While I continue to make my mind up I may experiment with some temporary tattoos, such as these by Lydia Leith.

And just like tattoos, branding is something that has to be thought about and considered carefully. There should be a meaning behind your choice and why you are going ahead with such an investment. With regards to both tattoos and branding, seeking advice from an expert, and doing your research, are paramount. It may cost you, but you want the job to be done properly- money definitely well spent if you're going to have the branding, or the tattoo, for a VERY long time!

Are you inked? Tweet us some inspiration @ubd_studio



Sources of information: 
http://www.today.com/money/company-ink-agents-get-15-raise-corporate-tattoos-6C9714898 
http://www.details.com/blogs/daily-details/2013/05/the-tattoo-as-corporate-branding-tool.html 
http://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/opinion/8739378/Editorial-Air-NZ-makes-a-moko-mistake
http://www.dontpaniconline.com/magazine/radar/horiyoshi-iii-inks-japan

Lucy's View: Weird and wonderful Apple accessories

Whilst browsing Reddit over the last couple of days, (the place a lot of my blog inspiration comes from), I noticed that there seems to be a few accessories for your Apple products that would probably raise a few eyebrows in Dragon's Den. However, as ridiculous as they may seem, these products exist, and some of them seem to be doing pretty well. Here are the top three Apple accessories that I have found on Reddit this week:

The iPhone lifejacket:

At first this product seemed a bit ridiculous to me. But, the more I have looked at it, and read other people's comments, the more it makes sense. This piece of kit will set you back around $40, but that's a lot less than the damage that could be caused by drowning your iPhone. The lifejacket is not waterproof, so you would have to get a waterproof case separately, but the LifeProof lifejacket will stop your phone from sinking, which is pretty important if you're into sailing, kayaking, or even just lounging around in a jacuzzi, and you like to have your phone on hand.

Lapka- taking being aware of your environment to an extreme:

Ever wondered how much radiation is in the air around you? Been out for a meal and wondered how organic your steak was? Wanted to know the humidity in case your hair might frizz? Well this little set of beautiful designed tools can tell you all that, and more. Incorporating a Geiger counter, electromagnetic field meter (EMF), humidity and temperature gauge, and an organic meter, these little blocks are designed to make you more aware of the world around you, and how it could be affecting you and your family. The associated App stores your readings, so you can keep track of what you are being exposed to on a daily basis. I am sure there will be more meters added to the collection over the years. The set will cost you around $220, and if you're into science and being more aware of your surroundings, I guess it's worth it. The designers of Lapka said the look they were aiming for was "YSL meets NASA" and personally I think they have pulled this off beautifully.

A $15million yacht that can be controlled by your iPad? I kid you not…

And now for the most extravagant accessory that possibly will ever exist. I already thought it was pretty amazing that remote controlled helicopters can be used with an iPad, but this really does take the biscuit. The stunningly designed superyacht can be controlled by an iPad up to 50 metres away! Looking like something that has just come out of Star Trek, this really is the ultimate gadget.




Have you spotted any weird and wonderful Apple accessories? Tweet us @ubd_studio

(I am not sure whether any of this technology is available in the UK yet, all the prices I can seem to find are in dollars)

Source of Information:
http://www.lifeproof.com/shop/us_en/lifeproof-lifejacket/
http://www.theverge.com/2012/12/11/3726638/lapka-iphone-sensors-yves-saint-laurent-meets-nasa
http://edition.cnn.com/2013/07/01/tech/is-this-space-age-ipad-superyacht/index.html?hpt=hp_bn5