Member Blog

The Need for Training

Attaining an RTITB Forklift Licence

Obtaining your forklift licence is necessary for you if you are looking to further your career within this industry. It is the mark of someone who can not only drive a forklift but drive it safely, efficiently and in a professional manner.

Once your RTITB Forklift Operation Certificate is attained, you have it for life, with no expiration date (although the; National Operators Registration Scheme records this training does).

The Need to Refresh Your Certificate

Refreshing an already attained forklift certificate is a good way to maintain safe working practises and eliminate accumulated bad practices that may have been accumulating over a period of time since the last training took place.

Some certificate holders may only be occasional operatives, by refreshing and updating an existing licence will ensure skill fade does not creep in over time.

Most reputable companies will insist newly appointed operators, who already have an RTITB Forklift Licence, take a refresher course to demonstrate they are a safe and competent operator. This can also form part of a familiarisation course to ensure they a competent to operate unfamiliar equipment in a new environment.

A scheduled training regime will ensure a safety culture is adopted throughout the company, along with maintaining a high level of competencies and the ‘Approved Code of Practice’ for forklift operations. The benefit of regular training will ensure accidents are reduced and in the main eliminated.

As an employer why is it important?

As an employer you have a duty to ensure your staff are suitably trained. The decision to retrain and refresh is the responsibility of the employer as stated in the Health & Safety At Work Act (1974) and Regulation 9 of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations (1998) which states that; ‘adequate information, instruction and training’ is provided for all employees.

In addition to the published guidance further information can be found in the Approved Code of Practice for Rider Operated Lift Trucks (L117), which has special legal status in that if you are prosecuted for a breach of Health and Safety Law, and it is proved that you did not follow the relevant provisions of the code, you will need to demonstrate that you have complied with the duty or law in some other way, or a court may find you at fault.

It is best practice to consider a gap of between three to five years, depending on the truck type, tasks, environment and frequency of work/risks. Some companies identify this as an issue and provide refresher training more often than this.

Workers may also need refresher training if:

• There has been an unsafe incident or ‘near miss’
• Awareness of dangerous driving
• Operatives becoming disabled

If you would like more information about our Forklift Training Courses please give us a call on 01508 218721 or contact us via e-mail at [email protected]

Following our update on the possible impact on a business’s patent rights if there is a vote for Brexit on 23 June, we look at the implications for trademark and design portfolios.

With a reported one third of the electorate unsure whether to vote to leave or remain in the EU on 23 June, and the other two thirds split relatively equally between the two camps, a British exit (Brexit) now seems a real possibility. But, what will it mean for trademark and design rights?

Will EU TMs continue to cover the UK? At present, there is no documentation or comment from the UK’s Intellectual Property Office (IPO) on the potential impact on trademarks and designs in the event of an exit vote in the referendum. However, it is reasonable to expect that if the UK does leave the EU, it will no longer be part of the European trademark (EU TM) or registered design (EU Design) systems.

That said, the withdrawal from the EU TM and Design systems will not occur immediately: Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty stipulates a two-year withdrawal and negotiation period (which can be extended). It is yet to be seen whether the UK would need to legislate for successor rights as part of that withdrawal (i.e. some form of conversion of EU rights into UK law) or if UK proprietors would be required to re-register EU rights at the UK IPO.

Nonetheless, companies would be advised to review their current filings and management/renewals strategy to ensure their rights continue to be protected at both EU and UK level post-Brexit. We would advise taking the following steps:

• Prioritise registrations: Review your current EU TM (and Design) portfolio and prioritise rights for action/protection (e.g. between primary, secondary and tertiary registrations)
• Pull out duplicate rights: Identify those EU rights that overlap with existing UK registrations (as separate protection should already exist)
• Weed out waste: Use the opportunity to identify those rights or classes that are no longer relevant, so as to save cost and streamline the portfolio
• Ringfence core rights: Also use the time to review primary/key rights to ensure that they are up-to-date and adequately protected
• Consider associated effects: For example, implications for existing licensing agreements, injunctions/disputes or anti-counterfeiting strategies (as the UK may no longer be subject to the EU principles on the free movement of goods)

(Click here for more tips and advice on auditing IP portfolios)

Should you convert your EU TMs to UK applications? If an EU TM has been filed and the trademark is used only in the UK, then the right could be vulnerable to cancellation actions (for non-use) if the five-year grace period has passed. It is already possible to convert such EU TMs to UK rights, however, it’s important to note that such conversions will leave companies without EU TM protection and could, therefore, require them to file additional applications to ensure protection in Europe if they plan to use their mark there moving forward.

