Skip to stories
The TFD Blog.A little curiosity goes a long way.
Time for Designs
Illustrative creative desk with a printed mug, colourful books and a sketchbook
The TFD Blog

Ideas. Inspiration.
Real World Print.

Surprising brand stories, useful guides and the design decisions that make us look twice. From Time for Designs in Cashel.

Local businesses.
Brighter futures.
Stories and useful ideas

Today's stories

15 October 2026

No new stories published on 15 October 2026. Explore Six fresh reads for recent reading.

Browse the full article archive →

Find a story or practical guide

Search current titles, summaries and topics across 135 articles, or choose a subject. You can use both together.

Surprise me with a story Not sure where to begin? Try a hand-picked story from the archive.

Enter a brand or topic to start, or explore the latest stories below.

Orange Penguin paperbacks with varied spine typography arranged on wooden shelves in a used bookshop.
Pick of the day · 14 October 2026

Penguin’s Covers Changed. How Did the Books Still Look Like Penguin?

Orange covers, changing type and room for pictures: the designers behind Penguin’s unmistakable family of books.

Published
Photo: BrigidLIS · CC BY-SA 4.0

Read the story →
Movable printing type and paper in an original concept about the Cuala Press
Irish print history

The women who printed an Irish revival

Read the story →
A thoughtful person holding a phone near a modern business entrance, phone displays clear fictional page heading 'CAN YOU HELP WITH MY JOB?' with simple choices 'WHAT TO SEND' and 'ASK A QUESTION'
Useful business ideas

Looking professional—but what still makes customers hesitate?

Read the article →

Play a little.

A fresh reason to visit every day.

SudokuA little logicCrosswordA little knowledgeWord SearchA little discoveryBrand QuizA little curiosity
Editor’s picks this week

Start here: three great stories

Week beginning · A brand promise made physical, an Irish design experiment and a practical guide to keeping print information right.

LEGO Meant “Play Well”. The Clever Part Was Making the Bricks Prove It.A short name promised enjoyable play. The less visible work—compatible pieces, a better connection and repeatable production—made that promise tangible.Read the article →Before Design Became a Buzzword: Ireland’s Experiment in the Kilkenny Castle YardA national design experiment brought makers, prototypes and industry together—and left a legacy more complicated than a simple success or failure.Read the article →Event Details Keep Changing. How Do You Keep the Printed Information Right?A practical way to keep changing event details, artwork versions and final approval clear before production.Read the article →
Hand-picked reading collections

Choose a story trail

Open a collection to find connected stories. Pick any starting point and follow what catches your interest.

