Audacity and brilliance

Well that's what the judges said, anyway. The Oskar annual report I wrote last year (see below) won 'Best Private Sector Annual Report' at this month's Communicators in Business Awards, beating off stiff competition from giants like WPP, Lloyd's and MFI. A victory for the little guy, I'd say. Congratulations to The Farm for their out-there design, and having the strength and conviction to push it through. You can download a full PDF version of the annual report at by clicking here.

Private View

I've just completed my 36th monthly Private View column for Design Week. This month's effort takes a sideways look at making a good first impression.

Even with my questionable maths, I've figured out this constitutes a third anniversary. You can help me celebrate by reading it in full when it comes out on 25 May.

Award in the USA

A handsome certificate dropped through the totalcontent letterbox last week. It was for the 2003 Orange Corporate and Social Responsibility report, which won a prestigious Award of Excellence at the 2005 Communication Arts awards in New York. I'd contributed all the words for the second year running. This one featured arresting illustration by Olivier Kruger, and was designed by Conran Design Group.

Writing for running

It's not often you get to meet one of your childhood heroes in the course of your work. But, during a project for UK Athletics through design company Navy Blue, I was lucky enough to spend time with former world 5000-metre record-holder David Moorcroft - UKA's inspiring chief executive. The outcome - a document aimed at geeing up British clubs and athletes in the run up to the 2012 Olympics - will be published soon.