Conversely, when the UK portion of a EU TM, which is used only outside the UK, is converted into a national registration, the UK registration would similarly be vulnerable to cancellation actions (for non-use).

Seniority claims would also need to be reviewed. When the EU TM system was implemented, there was a system by which national rights could ‘live’ within the EU right and the national right allowed to lapse. Where this has occurred in respect of UK rights, it would need to be discussed whether these rights could be re-activated in some way.

Will it impact enforcement strategies? There will be some impact on the enforcement of rights if the UK exits the EU, as the UK would no longer have a EU TM court. While the impact is likely to be quite minimal, any pan-EU injunctions/ or decisions could be vulnerable to change or amendment.

What about imports? An exit from Europe could also have an impact when it comes to the transportation of goods between the UK and the EU. The considerations preventing the partitioning of the internal market would no longer apply if the UK leaves the European Economic Area (EEA). Consequently, EU TMs and Designs could be used to prevent imports into the EU from the UK, as exhaustion rules would no longer apply (currently, a trademark owner cannot object to the further dealing of goods it has placed on the market within the EEA). Likewise, UK rights would not be exhausted by sales elsewhere in Europe and could be used to prevent parallel imports into the UK from the EU.

Most brand owners already know the importance of recording their trademarks with customs to enable them to identify and act against infringing products; however, the Brexit vote may be a good opportunity to review those strategies and to ensure that those trademarks are recorded with customs authorities in both the UK and EU. (Click here for advice on recording your trademarks with customs departments)

A right for Scotland? Nicola Sturgeon has indicated that there would be strong demand for a new referendum on independence if the UK were to exit the EU. This could pose greater uncertainty surrounding the national UK systems for trademarks, designs and patents.

A vote for Brexit could start the process of change in the way in which UK and European businesses protect their IP rights nationally and in the EU. If vote leave does emerge the victor in the debate, we will be in touch with additional advice and updates as the process is discussed and clarified. Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any queries or concerns.

If your business is looking to recruit new talent or develop a database of candidates, the smartphone may be the answer. In recent years, the smartphone has taken over as the number one device we use for our Internet activity. We use smartphones to browse social media, watch videos and now we can apply for jobs. According to techradar.com, “twenty-eight percent of job seekers said they searched for jobs on mobile devices.” So what does this mean for you- a business owner or employer? Well, if your business has an online presence, you need to ensure that it is also mobile optimised. Simply, this means that your website translates well to smartphones and is easy to navigate. According to Career Builder, 65% of workers who search for jobs via mobile devices will leave a website if it isn’t mobile optimised. So it is in your best interests to make sure your website is mobile-friendly.

Social media is also a great way of gaining applicants. A lot of businesses already make use of LinkedIn to feature jobs, but Facebook and Twitter are also effective ways of making people aware of job openings straight away. Social media is a fantastic way to advertise jobs as most of us have an online presence on at least one form of social media, which we access via our smartphones.

To some, the experience of applying for a job on a mobile device will seem strange. Understandably, it’s hard to imagine someone answering a series of questions and submitting a CV on an iPhone. However, you should ensure that a mobile application will take no longer than fifteen minutes. Apps like Dropbox and Google Drive allow people to submit a CV and cover letter online. So ensure that your mobile application form asks for a CV, an email, and a few personal details.

Things to keep in mind:

-Ensure that your company has an online presence, which spans at least two social media websites.

-Make sure your website is mobile-friendly.

-Mobile application forms should only take a potential candidate 15mins to complete

How to Make your CV More Attractive

Professional CV’s can now be found in various forms online. For example, LinkedIn and Facebook allow you to list your previous job roles and experience. A strong online presence is important in the world of business, however, your paper CV is still an integral part of the hiring process. Your CV may be used by recruiters and most importantly by potential hiring managers. It may have been a while since you looked over your CV but it is vital to ensure your CV still attracts the attention of a hiring manager.