Business and growthTrust, useful differences and better campaign goals.Explore 3 articles
A thoughtful person holding a phone near a modern business entrance, phone displays clear fictional page heading 'CAN YOU HELP WITH MY JOB?' with simple choices 'WHAT TO SEND' and 'ASK A QUESTION'Your Business Looks Professional. What Still Makes a Customer Hesitate?Looking professional is a beginning, not an answer to every customer question. Here are six uncertainties a small business can make easier to resolve.Read the article →Person holding a physical print sample against light while another sample lies beside it, visible sharp printed botanical detail and neatly trimmed edgeStop Saying “Quality”: Show Customers What Makes You Worth ChoosingQuality and excellent service are easy claims to repeat. Give customers useful differences they can understand, verify and choose.Read the article →One business owner at a desk comparing a laptop showing an anonymous busy website visitor counter with a concrete paper customer brief in their handMore Visitors—or More Useful Enquiries? Choose the Goal Before the CampaignTraffic can show attention, but not whether marketing is helping your business. Choose a useful goal and distinguish visits, enquiries, quotations and paid work.Read the article →
Websites and customer experienceBriefing, helping visitors and keeping what works.Explore 3 articles
Illustration of a laptop, printed website pages and a checklist on a planning deskWhat to Prepare Before Asking for a Website QuoteYou do not need a finished website plan to start a useful conversation. Bring the customer need, content, functions and existing-site details—and mark what you are unsure about.Read the article →Close realistic smartphone held in hand showing a fictional small-business service page with one large obvious button 'ASK ABOUT THIS SERVICE', short clear heading 'PRINTED WORKWEAR' and garment imageYour Website Gets Visitors. Can They Work Out What to Do Next?A tidy website can still leave customers guessing. Follow a real task to find the unclear choices, missing answers and contact steps worth improving.Read the article →Website pages deliberately sorted into keep, improve and remove groupsReplacing an Old Website? Decide What to Keep Before You Start AgainA redesign should replace weaknesses without losing useful answers, images and established customer routes. Review what is worth bringing forward.Read the article →
Shopfronts and signageProofing, customer routes and choosing the right sign.Explore 4 articles
Choosing Business Signage: Materials, Location and Intended UseA practical guide to choosing signage for business premises, construction sites, clubs and events in Cashel and Tipperary.Read the article →Connecting Exterior and Interior Signs: Follow the Customer’s RouteAn exterior sign identifies the premises. The signs that follow should help a newcomer continue without losing the thread.Read the article →Reviewing Sign Artwork: A Customer-First Proofing ChecklistA sign proof needs more than a spelling check. Review what a customer notices first, whether the message works in its location and which artwork and production details still need…Read the article →Closing Temporarily? Tell Customers When to Return and What to Do NowCustomers at a closed door need a return time and a real next step. Use confirmed dates, explain uncertainty and keep every notice current.Read the article →
Workwear and teamsDecoration, group orders and hoodie design choices.Explore 3 articles
Navy polo shirt, hoodie and jacket arranged beside artwork colour samplesPrinted Workwear Decoration GuideStart with the garment, job and branding positions, then compare flock, vinyl, print and sublimation and prepare a clear team-workwear brief.Read the article →Navy polo shirt, hoodie and jacket arranged beside artwork colour samplesOrdering Printed Workwear for a Team: What We Need From YouBuild a clear team clothing brief: garment combinations, sizes, artwork positions, a named approval route and questions to resolve before production.Read the article →Comparing pullover and zipped hoodies while planning artwork positionsDesigning a Custom Hoodie: What to Decide FirstChoose the hoodie, colour, sizes, artwork and print positions before requesting a custom hoodie quotation from Time for Designs in Cashel.Read the article →
Print and artworkFlyers, posters and getting your logo ready.Explore 4 articles
Preparing a Logo for Print, Signs, Clothing and MerchandiseFind the right logo files, check small details and plan useful versions before printing on signs, clothing or merchandise. Practical artwork advice.Read the article →Poster Design and Typography: Give the Reader a Way InMake a poster easier to understand with clear hierarchy, readable typography and useful spacing. Practical checks before sending artwork to print.Read the article →Flyer Design and Distribution: Make the Plan Before the PrintPlan a flyer around its audience, message, distribution and next action. Check wording, artwork, quantities and proofs before production.Read the article →Will Your Photo Fit the Gift? Check What the Crop Leaves OutA favourite photograph may lose someone important when it fits a new shape. Compare a crop, a border or a different format before approving the print.Read the article →
Events and business launchesFirst visits, trade shows and changing event details.Explore 3 articles
First-time visitor welcomed at the counter of a fictional ceramics shopOpening a Small Business? Plan the Customer’s First Visit, Not Just the Opening DayA sign, a website, clothing and print each have a different job. Organise them around the customer’s first visit rather than a last-minute shopping list.Read the article →Concept of staff greeting a visitor at a trade-show stand with samples and printed displaysPlanning a Trade-Show Stand? Follow the Visitor From First Glance to Follow-UpA stand is more than its graphics. Plan the message, samples, staff clothing and print around what a suitable visitor needs to understand and do.Read the article →Two fictional Summer Fair proofs with a corrected date and approved versionEvent Details Keep Changing. How Do You Keep the Printed Information Right?A practical way to keep changing event details, artwork versions and final approval clear before production.Read the article →
Irish design and print historyThe people and working decisions behind three Irish design stories.Explore 3 articles
Movable printing type and paper in an original concept about the Cuala PressThe Women Who Printed an Irish Revival: Elizabeth Yeats and the Cuala PressThe women, books, cards and working decisions behind a remarkable chapter in Irish print culture.Read the article →Kilkenny Design Centre in the former castle stables, photographed in2018Before Design Became a Buzzword: Ireland’s Experiment in the Kilkenny Castle YardA national design experiment brought makers, prototypes and industry together—and left a legacy more complicated than a simple success or failure.Read the article →Explanatory composition of metal type and two printed sheets showing a two-stage printing processThe 1916 Proclamation Was Printed in Two Halves: The Craft Behind an Irish IconA shortage of type, three skilled printers and one sheet printed in two stages: the production story behind a familiar Irish document.Read the article →
Brand changes that surprised customersLogos, lettering and packaging changes that made people look again.Explore 5 stories
The IKEA Font Change That Started an Argument About BrandingIKEA changed the letters in its catalogue and started an argument about brand identity. The interesting lesson is not a claimed sales disaster—it is the tension between familiarity and a…Read the article →Cracker Barrel’s Logo Backlash Was Part of a Bigger StoryCracker Barrel simplified a familiar logo and triggered a revolt. The evidence shows why the backlash was about far more than one drawing—and what the business results actually prove.Read the article →Tropicana Changed One Carton—and Lost an Estimated $27 MillionTropicana replaced an orange pierced by a straw with a clean glass of juice. The redesign looked modern in isolation. On a crowded supermarket shelf, customers struggled to recognise it.…Read the article →The NASA Logo That Retired, Returned and Never Really Went AwayNASA retired its bold “worm” logo in 1992, then brought it back decades later. What can small businesses learn from a visual identity people remember?Read the article →Jif's New Packaging Wants You to Think Beyond the SandwichJif is keeping its familiar identity while making new uses easier to imagine. The naming, food pictures and planned rollout reveal the business question behind the refresh.Read the article →
When a message becomes a promiseAdvertising ideas, customer expectations and the consequences of an offer.Explore 5 stories
Avis Turned Second Place into a Promise Customers Could TestAvis admitted it was second. The interesting part was what it promised customers next—and how the message became a standard the service could be judged against.Read the article →How Hoover's £100 Free-Flights Promotion Cost £48 MillionHoover wanted to sell more appliances. Its offer of two free flights was so attractive that people bought products simply to claim the travel. Sales surged, fulfilment buckled and the…Read the article →Why Volkswagen Made Its Car Look Small on a Big Advertising PageVolkswagen made a small car the organising idea of an entire advertising page. Discover the named creatives, the 1959 campaign and why words and layout worked together.Read the article →De Beers’ “A Diamond Is Forever”: Four Words, a Much Longer StoryFrances Gerety wrote four enduring words in 1947. Explore the earlier ring tradition, surviving print advertisement and later campaigns without the myths or unsupported sales claims.Read the article →Why Guinness Put Two Pints on a Toucan’s BeakA colourful bird, two pints and a copywriter’s pun: the design decision that made Guinness part of its own visual joke.Read the article →
Business decisions and changing customersStories about growth, acquisitions and businesses facing a changing market.Explore 4 stories
Original illustrative election cereal boxes and startup funding papersAirbnb Was Running Out of Money. Then It Sold Election Cereal.An unusual piece of packaging helped a young business get noticed.Read the story →Conceptual Blockbuster rental case beside a streaming televisionBlockbuster Went Online. The Hard Part Was Making It Work.A familiar business faced a changing way of buying and watching.Read the story →Conceptual iced-tea bottle and bulk case in a fictional small shopQuaker Bought Snapple. Did It Understand What Made the Brand Work?An acquisition story about brand assumptions and customer fit.Read the story →A translucent Bondi Blue iMac G3 in three-quarter viewApple’s Comeback: The Work Behind the Famous ProductsA business turnaround offers a contrast to stories of decline.Read the story →
Stories and useful ideas

