The new brand, which is focussed on selling ethically manufactured surf clothing and leisure wear, went live in early December with a big PR and marketing launch planned for the new year. Keep an eye out for them and support another local business.

"It's the moment when design becomes absolutely critical to survival, growth and success - and it's great to see that there’s a growing recognition of this within the business community" says David Kester, Chief Executive of The Design Council.

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Why bother with a brand?
With the recent recession driving more holiday makers to British tourist spots, now is a perfect opportunity for Brighton to address its identity crisis. Over the past twenty years Brighton & Hove has undergone a massive cultural change. Development work and local communities have grown exponentially since it achieved city status in 2000. Tourism is still massive part of the local economy and with more than 8 million tourists visiting each year, it's vital that the city is able to compete with other seaside destinations.

Brighton’s identity crisis
Brighton represents a melting pot of history and youth. You will find a blend of social and economic groups mixing together happily. However focus on the city's nightlife has damaged its reputation in recent years. From its middle class cafe culture, to its architectural flamboyance. From booming digital businesses to exuberant nightlife. There are many different sides to Brighton, but it strikes us that there is no powerful symbol that can unite these different aspects.
  
There are existing logos used by Brighton & Hove City Council, that have different amounts of success and recognition. However Brighton deserves an icon that can become internationally synonymous with the city. Something infectious, something worn with pride by the people of Brighton, something that visitors are drawn to.

What a brand can do for Brighton
If you want to see a city using branding to its full potential, then take a look at how the 'I heart NY' icon created an inspirational worldwide icon. By building a brand that people believe in, you can promote Brighton to businesses, domestic and international students, tourists and investors. All of which brings money in to the city council, which can be re-invested.

Engaging the people of Brighton
Here at Preview we are excited by the power that the web can give communities. By connecting with Brighton's digital culture there is an opportunity to let anyone in Brighton have a say in how their home is portrayed. We would like to use the deep pool of digital specialists to develop a system for residents to rate, share, comment, discuss, record and respond to the city's culture. A shared brand that everyone has a stake in.

Creating the brand
Creating a brand for Brighton is a unique challenge and it would take a unique process to be successful. It's the task of a branding agency to get as close to clients and their audience, as possible. This is where we exploit our experience of working with public sector organisations. Our clients like to think of us as part of their company, including us in their board meetings and seeking our advice on their strategies. Our studio acts as an outsourced brand department, allowing us to submerge ourselves in the task. Working in partnership with clients, from ideas and planning, through to design, production and presentation.

An open invitation
We love to talk branding. We also love working with clients who challenge us. So this is an open invitation to Brighton & Hove CIty Council, to talk to us about Brighton's future and how we can help to make it better.

There was also a special guest appearance on stage by Preview's office dalek. However, it was completely overshadowed by the life-sized version Hal and his team had built, which eventually had it's head blown off!

For more information on Dr Hal visit www.drhal.co.uk where you can sign up to his newsletter and receive updates on future shows and his range of educational science games.

We’d like to say a huge ‘thank you’ to all of those who came to the party and helped to make it a very special night. The most respectable of the photos taken, can be seen on our Flickr feed (the rest will be held to ransom).

It’s great to look back at our achievements, but we are far more excited about the future. So we’ve decided to create a virtual time capsule of predictions for the next 15 years. We’ve already started the collection off by making our predictions for the next fifteen years, so now we’d like to hear from you.

Taking part is very simple. All you have to do post your prediction on Twitter, tagged with #preview15

www.preview.co.uk/future

The paint is still wet, but we hope you like it. If you have any comments on the update, please feel free to add them here.

More and more marketing plans are incorporating environmental policies. The need for printed marketing material is being questioned at every stage, to reduce costs and the impact on the environment. But we are asking are these reductions in print limiting how companies market themselves or is it the inevitable shift to fully digital brands?

We don’t mind if it’s bespoke work, an evolving series or a selection of your favourite work, as long as it’s really good.

If your interested send your details to Martyn, our Creative Director.

A teaser campaign has already been rolled out and the new site is live. Interest in this year's awards has already topped the previous event and tickets are almost sold out. So get in there quickly!

You can see our work as it progresses on our Flickr feed
And you can follow updates on the awards at the Gatwick Diamond Business Awards Twitter feed