Following these simple steps will make your CV stand out;

Personal Statement

– The first few sentences should act as your pitch and show your ‘personal brand’. Branding yourself may seem like a strange concept but when we apply for jobs we automatically sell ourselves like a brand, whether we know it or not. Have a clear image of yourself that you would like to portray and make sure it is consistent throughout your CV and online. Finally, ensure your personal statement is punchy, don’t ramble on.

Length

– All CV’s will vary in lengths but try to ensure that only the most relevant job roles are on our CV, even if you have had a lengthy career history. We would advise bullet pointing individual job duties for each role, concentrating on the most relevant duties to the role that you are applying for and list these accordingly.

Career Success Stories

– Rather than using the same old clichés and CV phrases, use examples of your career successes. Show any hiring managers what you can offer by recalling your past achievements. Writing your own personal achievements will make your CV unique to you.

Format

– Keep the format simple and ensure that there is plenty of white space. It may seem trivial, but a CV, which is easy on the eyes, is more likely to be read all the way through. Make use of headings to split up your information and don’t use more than two fonts. After writing your CV, read it several times and give it to someone else to read over. The smallest grammatical mistake can put off your readers.

The most important tip is to put yourself in the reader’s shoes. You want the information you provide to grab the reader’s attention, making it easy to see your skills and experience. If you are looking for a change of pace or are interested in furthering your career, register yourself as a candidate on our website www.headhuntedrecruitment.co.uk and let HEAD|HUNTED Recruitment match you to the perfect role.

Common Interview Mistakes to Avoid

Whether you’ve just scored an interview with your dream company or you’ve secured an informal meeting with a potential employer it is essential to make a good impression face to face. If you are at the interview stage, your application and CV have already impressed them- so surely the interview will be easy, right?

…Well, interviews are all about our interpersonal skills. They are also a great way to showcase your personality and talk passionately about your ambitions for the role. Interviews can be nerve-wracking but avoiding these common mistakes will help you to impress your interviewer.

1. Timing

-It goes without saying but, make sure you arrive at least 10 minutes before your interview is scheduled. Your ability to keep time says a lot about yourself. If you arrive late to an interview, you give the impression that your time is more valuable, which could set your interview off to a rocky start.

2. Eye Contact

-From the beginning of the interview process be sure to maintain good eye contact. It’s natural to look at other things now and then, but keeping good eye contact shows that you are confident and engaged in the conversation and have conviction in what you say.

3. Inconsistency

– Make sure you’ve analysed your CV, application, and any professional information about yourself online. Remember the most relevant bits of information and if there is any inconsistency, make sure you’re ready to address it. The interviewee will, more often than not, refer to your CV or application, so it makes sense to review it and be ready for anything they may question you on.

4. Listen

– It’s great to be prepared for an interview and have a few great example answers ready but remember to listen to the questions, and adapt your examples accordingly.

5. Speak Clearly and Avoid Repetition

-Make sure you are speaking clearly and avoid rambling. You should also try your hardest to avoid repetition. For example, many of us are guilty of overusing the word ‘like’.

6. Ask Questions

– It is important to prepare a couple of questions to ask the interviewer as this shows you have researched their business and are interested in what they offer.

7. Practice Makes Perfect

Finding example interview questions and practising answering them out loud is a great tip. As with most things, interviews become easier with time.

Benefits of using a Recruitment Agency

As the job market becomes increasingly competitive, it is becoming harder to whittle down the number of applications and find the perfect match. There are various reasons why businesses use a recruitment agency to help them find their next hire; to save time sifting through hundreds of CV’s and cover letters, not knowing where to look for candidates, quality of candidate and more. A recruitment agency will take on the entire hiring process for the business, advertising their vacancy, sifting through CV’s, shortlisting suitable candidates, arranging interviews and the offer process.

Here are some of the benefits associated with using a recruitment agency

Time

-Sifting through endless unsuitable applications not finding the quality of candidates that you want can be extremely time-consuming. Outsourcing your hiring to a recruitment agency whose priority is to find you the best candidates, makes financial sense. HEAD|HUNTED Recruitment can look after this whole process for you, meaning you focus more time on other areas that need it, leaving your next hire in the hands of an experienced recruitment specialist.

The Candidates

– Recruitment agencies will have access to a wider range of candidates than just those directly applying for a job advert. Here at HEAD|HUNTED Recruitment, we ensure all candidates have been spoken to before they are sent to our clients, therefore making sure that your time is not wasted by seeing unsuitable candidates. At HEAD|HUNTED Recruitment, we proactively target both active and PASSIVE candidates to guarantee our clients receive the very best candidates available, not just those actively looking for a new role.

