A bit about Novari. Novari is a design and innovation consultancy serving the needs of museums, galleries, universities, b2b services, retail, and broadcast & online media.

Don't think that Novari just design things. Through our user-centred research service, we help you do the innovating - by understanding your customers and employees and helping you to design services or products that suit their needs.

Our founder and Chief Innovator, Philip Ely, has been doing this sort of stuff for nearly 20 years and everyone that works for (or with) Novari shares the same passion for design-led results.

SECTOR HIGHLIGHT: Public Services

~ Signage System for Portsmouth Historic Dockyard

Before a redevelopment project, Portsmouth Historic Dockyard (containing the flagships Mary Rose, HMS Victory and HMS Warrior 1860) was, literally, losing it's visitors.

The solution, was a signage system that included a map and signposts from the visitor car park to the entrance to the Dockyard. The design was inspired not by a conservative nod to the historic past (where calligraphic type is just too hard to read), but inspired by the excellent signage system at Schipol, Amsterdam.

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~ Temporary Signage for University College for the Creative Arts

Expecting a large number of public visitors to it's annual Degree Show, the University's Farnham campus needed a low-cost but clear sign system to help visitors find their way around the maze of rooms and corridors.

The Novari design took advantage of show publicity and corporate style, to create clear signposting using high-res digital printing on semi-gloss paper.

~ Brand identity for Research Group

The Home Entertainment research project, funded by the Surrey Institute of Art & Design needed a strong brand identity to publicise it's work.

The final design was developed for both print & online implementation.

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~ Poster Design & Conference Programme for the University College for the Creative Arts

The Home Interaction Research Cluster was holding it's inaugural symposium in November 2007 and needed venue publicity and delegate programme.

The final design had to be strong and noticeable - announcing the location of the conference and giving delegates a strong impression about the prestige of the event.

~ Corporate Identity for Warwick Business School Spin-Out

Warwick Business School management consultant, Nick Barclay was looking for an identity for his start-up business. The business wanted to make a good first impression through it's company stationery.

By looking at the company's key client communications, we designed business cards, letterhead and electronic invoicing templates that became 'think pieces' - surprising existing or potential customers with philosophy or wit. Now, every time Nick Barclay Associates makes contact it also makes new business.

Novari has a range of research services designed to support innovation and design activity. Whatever business sector you are in, you can commission our researchers to support business growth through:

• — Desk-based competitive analysis;
• — Opportunity mapping;
• — Ethnographic field studies (e.g interviewing, observations, focus groups);
• — Stakeholder Consultations;
• — Report-writing;
• — Project management;
• — Research design;
• — Innovation training.

If you'd like to discuss your business requirements with us, we'll determine the right methodology to support your ambitions. We'll be honest - you can't buy innovation off-the-shelf with a simple research menu-system. We'll need to talk to you directly about what you want to achieve.

It comes with a cost. A one-hour initial consultation can cost £150 per hour (exc.VAT), depending on your line of business and your location.

Our emphasis is always on getting insights into what your customers, stakeholders or employees actually want. In this respect, we are user-centred.

Our approach to innovation is informed by sociological insights - seeing what real behaviours, values and beliefs people bring with them to their interactions with you and your business. Long-gone are the days when marketers and designers can be given a brief to simply dream-up new ideas; they need to be located in the realities that customers, users or people create for themselves.

Don't just take our word for it - see what others say about design and innovation.

We'll be adding links to resources over the coming months allowing you to see for yourself how people, not companies, lead innovation. In the meantime, why not see what innovation gurus Phil McKinney and Charles Leadbeater have to say about user innovation.

Killer Innovations Podcast  from Phil McKinney (VP & Chief Technology Officer for Hewlett Packard's Personal Systems Group). Phil has an extensive podcast archive in which he discusses many aspects about developing new products and services. Updated regularly.

Charles Leadbetter.net Charles Leadbeater (visiting senior fellow at the British National Endowment for Science Technology and the Arts,senior research associate think-tank Demos and visiting fellow at Oxford University's Said Business School). Charles is another sought-after speaker and writer on innovation. His most recent book, We-Think challenges the norms of corporate-led innovation, drawing upon a number of innovation researchers, including Eric Von Hippel.

Novari MD, Philip Ely, is himself currently engaged on doctoral research on user-led innovation at the University of Surrey's Digital World Research Centre. The Centre is led by Professor Dr David Frohlich himself a former Hewlett Packard researcher and leading figure on the user-centred design of consumer products.

More to follow soon.

© All images and text, Novari Limited 2008
Novari Limited is a Registered Company in England.
Come back soon for regular innovation updates.