Six fresh reads

Irish history, surprising brand decisions and practical help for your business. Pick what catches your interest.

Your Website Is Live. Could Someone Else Keep It Running?Make a website handover record that separates domain control, hosting, editable content, backups and rights—with evidence and clear responsibilities.Read the article →

Published

An Event Badge Has One Small Moment to Help: When Somebody Says HelloMake event badges useful for introductions: choose the visible information, test real names, protect private details and plan corrections.Read the article →

Published

Does Your Handout Still Make Sense in Black and White?Check whether a handout keeps its meaning without colour, then review the printed details. A practical two-pass guide with a clearly fictional example.Read the article →

Published

Aer Lingus Kept the Shamrock. The Bigger Change Was Around It.Aer Lingus retained its shamrock in 2019 while changing the visual system around it. Explore the tension between recognition, Irish identity and rollout.Read the article →

Published

Jif's New Packaging Wants You to Think Beyond the SandwichJif is keeping its familiar identity while making new uses easier to imagine. The naming, food pictures and planned rollout reveal the business question behind the refresh.Read the article →

Published

Will Your Photo Fit the Gift? Check What the Crop Leaves OutA favourite photograph may lose someone important when it fits a new shape. Compare a crop, a border or a different format before approving the print.Read the article →

Published

Browse the full article archive →

Browse all articles

Open the full archiveBrowse articles by publication date, with page links for older reads.
Worth another look

Practical articles readers can return to

Signage

Choosing business signage

What the sign needs to do, where it will sit and what to confirm before choosing a material.

Published

Plan a signage brief →
Stickers and labels

Choosing the right sticker or label format

Match the design, shape and surface, then check the exact wording and finished size.

Published

Review sticker and label choices →

About these articles

Our approach: link to the evidence used for a story, distinguish documented events from our interpretation, and explain the practical design or marketing lesson. Where a date, claim or image credit needs correcting, please send the article URL and the specific point to [email protected].

Published by Time for Designs in Cashel. Our stories combine documented events with our practical interpretation. Check the references provided in each article when exploring the evidence.

Some archived articles were written several years ago and have not all been freshly reviewed. Dates and information should be read in that context. For current products, materials and production advice, contact our Cashel team.

Good ideas happen here.

Where creativity
comes to life.

Our blog explores the ideas behind memorable brands, clever design and stories worth sharing. If something here sparks an idea for your own business, come and meet us in Cashel.

Whether you’re planning your first website or refreshing an existing one, we can talk through your ideas, what your customers need and what you want your website to achieve.

Let’s talk about your website →Explore Web Design
Time for Designs meeting room in Cashel with blue chairs and a navy branded feature wall
Visit Time for Designs ↗