Who are we?

the officeRedfish Bluefish was founded by Claire and Mike Emmett. Our team of great people includes photographers, designers, programmers, printers, and marketers. All of us love to communicate, and all of us have years of experience in our chosen field. When you engage us on a job, you’ll meet all the people whose hands will touch the job. We don’t hide behind account managers or the receptionist.

Claire Emmett: Art director, visual communicator, designer, and company founder.
Favourite Colour: Process Blue.
email: claire@redfishbluefish.com.au
phone: 03 5962 6166
mobile: 0414 420 056

Mike Emmett: Business development, photographer, the guy who knows about the internet, and company founder.
Likes: Cabernet Sauvignon.
email: mike@redfishbluefish.com.au
phone: 03 5962 6166
mobile: 0418 990 813

Bec Smith: Junior Designer, photographer.
Super-hero name: Chickpea Girl
email: bec@redfishbluefish.com.au
phone: 03 5962 6166

Our key contractors:

Dan Hickingbotham, Alined: Web guru, designer, Mr WordPress.

Steve Miles, Little Black Bird: Designer, Mr Nice Guy.

Paul Davis, iSharp: PHP and MySQL hero, Mr Filemaker, and not a professional musician (any more)

What makes us tick?

In a word, design.

We love good design. Good visual communication. Well expressed visual ideas.

When design is good, it can tell a complete story for you with a single, simple form, or a couple of well-chosen words. When its bad, it will still tell a complete story, just not the one which was intended!

We also love talking design with people, solving problems, and having new ideas together. Our favourite client reaction is “Wow, that’s not what I expected – its so much better!” We shoot for this every time we take on a job, big or small.

We also love a productive, dynamic client relationship. Many of our clients have been with us since we started, and we’ve grown up together. New designs for new directions have come and gone, and we love that.

You’ll notice from our showcase here that we also love working for a cause. We have a number of clients on our books who we share common values with as human beings. We like to think that in this way, simple graphic communication can help make a difference.

Where are we?

_IGP5127-EditOur business has made its home in the Yarra Valley, Victoria, Australia. We love the surroundings, and know that since we moved here, our creativity has benefitted. As a result, so have our clients. Just take a look at the view out our window – inspiring, no?

Since we moved here from Ringwood, we have maintained clients from “down the line” (the city), and picked up work with new friends from the Yarra Valley. It’s always fun to hear our city clients say “wow, I can see why you moved here” – it’s an inspiring place to live and work.

Would you like us to work on your next project? We’d love to sit over a coffee (or beverage of your choice) and talk it through. We love visiting new clients in person, almost as much as we love the comments from our clients about the place we call “the studio”.

Address:
If you’re driving or having something delivered:
57 Hodges Road, Healesville (Click to see on a Google Map)

If you’re posting something to us:
Postal address: PO Box 1508, Healesville VIC 3777

Drop us a line, or make a call today, and we’ll make a time to talk!

Phone:
03 5962 6166 (or, for international callers: +61 3 5962 6166)

Mobile:
Claire: 0414 420 056
Mike: 0418 990 813

Email:
Click here to send an email to info@redfishbluefish.com.au

What we're thinking

I don’t know art, but I know what I like

Wednesday, May 18th, 2011

“…and I like that.” It’s the self-deprecating disclaimer that precedes an opinion of someone’s artwork which we hear all the time. A person sees a piece of art and forms an instant reaction to it. No cerebral academic argument, no justification, just a simple “I like that” or “It’s not for me.”

Far from being an uneducated reaction, though, it’s the most honest of reactions to art. It says the viewer has seen something, and it either made a connection with them, or failed to. No education is required to make an instant reaction, just an acknowledgement of the reaction that a piece of art caused in us.

The less helpful statement is “You can’t call that art!”. French artist, Marcel Duchamp, said “It’s art because I say it is.” His signed urinal (which he named “Fountain”) didn’t connect with some people – many protested that it could not be called “art”. He called it “Ready-made” art. But the real argument isn’t about whether it is art or not – it’s whether or not it made a connection with me.

This year is a huge year for art in the Yarra Valley. The Yarra Glen Art Show was a great success again, The Archibald Prize exhibition will be hung at Tarrawarra for the first time ever in July, and the Yarra Valley Open Studios promises to be better than ever. On a local level, the council are running “Not the Archies” for local artists to show portraits of local people. The Artist’s Lounge has opened in Healesville, selling art, art supplies, and artisan wares. Acme Et Al in Yarra Glen opens its doors soon. Mud Glass Metal in Healesville continues its success with the work of four local artists. The run of high quality exhibitions at the Upper Yarra Arts Centre and other regional galleries continues. There has never been so much art for us to consume in the Yarra Valley.

