We have kicked off with lots of work all which will be posted here soon!

Well it has to be said we have neglected our own Blog. So welcome back! The move to Northampton meant lots of change - but all for the better. Our interactive side has been very busy with some iPad and iPhone apps in discussion along with some Flash software demo work.

We love our Macs at Tap Creative. Everynow and again we find a little tech tip - and so thought we'd share them on our Blog. First up is a handy list of keyboard shortcuts and a cool iPhone tip.

1. http://homepage.mac.com/frakes/MOSXPT/content/keyboard.html
2. Need to take a screenshot on your iPhone? just press the home key and the power button at the same time. Very useful!

Very glad to announce the launch of the new website for First Port Of Call. This project involved Tap Creative designing the branding and overall site concept. We really enjoyed working with the boys at FL1 Group for the custom Wordpress Development. It's been a great project to work on. It also made it in time for Cowes week! A detailed case study is being penned as we speak, so watch this space!

The Cycle Challenge is nearly upon us!

Here is an update on the sponsored cycle challenge. David and Simon will be joining Mark Lawson and his team on Saturday 12th June in Preston, Lancashire. Ten bikes will be taken up, we will then share the miles out across the team. There will be at least two riders cycling at any one time. We will make our way back down the country returning on Monday 13th June.

Here is the cycling itinerary :

Saturday 11th June:
Depart from Preston Lancashire to: Preston near Shrewsbury.

Saturday 12th June:
Depart from Preston near Shrewsbury to: Preston Bagot Near Warwick.

Saturday 13th June:
Preston Bagot Near Warwick to: Preston, Hertfordshire.

We are hoping to raise funds for Match 4 Max. This is a a fund to raise money for Max Moore-Haines a 3 year old boy who was born with a rare blood disorder called Diamond Blackfan Anaemia (DBA). Click on "more" for full details and sponsorship options.

DBA is an extremely rare condition caused by a failure within the bone marrow, resulting in an inability to produce red blood cells. Max‘s parents are attempting to raise money so that they can go through an expensive and complex ‘PGD’ procedure which will ensure they have another child who is guaranteed to be a genetic match to Max. The umbilical cord collected at birth of his new baby brother or sister will be used to for a bone marrow transplant for Max and will provide him a treatment-free life.

For more information please visit http://www.match4max.co.uk.

Can you sponsor Tap Creative in this event? We are looking to raise as much as possible for this ground breaking treatment so other children can also benefit in the future. If you or your company can pledge even a small amount please leave a comment at the end of this post. Then visit the Match4Max site after the event and pay the money online.

I really hope you can help us. David and Simon have been training hard since April and are now ready to take it on. Will we make it? will our legs forgive us? You will be able to track our progress from the 10th June on the Tap Creative Twitter Feed.

We are very pleased to see the first batch of our packaging and brand designs for Magic Choc appear online.

The Magic Choc project involved a pitch where we went up against three other companies.

Initially for branding "Magic Choc" only. We opted for a "wet look" chocolate and kept the whole look and feel very loose. After winning this stage of the pitch we went on to produce the pack designs.

Chocolate models were flown over from Ireland so we could shoot them at our studio in St Albans. Once the shoot was complete we retouched the images and assembled them into the design. The main idea was to convey movement (especially the chocolate rocket!) music to a child's ears! With chocolate rockets, chocolate dogs, and not forgetting the chocolate crocodile - we couldn't really fail to produce some exciting, fun packaging.

The product itself is amazing, kids love it as they can literally play with their food!

Here is what Paul from The In Thing had to say about the first concepts:

"I just thought I would drop you a quick e-mail as I found myself ‘grinning like a Cheshire cat’ sat at my desk looking at the artwork that has just been sent through!"

Communication through innovation, the power of cross media publishing

We have been working with Xerox on several XMPie concept projects. Our group has invested in XMPie to power our iGen digital press as the cross media possibilities are not only very powerful, they represent the future of digital print and cross media communnications. See the movie below for an overview of XMPie and cross media.

David and Simon will be joining a few of our clients in the Preston to Preston (Hertfordshire) Cycle Challenge from June 11-13th. 250 miles is the target. Simon and Mark will probably cycle the whole route over the three days. David is going to share some mileage. The more the better! We are all in training (some more than others - ahem')

Well as an Easter treat we have installed much a better blog module on our site. David will be transferring some of the old content over and getting on with keeping everyone up to date on the new system.