The Full Hire Process

– A recruitment agency won’t just look for candidates. Here at HEAD|HUNTED Recruitment, we also offer a reference checking service, DBS checks and competency based interviews. We do this to make the full hiring process as smooth as possible for our clients.

If you’d like to ensure a successful hiring process, contact HEAD|HUNTED Recruitment – 01603 858024 / 020 362 72201.

There’s been another tech buyout. Microsoft has announced the purchase of Linkedin for a cool $26.2 bn. Even for the titans of software, that’s more than pocket change.

Indeed, it’s the tech company’s largest acquisition ever, so it’s safe to say that plans for future growth are floating on a cloud of optimism. But will this partnership have the whereabouts to satisfy professionals of the business world?

Let’s face it, neither Linkedin nor Microsoft have the best track record for performance or a reputation that fills end-users with confidence.

Microsoft products are often described as “useless” and their customer service is a shambles. Linkedin is not without its usercriticseither and attacks by cybercriminals have dented the credentials of social media platforms.

However, let’s give innovation a chance here and float on that same silver-lined cloud the companies CEO’s are sky-surfing on. Maybe between them, Microsoft and Linkedin can cover themselves in glory.

Increase Productivity

In an email to staff, Microsoft CEO noted how similar the culture of Linkedin is with the software company. Both firms have ambitions to reinvent productivity and business processes and “seek to empower every person and organisation on the planet.”

The intention behind this common pursuit is to help “people find jobs, build skills, sell, market and get work done.” So they are covering all the bases. And the tools are there, or almost there, to make it work.

Usability is an issue for Linkedin users. It can sometimes feel like a service you are obligated to do rather than a tool you want to use. It’s not all that effective for networking either.

In the last few years, Linkedin has moved to address user issues. The capacity to share content, leave comments, add images and publish posts has bought the platform in line with other leading networks such as Facebook. It’s helps with brand visibility at least.

Last year, the professional network purchased Lynda.com with a view to providing effective tools that aid training and learning. That’s all very well and good for job seekers, but what about professionals hoping to win contracts or partner with other firms?

Linkedin Profinder

Launched earlier this year, Profinder is an old idea wrapped in new packaging. The service gives companies a platform to promote their projects and find freelancers with skills to pull it off.

The service essentially mimics freelance for hire sites like People per Hour and Fiverr. For the time being, Profinder is free to use for both companies and freelancers, and creates another potential revenue stream for skilled professionals.

The benefit for businesses is you can find trustworthy and reliable professionals to complete your projects. There is an argument that professionals on Linkedin have more credibility.

However, the problem for freelancers is, winning work becomes a bidding war against other service providers. Rarely will you earn what you are worth and may have to pay transaction fees on top.

It will be a tidy income screen for the merger. Microsoft will help program the interface to make it user-friendly.

But where else does Microsoft fit into the bigger picture? Other than rescuing Linkedin from financial disaster after shelling out £1.5 bn for Lynda, it’s not easy to see how the software company can improve the business model. A few tweaks to the interface does not justify the £26.2 bn spend.

It will be interesting to see how this adventure pans out. After all Microsoft hardly have the best track record when it comes to collaboration. Last month, the tech company broke ties with Nokia and wrote off a $7.2 bn investment that lasted just two years.

And the companies previous venture into social media was disastrous. Have you heard of the chat serviceYammer? No, not many other people have either because nobody uses it. Probably because Microsoft tried to tie Office 365 with it! Something Linkedin professionals might have to cope with.

The partnership between Microsoft and Linkedin could prove to be pretty exciting, but given Microsoft’s track record, the network is likely to get worse before it gets better. Watch this space!

It is never a good idea to lie in the context of the recruitment and appointment process, whether it be on a CV or during an interview. The consequences can be severe. Some examples of lying are discussed below.

