NESTA Creative Credits round 2

NESTA is doing another round of their brilliant Creative Credits scheme, the deadline is 1st March so if you haven't got your application in yet make sure you do! More info on: www.creative-credits.org.uk/apply-for-a-credit/

Leeds Plan B & Scouse Soul Stew books online now!

We are pleased to announce that the beautiful hand bound books documenting the Ultimate Holding Company's Leeds Plan B and Scouse Soul Stew projects have been completed and uploaded to the project pages on to our website. The books were designed in-house by UHC and bound by Lucy May Schofield.

To download a pdf of the Leeds Plan B book please click here.

To download a pdf of the Scouse Soul Stew book please click here.

Reclaim Power posters

A couple of poster design proposals we supplied to Climate Justice Action recently!

RSA Arts and Ecology - The highlights of 2009.

We are extremely happy to announce that Ext Inked has been selected by the RSA as one of the arts and ecology highlights of 2009!

To see the full list of highlights please visit the RSA Arts and Ecology website.

Picture of the day

Our image of the day shows Ink V's Steel hard at work tattooing Ext Inked ambassadors with their chosen species. Ext Inked, the latest art project from Ultimate Holding Company, in conjunction with the Marine Conservation Society, Buglife (The Invertebrate Conservation Trust) and the People's Trust for Endangered Species.

To find out more about this project please visit the Ext Inked project page and to see more images of the exhibition and the tattoos please visit the Ext Inked facebook page.

UHC on Twitter

UHC has started Tweeting, follow us on http://twitter.com/Ult_Holding_Co!

Principle Six

Co-operatives UK have produced a worker co-operative Code of Governance with seven principles providing a guide for running a successful co-operative business . One of these principles, number six, advocates co-operation, networking and trading between co-operatives to strengthen the co-operative economy and broaden the movement.

UHC attended a business referral event today, which was based on Principle 6 and organised by Co-operatives North West, giving co-operatives in the north west an opportunity to think about how we can bring more business to each other, or in other ways help with the development of each others activities.

It was a great event in terms of getting to know other regional business better and get ideas for how we can help promote each other or contribute to the growth of the sector. More Principle 6 events are planned for the north west over the spring and we are looking forward to attending the next one!

ExtInked Press

Amelia's Magazine by Adam Sutcliffe
Amelia's Magazine by Grace Beaumont
BBC Manchester
The Guardian by Jenny Jones
The Guardian by Hugh Warwick
New Scientist by Jessica Griggs
The Mule by Samantha Bradey
South Manchester Reporter by Amy Glendinning

Seasons Greetings

2009 is almost behind us and it's been a busy year developing exciting new projects with some old friends and welcoming aboard some great new collaborators. We'd like to say a massive thank you to all our clients, friends and collaborators for a great year, we hope you will have a lovely Christmas and we're looking forward to seeing you in the new year!

The studio will be closed for our winter break from Thursday 17th December and we are opening again on Monday the 4th January 2010. We'll be checking our phones and emails regularly however so please feel free to get in touch!

Thinking Objects features Spring Shrouds

Excellent product design book 'Thinking Objects', written by our friend, designer and university lecturer Tim Parsons, features a short section on 'Design as political activism' which mentions UHC's Spring Shrouds, designed and made for comedian Mark Thomas two years ago. The shrouds were put up around Manchester during rush hour one morning, covering every pavement advertising hoarding in the city centre (80 in total), giving commuters a 'temporary respite from the daily barrage of commercial messages'. The book can be bought from AVA Academia.