How We Combine Design and SEO to Boost Your Business Online

How We Combine Design and SEO to Boost Your Business Online In today’s digital world, a stunning website alone isn’t enough to drive success. While great design grabs attention, Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) ensures your audience can actually find you online. At Quay Media, we combine the power of professional design with strategic SEO to […]

10 Graphic Design Trends to Watch for in 2025

10 Graphic Design Trends to Watch for in 2025 The world of graphic design is constantly evolving, driven by changes in technology, culture, and consumer behaviour. As we look ahead to 2025, designers and businesses alike need to stay ahead of the curve to create visuals that are not only fresh and engaging but also […]

Why Great Design Matters for Local Businesses in Torquay

Deckchairs on pier in Paignton Devon UK

Why Great Design Matters for Local Businesses in Torquay In an increasingly competitive market, first impressions matter more than ever. Whether you’re a small café on the seafront, a boutique shop in the town centre, or a tradesperson serving the local community, great design can set your business apart and ensure your message resonates with […]

An SEO Case Study

The Client: In 2016, I was approached by Jennifer Davy, an Alexander Technique teacher who worked primarily in Exeter. Jennifer was keen to modernise her marketing and use the power of the internet to generate new clients and customers. When we first spoke, my initial job was to properly understand what the Alexander Technique is, […]

What To Do When You’ve NOT Been Paid

In the post-pandemic world, no business – be it big or small – has survived unscathed, with one of the most seriously impacted parties being small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), for whom the pandemic cost an estimated £126.6 billion. As there are over 6 million SMEs in the UK – who account for over 99% […]

Why Growing Businesses Need Reliable IT Support From An Early Stage

You have a great idea for a business and you decide to go for it. You’re going to create the next unicorn startup! But what help do you need to bring it to life? A financial plan? If you are raising funds to fuel your new company’s growth, you will definitely need to have a […]

Life Through A Lens: The Career Of A Professional Photographer

Hi Ian, thanks for joining me today. What made you discover your passion for photography, and how did you begin learning your craft? I had been travelling abroad, and when I returned to England I started to work in a local pub. One day, I found a camera that someone had left behind and handed […]

Five Top Tips For Better Mental Health In The Workplace

Step One is a local organisation that supports people across Devon, who may or may not have disabilities, with their mental health problems. Our vision is to help individuals live more independently and with greater confidence so that they can fulfil their potential.  The charity has an incredible 85-year history of capacity building across the […]

The 6 Key Stages In Social Innovation

At Make A Dream Publishing Ltd., while investigating what underpins the successful creation of a social enterprise, we came across the 224-page e-book Social Innovator Series: Ways to Design, Develop and Grow Social Innovation.  This inspired us to create a workshop and a subsequent webinar based on the steps required to create a social enterprise.  […]

10 Top Tips For Social Media

1. Define Your Goals Work out what you’re trying to achieve, and how you’re going to achieve it. 2. Know Who You’re Targeting … and create relevant content designed to engage them. 3. Post Consistently, But Add Value While we advise posting on social media every single day, it is important to add value with […]

Sole Trader Or Limited Company: Which Is Best For Your Business?

If you’re a sole trader, you may have heard that you can save tax by running your business through a limited company. This could indeed be the case, but there are many factors you should consider before you decide what to do.  Let’s take a look at the advantages and disadvantages of trading through a […]

Why Mental Wellbeing Matters

When was the last time you checked in with yourself and asked, ‘how am I?’  We can easily become weighed down with our workload, feel under pressure to meet deadlines, spend our days managing our teams, get completely caught up in the cycle of working 9-5 (or longer), and then without realising, we’re at the […]

Character Building: 3 Unexpected Ways Animation Is Used In Marketing

As the importance of social media as a marketing platform has risen, it’s become harder than ever to stand out. Companies are going to extraordinary lengths to attract (and maintain) the attention of potential customers, and one of the more modern tools they’re using to achieve this, is animation. Animation and CGI have made a […]

Why Every Business Should Adopt A Subscription Model

The way we buy is changing.  Currently, there is an ongoing shift away from making individual, one-off purchases for goods and services, in favour of a subscription (or reoccurring income) model. This model has expanded from its roots in magazines, music, and streaming to now being commonplace in industries such as software, automotive, fashion, and […]