Altering GCSE, A level, degree or legal practice coursegrades

It may be tempting to increase the odd GCSE to a desirable A*-C grade, inflate an A level grade here or there or improve the overall grade you obtained in your degree or legal practice course. Or, in extreme cases, make up academic achievements altogether. Typical reasons for doing this are to seemingly improve your prospects for an interview or job offer, or to achieve greater recognition or status in general. But doing so carries a risk which is unlikely to be worth it as can be seen in the two cases presented below:

Case #1

A qualified solicitor who had studied at The University of West England (UWE) inflated her 2:2 law degree grade to a 2:1 in order to secure an interview with the Army Legal Services (ALS). She was caught. Not only was the offer of an interview withdrawn, but she was also reported to the Solicitors Regulation Authorityand received an18 month ban and a £3,000 fine. More informationhere.

Case #2

A barrister, who had been described as a “high-flying City lawyer”, claimed he had a number of impressive academic credentials, including a first-class degree from Oxford University and a master’s degree from Harvard. However, an investigation led by theBar Standards Boarddiscovered these were invented.He was banned from practising. Interestingly, he was a qualified barrister and did have qualifications in order to practise, just not from the leading establishments as claimed.More informationhere.

Changing a job title to make it sound more senior

Changing your job title is also lying and can often be discovered through reference checks. It may be done to inflate your position title or responsibilities but it can quickly backfire once you are questioned about your experience and capabilities.

Changing the dates of employment and/or the dates attended ata school/college/university

Changing dates of employment and or the dates attended at university/college to perhaps mask gaps in your CVisnot a good idea. A skillful assessor or screener can quickly become suspicious and reject a candidate based on references/academic checks.

The changing of dates was famously done byLee McQueen, the winner of The Apprentice, who admitted his wrongdoing:”It lost me some of my integrity. I got a good grilling and I deserved it, and I learnt from my mistake. It won’t happen again.”Full articlehere.

Inflating current salary/take home pay to secure a higher salary if offered a job

This is also hig hly inadvisable as the payroll or HR department will be able to calculate your take home pay from your P45/P60. Not only that, but your new employer might check your last salary from your previous employer as part of their reference check.

That’s exactly what happened to “Melanie”, a three year PQE lawyer, who got caught exaggerating her salary – read about thathere.

How your credentials are checked

All law firms take up reference checks because, in the majority of cases, their insurance is conditional upon such checks.

Some law firms check your academic credentials using the Higher Education Data Checkand or contacting schools, colleges and universities directly. It is inexpensive for law firms to carry out these checks – typically free or £10.

In the majority of cases, all a firmneeds from you to check your references and the grades achieved at university, school or college is signed authority from you (which most firms will ask for as part of their post-offer process).

Conclusion

All law firms take up reference checks and some will ask for specific information (such as your previous salary). It is straightforward and inexpensive for employers to check your academic credentials.

If caught lying, an interview or job offer will likely be withdrawn. If you are employed, you may be dismissed if your credentials are found to be incorrect.

In addition, if you are a regulated professional (such as a solicitor or barrister) you may be reported to the relevant regulator and investigated. This could result in receiving one or more of the following: a ban, a fine, or ultimately being struck off.

This month we kicked off our sponsorship of the Skills for Tomorrow EDP Business Award.It got me thinking about my own experience. When I was younger I wanted to be someone that protects the world from climate change, I wanted to be like Captain Planet.

Mr Kenny

I can remember sitting in a warm breezy class room, the afternoon sun streaming through the window and being stuck to my plastic chair. The summer heat didn’t hinder my attention as on Tuesdays after lunch we had Mr Kenny teaching us Geography. He was a larger-than-life-character who I found captivating with his passion and conviction for what he was teaching. This isn’t something that can be measured or quantified, but looking back for me it was inspirational.

Throughout my childhood my parents have been involved in bringing music to children. I was also lucky enough to have my passion for the environment nurtured by leading expert in Environmental Science, Professor Tim O’Riordan of the UEA. I am hugely fortunate to have had inspirational people around me growing up and throughout my education, not many people get one let alone a few.

However, I did feel there was a missing piece of the puzzle; I never had much interaction with business. I had heard a lot about it and how all of my studies were propelling me towards it, putting me in good stead for it, but didn’t really get any exposure to it.

Missing piece

Because of Mr Kenny and my experience of education I have always tried to apportion a part of my working life towards working with schools. Earlier this year I attended a speed networking event with students at a High School, we were being interviewed by students on our careers, choices, motivations and day-today job life, it was great, lots of questions, and I had the chance to ask questions back to the students. I asked things like “what things they thought that might enjoy doing? What they thought they could be good at? And what would give them meaning and make them feel happy?” A thought provoking question, but not an unanswerable one and what really struck me was the amount of don’t knows’.