So, what should you look for in this sea of art in the Yarra Valley this year? How do we make the most of the inspiring creativity we have to opportunity to view? How do we approach it? Well, firstly be unashamed of your gut reaction. It’s the visceral connection that an artwork makes with you. You DO know art – it made you react.

As to whether or not you like it, try to understand why you’ve had the reaction that you’ve had. It might be new, challenging, or different. It might not be something you’d take home and live with, but has a perfectly comfortable home in an exhibition. This, I’ll admit, is often my reaction to a work of art. I am not sure I want to live with it in my home, but I am profoundly affected by it and am better-off for having seen it. I am glad that someone has taken the time to make it.

If the artwork challenges you, then stand up to it – take the challenge. Argue with it. In galleries you often overhear these arguments – “I can see what the artist was saying there, but…” At the end of the day, that’s what the artist wants – to engage you, the viewer, in a conversation. Be sure of yourself, but be prepared to change your mind as the artwork argues back. Be prepared to walk away saying “I thought I didn’t know art, and I thought I knew what I liked…”

Exhibition

Saturday, November 20th, 2010

ExhibFlyer

Come along! Promises to be a blast…

The joy of fish

Friday, May 28th, 2010

A growing sector of our business at the moment is professional photography. Bec and I have recently been shooting quite a bit together, and yesterday had the pleasure of shooting for chef Dale Prentice (Stones, Sous Vide Australia) at the restaurant of chef Michael Lambie, Taxi at Fed Square.

Dale’s sous vide water bath cooking system is amazing, and the results from this method of cookery are nothing short of astonishing. Yesterday, Taxi prepared salmon, kingfish, and pork belly for us to photograph. The dishes were all fine examples of the best of the sous vide technique, and made for beautiful photogenic image subjects.

Making hay from sharing stuff

Monday, May 17th, 2010

“Social Media” is the new term in the test for full buzz-word compliance. So, should you do it? Is it good for your business?

I’d like to think I was a good news story for social networking. Sure, the returns are relatively modest, and I’m not going to retire any time soon, but take a look here to see how Social Media makes me money.

Behind that post about making extra cash on a photo selling art network site is a bit more of a story. I’d have nothing to show for my photo posting if I’d had no strategy going in. Publishing that first photo was part of making a concerted effort to slowly open a new service in our business. We already had good web presence, solid search rankings, and a good reputation for supplying visual communication. The real lesson is to get your electronic media ducks lined up before you start Facebooking, Twittering, or RedBubbling. Your website needs to be right, you need to have resources to commit to an active presence, and you need to understand how to be interesting!

Print

Everything you print – from brochure to poster to simple invoice – should tell your story for you. It should make a memorable impact, and communicate the essence of your business. Why can’t your invoices help make your next sale with the same strength your brochures do?

Since 1995, we have been delivering high quality design for printed output. Our experience with ink and paper gives us insights others might miss. We can design printed material for your marketing and sales campaigns, fundraising, or general business activities which make the most of the opportunities you have when you place a physical object in front of your clients or potential customers. Here’s just a few example of our work over the years…

Identity

Your corporate identity is the most valuable piece of imagery in your business. Every time it’s seen, it should tell people who you are. We treat your most valuable visual asset with the respect and attention it deserves.

Our approach to developing a new identity for your business is a bit unique. We won’t do a beauty parade of endless, hastily drawn options, or page after page of mindless variations on the same theme. We develop a small number of unique ideas, based on an interview and discovery process with you. We pursue a visual answer to the question “who are you?”

Here’s a few samples from all the years we’ve spent creating unique visual identities…

Web

Forget the buzz words, and put away your keywords for a moment. Does your website tell the right story, communicate the right message to best represent your business?

Our first loves are good design, and effective communication. Our knowledge and experience with online media since 1997 mean that you can trust us to help your business thrive online.

Here’s a few sample of the websites we’ve had a hand in over the years…

Photography

Architectural, portrait, products, and commercial photography – all available from Redfish Bluefish Creative. We can apply a photo-journalistic approach to a function or wedding. We can photograph your product in our studio for use in catalogs, or create a hero image for advertising campaigns.

Take a look at some recently crafted images from our photography department…

We now have a feature website for those interested specifically in our photography services – becandmiketakephotos.com