5 Top Tips For Stress Relief: How To Have A Healthier Mind At Home And At Work

The world is a stressful place right now. The COVID-19 pandemic saw a surge in mental health issues, with statistics from the World Health Organization reporting a worldwide increase in depression and anxiety of over 25%, with a particular impact being had on young people and women. The root of much of this increase may […]

5 Powerful Ways To Raise Your Online Profile

The internet offers businesses unrivalled opportunities to promote their services, connect with potential clients and customers, and convert interest into sales. But the online marketplace is crowded, even oversaturated. There is more competition now than ever before and standing out is a challenge.  This is why if you want to improve your chances of achieving […]

Have You Thought About Becoming A Your Partnerships Ambassador?

  What do you want to get from a networking event?    To make connections? Raise awareness of your brand? Or – as may be at this time – to just feel completely comfortable in a room full of strangers? Well, you can get all these things from a single Your Partnerships event – and […]

Alex Interviews: Andrew Macmillan From aiMac-hr

Alex: Hi Andrew, can you tell me a bit about yourself and your business? Andrew: I am a fully qualified employment lawyer with over 25 years’ experience, and the owner of aiMac-hr employment law consultancy. We offer a range of employment law and hr services to businesses and individuals.  aiMac-hr was launched on 1st July […]

What Are Infographics And Why Should You Be Using Them?

The first statistical graphs as we know them today were created by William Playfair in his 1786 book The Commercial And Political Atlas, although some historians argue there are cave paintings in the Serra Da Capivara caves in Brazil with similar features to many modern infographics that date from as far back as 25,000 years […]

Jellies That All Can Enjoy!

I am Louise Turley – AKA The Jelly Lady. As a single mum new to Devon, and with a startup freelance graphic design business to promote, I decided networking was the way forward. However, it soon became apparent that traditional events didn’t tie in well with the logistics of having small children, so I decided […]

A Rant: The Importance Of Internal Communications

Why is it that internal comms is so often external comms’ poor relation – the place where half-baked creativity goes to die?  It makes no sense, and it seems like madness that in an age where a single employee’s behaviour can bring a company to its knees, we still seem to save the ‘good stuff’ […]

Thrive: Free Business Support Service Launched

A new business support service called Thrive has been launched, offering a range of business training and support services for the self-employed and small to medium-size enterprises (SMEs) in Devon, Plymouth, Somerset*, and Torbay. The service aims to stimulate economic development through improving SME productivity and competitiveness, helping businesses to grow, create jobs, and reach […]

When Times Are Good You Should Advertise, When Times Are Bad You MUST Advertise!

Many business leaders have talked about why it is important to ‘pivot’ during the COVID-19 pandemic. They all have their own ideas about what it actually means, and their own agendas for telling business owners why it is important.  But what does ‘pivot’ actually mean, and why is it important? A ‘pivot’ refers to a […]

Goal Setting: The Key To Success At Every Stage Of Life

My name is Keely Pierce and I am the founder of I Am More Academy Ltd.  As a child, I grew up among many challenging circumstances: addiction, poverty, prison visits, neglect, and turmoil to name a few.  It took me a decade of personal development to understand that this wasn’t my fault, and that I […]

What You Should Wear When You’re About To Be Shot!

What You Should Wear When You’re About To Be Shot! Few people truly love having their photograph taken, and even less like having it taken for work or business purposes. Seeing the photographer turn up with a huge camera and studio set-up can be very daunting. Maybe for you, it brings back memories of spotty teenage […]

Investing In Creative Video Marketing

Investing In Creative Video Marketing Can Your Business Benefit From Videography? If a picture tells a thousand words, then what can a video say? With at least 25 frames in every second, you wouldn’t be wrong in thinking that video has a considerable advantage over other forms of digital marketing. Our ever-increasing consumption of social […]

The Art Of The Infographic: A Secret Weapon Revealed

The Art Of The Infographic: A Secret Weapon Revealed For those of you who are knowledgeable about Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), you’ll know that getting backlinks to your website is essential if you want to rank high in the Google search results for your target keywords. If you’re wondering what a backlink is at this point, […]

Why Invest In Print Advertising?

Isn’t everything online nowadays? Now more than ever, it may feel like the world is going digital. We can access many of our favourite publications through their social media accounts or email newsletters, and businesses are now investing more time than ever in their online presence. But this can be misleading. Several universities have now […]