We spend so many important years of our life in education and for all that investment to lead to so many don’t knows’, is worrying. I wonder how many of these don’t knows’ turned into ‘oh I’ll just do that course or job’ and a lack of fulfilment, that could have been averted.

I feel the more inspired, better equipped and more exposed young people are to the future world of work that awaits them, then the more likely they are to carve out a path to a career that suits them, where they feel they add value and more importantly somewhere they get a sense of belonging and worthiness.

Get involved

In a TED talk by Sir Ken Robinson he mentions “everyone has a vested interest in education partly because it’s education that’s meant to take us into this future we can’t grasp” Businesses are in that future and have a vested interest in how education goes.

Businesses looking to grow and change the world need people with passion, who are engaged, that want to be there and want to make a difference.

As businesses we need to offer to engage and work with schools to help inspire and prepare children for the working world. Schools and academies can only do so much by themselves, and where I have seen business/education really gel and work, the result on children has been fascinating to watch.

If we want well rounded, switched on employees for the future we need to invest in them today and hopefully we can turn some of those ‘don’t knows’ into I want to be Captain Planet.

By James Wortley Chief Plan Hatcher

N.B. Indigo Swan is sponsoring the The Skills for Tomorrow EDP Business Award this year, it is very exciting we are getting behind this as it is something that needs to be recognised, promoted and celebrated. If you are a business, an academic institution, charity or anyone striving to help the next generation, please get involved.

Article originally from Indigo Swan website:indigoswan.co.uk/blog/the-importance-of-inspiration/

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More Information about the award – Peck Here Sign up to our Newsletter – Peck Here More information on Ken Robinson – Peck Here

GL Property Group (GLPG) is a new, innovative land investment and

development consultancy. The founders have many years

of experience in the financial andreal estate industry and theyare growing fast.

Ensuring that all of their clients get a fantastic service, tailored to specific needs and

wants, GLPG offer something different when it comes to land and property

developments and projects and they are really starting to take their industry by

storm. GLPG came to us looking for some online presence through their website and Google.

Web Design

We have created a very clean, sophisticated site using WordPress. The dark colours show trust, credibility and a more corporate feel – something that will appeal to their client base of property developers and investors. The site is easily navigatable through the tabs and is fully responsive so adjusts to fit the screen on a desktop, tablet or phone.

SEO

Taking a very clean and white hat approach to GLPG and their needs and

requirements, we have ensured that their branding is all very clear and that it

appears prominently wherever appropriate and possible. We have ensured that all of

their meta titles and meta descriptions, contain their name; GLPG.

Additionally, we are starting to implement a content-based approach whereby their

site will increase the number of pages it has as well as increasing the amount of

content that existing pages contain.

To show GLPG as a real bricks and mortar company, we added the site to Google Business confirming their name, address and contact details. Furthermore, we submitted the site to major directories such as Yell, Yelp and Hotfrog and confirmed all their details on social networks such as Facebook and Linkedin – again, showing that they are a real company and increasing the trust signals to Google. Within 3 weeks, we have placed the site on page 3 for their brand name and no doubt this will reach page one in the next few weeks.

PPC

We have put together a very simple Pay Per Click (PPC) campaign using Google Adwords exclusively. Since they currently not ranking on Google but are generating a lot of interest and enquiries, we have placed very low cost adverts to target their brand name and related keywords e.g glpg, glpg property, glpg property developments.

The British public is due to vote on a potential ‘Brexit’ (British Exit) of the EU on 23 June 2016. Initial polls suggested that an exit vote would be unlikely, but the Leave campaign has grown in prominence in recent weeks. But what would Brexit mean for a company’s European IP rights?

The referendum on whether the UK should remain part of the European Union will be held on 23 June 2016. This means that we could wake up on 24 June 2016 and find that a majority of the UK population has voted to leave the European Union, and therefore the process of withdrawing from the EU will start. In short, if the UK decides to leave the European Union on 23 June 2016, there will be no change to the current way in which patents can be obtained, maintained or litigated in the UK.

However, in the future, if the Unitary Patent and Unified Patent Court (UPC) system come into being, this alternative way of having a European Patent covering the UK and an alternative Court for litigation of patents covering the UK will not become available, as the Unitary Patent System would then not apply to the UK.

