B and B blog

Networking 2018 style with Shapr January 12, 2018 12:00

Ok, we admit it... the strapline 'Tinder for LinkedIn' is what drew us in! But Shapr, a super useful networking app, is so much more than just gimmicks.

Shapr logo

We've had our business for over 17 years. When we started up, we were young, childless and could work till crazy o'clock 7 days a week. Nowadays getting to networking events at 5 a.m. or schmoozing at a bar late into the night can be tricky. Shapr enables us to network on our own schedule.

 Shapr Profile Majida Burch

It's super easy to set up a profile and get started on Shapr. If you use LinkedIn, you can quickly pull in your picture and bio. You can also upload a picture from your phone. I decided to create a custom Shapr biography to make it ultra effective, as a well crafted bio is your chance to sell yourself. The app uses your interests to make suggested matches more relevant, so it's worth putting some thought into the hashtags you choose. Once you start matching with dream contacts, you can refine tags based on the ones your target matches are using.

Shapr hashtags

It also pays to specify exactly what you are looking for on Shapr. It has pre-set categories you can choose from. Our main focus on Shapr is business development, but we are also interested in potential collaborations and meeting other creatives, so our choices reflect this. You can be very specific so if you just want a co-founder, or a job, you can make this clear. If you just moved to a new town and want to make friends, you can use Shapr to speed up this process.

Shapr Interests

It's also worth taking time to set up external links, including your LinkedIn profile, and contact details. Potential matches may use this information to decide whether they are interested in meeting you. Existing matches can use this to research you/your company, or to get in touch with you outside the app.

Shapr links

We have been using Shapr since the summer of 2017, and have had countless meetings and calls leading to great connections and opportunities. The Shapr community is full of friendly helpful individuals who want to meet people like you. We recommend Shapr everywhere we go, as it is a fantastic way to meet people in a fun and accessible way. And who knows when that Shapr match might turn into a collaboration, sale or new best friend!

www.shapr.co


Eye Candy Festival 2016 September 28, 2016 12:00

We are going to be very early risers on Saturday 1 October 2016 to drive up to Birmingham and set up our stall at the Eye Candy Illustration & Art Fair, part of the Eye Candy Festival of art. Eye Candy has been running in Birmingham since 2012 and is organised by Kerry from the cult underground magazine Fused.

We will be selling butterfly skull belts and unframed A1 art posters for super duper Eye Candy prices of just £5 each. Also we'll be taking orders for giclée fine art limited edition prints, illustrated textured extra-wide wallpapers and Leather Satchel x Brennan & Burch printed leather bags.

Our belts are also available for sale in the fab Eye Candy pop-up store at Great Western Arcade, Colmore Row, Birmingham B2 5HU from Wednesday 28 September 2016 - Saturday 8 October 2016.

Mad World poster

Let the Music Play poster

 

 


The Leather Satchel Co. x Brennan and Burch collaboration August 10, 2016 12:00

We have both admired The Leather Satchel Co. for some time, because the design, colours and quality of their bags is outstanding and they are a traditional heritage British company. We have both bought satchels and always get great feedback wherever we go, and the neon ones are right up our acid house street.

We were thrilled to meet Keith Hanshaw, the Managing Director of The Leather Satchel Co., at an exhibition in London. We had a good old chat and talked about the possibility of putting our heads together to do something in the future. A year or so down the line, our The Leather Satchel Co. x Brennan & Burch collaboration was born.

We are very excited to have been given free reign to choose from all their designs and to select two of our prints to use. One print 'New Forest' was chosen as it has been graffitied onto a wall by Romford station and Keith loves it. The other print 'Let the Music Play' is full of our usual mad characters and colour. To start the range we plumped for the gorgeous pixie bag and a roomy leather tote bag. Here is a preview of them being made by hand by master craftsman Keith.

Let the Music Play Pixie Bag in progress image1

Let the Music Play Pixie Bag in progress image2

New Forest Tote Bag in progress image1

New Forest Tote Bag in progress image2


Mini Moderns x Pure Whitby DAB Radios June 3, 2015 12:00

Mini Moderns and Pure have a new range of digital radios with bluetooth out soon. They are decorated with their popular Whitby print.

Available from July, nice one lads!

Mini Moderns x Pure Whitby Pop Maxi

Mini Moderns x Pure Whitby lifestyle

Mini Moderns x Pure Whitby Pop Midi 

The super friendly Keith Stephenson and Mark Hampshire from Mini Moderns (Photo: Will Cooper-Mitchell)

Keith and Mark from Mini Moderns

http://www.minimoderns.com