Thanks to Matty McMullen for sharing what he (Creative Director) and Jake Brown (Managing Director) are up to with the small but brilliant branding and advertising agency, Thunderclap Creative.

Matty has been working in creative design for almost 10 years. His journey began with the intention of becoming a graphic designer but quickly found his passion for creativity was better satisfied with concept design and illustration as these offered more opportunity explore shape, colour and story design.

Even with his first job as an illustrator, Matty was focused on telling the story with his designs and illustrations. He experimented with a blend of narrative and different styles of illustration, something creative directors struggled to accept as they could not slot him into one category. Instead of producing the same predictable work, Matty would craft unique creations for each project.

The global financial crisis was a turning point in Matty’s career, his position as an illustrator was made redundant. Some visa technicalities forced him to postpone further education in the USA and instead led him on an inspirational journey through Europe. Matty spent months as an autodidactic as he explored colours, shapes, light and composition in museums and galleries throughout Europe. It was during this exploration that two Monet and Rembrandt pieces made him realize the importance of the emotional impact of art rather than the academic theory – a lesson he continues to incorporate in his work with Thunderclap clients.

Jake Brown, Managing Director is based in London, UK where he oversees marketing, sales and strategy for Thunderclap. Jake also offers his expertise in these areas to Thunderclap clients, helping frame and execute project deliverables.

Thunderclap self-describes itself as a “duo of experienced brand agitators and advertising misfits who keep it small but dream big.” With years of experience in some of the biggest brand agencies, Jake and Matty decided to strip away all the layers that typically come with large agencies and start a small one. They like to foster unique relationships with their clients. Keeping their team small so the people who get briefed on the project are the same people who work on it. This results in a cleaner process, faster delivery, more creative and – most importantly – more exceptional results.

Matty shared a few slides that listed some incredible clients and remarkable projects, events and campaigns he worked on prior to forming Thunderclap, including: top international brands across several industries, world famous international chefs and even a former US President. But as rewarding as those experiences are, Thunderclap must create its very own. So all these amazing clients, campaigns, stories, and creative they have created throughout their careers are not referenced on their website.

However, even in its first year, Thunderclap is making a name for itself. Matty shared their philosophy and strategic approach to branding through a campaign they delivered earlier this year.

WILD MINDED was a 5-week, 360-degree digital branding and awareness campaign for the Billy Blue College of Design, an institute that offers design degrees. While it’s impossible to summarize the core elements of a world-class creative project in just a few paragraphs, a few highlights that are also staples of their approach include:

• Extensive research (understanding the audience)
• Leading design and creative (original concepts, core messaging)
• Strategic layout with tactical delivery
• Testing and refining in real time (e.g. gathering insights through eye tracking and adjusting the copy to increase reading of the messaging)

The campaign was a huge success, smashing all benchmarks and resulting in 24 enrolments (5-year program, $60,000) in just 4 weeks. The campaign was continued by the client and will be running again in 2017 as WILD MINDED 2.0. It was also nominated for a Brand Impact Award, an international design competition held in London, UK.

Visit thunderclapcreative.com for more information about Thunderclap, including a presentation and case study of the WILD MINDED campaign.

Thanks again Matty for sharing Thuderclap’s cool and inspiring approach to creative.

Annelise Mauritz ventured back into fSpace to update us on her bookkeeping business, Bilanz. Annelise started her business working from fSpace earlier this year and has already added an employee with plans to hire 1-2 more staff in early 2017.

Blianz offers several bookkeeping services including BAS & IAS filings, bank reconciliation, full accounts management and cash flow forecasting.

Annelise reminded us that bookkeepers are not accountants and that most businesses require both. In addition to taking care of many often frustrating and time consuming tasks, bookkeepers can offer advice to ensure that businesses are running as smoothly and efficiently as possible. They can also ensure a business bookkeeping system and all the processes that go into it are set up correctly. This prevents any headaches and time wasted to dig into records to fix mistakes that could have been prevented.

Annelise works with most accounting packages but has a particular preference for Xero. She can also advise on the more than 100 add-ons available to bookkeeping/accounting software – add-ons that can help save time and money.

While she is not a payroll or tax specialist, she knows enough to spot opportunities and offer advice on areas such as tax codes that a business owner might miss. With more complicated accounting structures or situations, she recommends getting expert advice to avoid potential penalties and fines. She also recommends all businesses have a quarterly review with their bookkeeper.

Thanks Annelise and best wishes for your continued success!

Petr Cervenka & Saulo Onze were the latest to present their business, Nano Solutions, to fSpace. Both Petr & Saulo have a passion for technology and innovation and they combine these passions as they solve business problems with web and mobile technology.

With a master’s degree in project management, Saulo also specializes in quality control. Petr, a former chef, now calls himself the ‘geek’ as he brings a background in systems administration and software engineering.

Nano Solutions focuses on developing customer relationships, communication and quality assurances as they create systems that solve problems for their clients. Services include cloud computing (moving systems to cloud platforms) and applications through software development. They also offer maintenance services on applications and systems.

As one would expect from a couple of tech gurus, they use a lot of cool software, including some of their own creation. All is used to improve efficiency and communication with the customer, such as their paperless system to approve and monitor projects. They also use detailed development and process software to help clarify and confirm expectations with customers. All these systems support their focus of ensuring the projects they work on result in a business value and return for their customers.

Nano Solutions is also strictly committed to quality control. In addition to software and peer review on new code development, they apply extensive testing throughout the development process. They even have bug-detection software that alerts of any problems.

A major project over the past 18 months is Beachsafe, a website (and soon to be app) that combines weather reports, tide & hazard information, and beach patrol schedules that enables people to make the best choice on which beach to visit. www.beachsafe.org.au

Always looking for new technology challenges, side projects include building a small satellite that will be launched into space and exploring virtual reality products.

Check out www.nanosolutions.io for more information. Thanks Petr & Saulo!