What will it mean for the Unitary Patent? For the (already much delayed) Unitary Patent system to go ahead, it must be ratified by the three EU members who hold the most European Patents – currently the UK, Germany and France. If the UK leaves the EU following the referendum, it can no longer ratify the process. (The UK IPO has already mentioned that the UPC Agreement will probably be voted upon only after the British EU referendum.)

In principal, however, this would not be an issue as either Italy or the Netherlands could take the UK’s place in the process. A Brexit vote would therefore not kill the UPC Agreement, but simply delay the process.

If the UK leaves the EU and, as a consequence, the Unitary Patent system, there will also likely be lobbying by several contracting parties to take the Central (Court) Division away from London. Brussels appears to be a main, neutral candidate. (Find out more about the proposed Unitary Patent)

What will it mean for the European Patent? A Brexit vote will not mean the UK ceases to be a member state of the European Patent Convention (EPC) that established the European Patent (EP) system. The EPC is not a direct instrument of the EU legislature: it is a multilateral treaty agreed by the member states that are signatories to it.

At present there are 38 member states of the EPC and only 28 member states of the EU. Should a Brexit occur, the UK would become one of the EPC member states that is not an EU member.

Even after Brexit, clients will be able to file an EP application designating the UK. English will continue to be an official language of the EPC (unless the convention is amended – there has been no suggestion this will occur).

The UK has no special validation requirements beyond those of the EPC: there is no official fee to validate in the UK and validation occurs automatically provided the EPC requirements are met, so it seems likely there will be little impact on EP validations into the UK.

Whatever you want to design, a logo, a brochure, a website, it’s a good idea to give the designer as much information as possible.

Get your background researched We feel it is important for the Graphic Designer you employ to be fully aware of what your business or company does, how it does it and who it works with. This can make all the difference between a good piece of design work and a great piece. It’s the great pieces that get you noticed. We all know how many advertising designs we are bombarded by every day and we also know that only a few are even noticed and even fewer that actually register in our minds. In order to pitch a design in the right way for your business and your potential customers the designer could use interviews or questionnaires. We find visual inspection invaluable as well as talking. A tour of the company premises to see the business in action is often a vital starting point in the design process. A review of existing literature and adverts also supplies a lot of background information.

Create Keywords, Mission Statements and Bridge Concepts Even before the internet existed, compiling a list of keywords was used as a way of focusing on the core values, intentions and attitude of a business. A keyword list is the first step towards writing a mission statement or straplines and bridge concept statements. A bridge concept is an idea that can be easily explained in a few short words e.g. BMW – It’s A Drivers Car or Nike- Just Do It!

Get your style nailed down The images attached to this article are all story boards used in actual design meetings. In these cases our company Timez Design created the story boards but sometimes our clients save us the work by doing it themselves. A good story boards should be a collection of inspiring images, colours and in some cases explanation text. The main focus of the board should always be developed with an eye to the main services, customers and established designs. A valuable source for the designer is a list of competitor businesses. A review of these will not lead to a copy but hopefully an improvement on existing offerings.

Get your text straight Once the design has been started, text will usually need to be applied. This is true for websites, adverts, brochures and even logos. Although “placeholder” or Lurum Ipsum text can be used if actual copy is not available, there are large efficiencies that can be made by starting off with corrected copy. Having the copy “iron clad” also means that the designer knows the quantities of text required and the requirement for headings, subheadings, straplines etc. Timez Design has a dedicated copy writer but we can also recommend colleagues with a proven track record for producing a compelling narrative for your deign.

Get your images lined up Images of product of premises, even machinery are all valuable company data. More often than not the images you would like to use are scattered around in several folders, sometimes even several computers. Collate all these images as they will need a review. Sometimes it is possible to get away with photos from a mobile phone but rarely. A better idea is to give all image archives a review to find what photography might be needed. A picture speaks a thousand words so make sure it’s in focus, has good lighting and an attractive setting. We have a photography department and we also work with professional photographers if necessary.

Graphic designers are people just like you. They use a particular vocabulary with phrases like “Story Board” and “Bridge Concepts”. All they are usually trying to do is identify your USP. They like to be accurate and are usually not sloppy or half-hearted. What they do is common sense mainly but the concepts they can reveal often add flavour, volume and significance to a design. Don’t go to market without one.