I have had the pleasure of working with this teeny tiny but super awesome design agency based in…read morethe Jewellery Quarter on a number of occasions, and can't say that I've ever been anything but pleased with the work that they have produced. They are also a lovely bunch to work with - very good at client relationships; treading that difficult line between listening to the client's needs and wants, but also inputting their own expert design ideas. They do web, print, branding and basically anything that involves design, and are fast establishing a reputation as one of Birmingham's best design companies. The reputation is well deserved: they work hard and produce great stuff. Nuff said.

You may already have heard about the great work Supercool Design do (still love that name!) so I'd…read morelike to add a little about the personalities behind the name. I met the very recently married James and Kate through Birmingham Likemind about two years ago. Likemind (reviewed here too) is simply my favourite Friday of the month and Katie & James, until recently ran the coffee & chat morning. I love the work Supercool do but also love the attitude. I've met their interns and their employee who seem to take the same absolute pleasure in their work. I know of their design work done for Dance Xchange (who I heard raving about the work), Virgin Balloon Flights and Style Birmingham.

A fantastic team of talented web designers, programmers and SEO Specialists. UC4 is a leading…read morebirmingham based, fully integrated agency that has worked with a range of brands including Lee Longlands and EON. Offering some of the best web design (http://www.uc4.co.uk/web-design.asp) services and leading birmingham SEO (http://www.uc4.co.uk/seo-birmingham.asp) services, all at the most respectable prive; UC4 is definitley a market leader.

Oh my god - avoid this company at all costs. We signed up…read morefor an advertising board at our local club and they did not provide it. After 2 months I still do not have my money back. They also go by the name of Elonex. The sales director is apparently Roger Carding and he says one thing and does another. Does not answer calls and it always out at meetings. This is a terrible company and is not to be trusted. If you ever get approached by them hang up immediately - it will save you months of pain and grief.

One Digital Solutions are an innovative digital signage hardware & software solutions provider…read more Established 13 years ago in Dec 2000 One Digital Solutions have partnered with Chamber TV to provide a wide range of digital signage products to suit commercial environments. One Digital Solutions offerings include: slimline freestanding digital posters, android advertising displays, USB video business cards, AD cloud network screens, outdoor advertising screens, software & much more. One Digital Solutions continue to innovate most recently releasing new product lines into the UK market place. POP Digital & NANO Digital products will now accompany the already extensive range available to purchase online. POP Digital & NANO Digital products are mainly retail focused offering the complete package to capture and entertain customers in a variety of settings whether they are browsing products in a store, ordering a meal with an android tablet or watching the playback on a new video business card. All digital signage services are offered: consultation, product design, network development & manufacturer, software and installation at affordable prices. Specialties Digital Signage, AD Screens, POP Digital, Nano Digital, POS Digital, LED Digital

These newly established recording studios are not as developed as their competitors within a two…read moremile radius. But despite the fact that they have just set up the business the facilities and prices at this stage are fairly good. I would come here if I wanted an electro or dance track recorded, I got a feeling that this is the businesses specialty. ** Recording Pricing ** 1st Hour = £15 Additional Hours = £10 per hour Mastering = £10 per track ** Sound design Pricing ** Single projects = £15 per hour After talking to the managers I got a feeling that they knew their technical knowledge, and even though I haven't used their services yet, I am likely to in the future.

This small start-up business is great value for money, with the added bonus of being able to…read morepull-on the abilities other local new-media freelancers when needed. Their web services are to a high standard, often conforming to major accessibility laws. It should be noted that the tend to produce clean and simplistic designs (very web 2.0), but are very effective in our modern day web environment. On the new-media side, they are technically sound, producing reasonable end products. The three main areas that I found this company to excel in are customer service, webdesign, and photography. To me they are simply my friendly local 'media-guys', happy to help me with any project from multi-camera shoots to small business websites.

Graffiti4hire is the leading graffiti company in the UK…read more Now I have never been anywhere like this, and was surprised at just how much they do. They provide logo's and designs for everything graffiti, including; homes, bars, clubs, vans & cars, reception areas, living rooms, kids bedrooms, workshops, events, exhibitions, they can customise pianos, etc! So, if you want to liven up any wall, room or accessory, they pretty much cover it in here. I spoke with Anne, who is the company secretary and puts your mind at ease answering any query you may have. A great friendly service and a unique brilliant addition to the Custard Factory. Opening hours are 9am-6.30pm Monday-Friday. Why not follow them and keep upto date on Facebook and Twitter.

This photography studio has been here for 10 years (10 YEARS) and I had the pleasure of visiting it…read morefor the first time a couple of months ago. When my fabulous nail lady Beena moved premises to Tip Top and gave me directions, I was totally confused... "Which photography studio in the JQ?"... Once you have located it (there are signs outside) and climbed the staircase, you'll be greeted by one of the residents of the building. The studio is at the back of the set up with a bathroom, beauticians, office space and an agency all housed together. The studio itself is wonderful. Not huge, but set out with distinct areas for different styles of photoshoots. There is also a dressing room at the back for touching up your style pre-shoot. As well as product shoots, the studio do private shoots, themed event days (where live animals come into the studio), family shoots and photography courses. I'm pretty confident that you could become a Tip Top photographer yourself under the care of Debbie and Steve. This is a gem of a photography studio in the Jewellery Quarter. If you're looking to have some shots done, I thoroughly recommend it!

Tip Top Photography, tucked away in the Jewellery Quarter, is a really nice place to get some…read morephoties taken! I discovered the studio recently, at an evening of photography and cocktails organised by Yelp. As part of the event we each got complimentary head shots taken by the Tip Top crew. I'm quite camera shy, especially in a room full of people, but the photographer and director were really friendly and professional and put me at ease quickly. I was advised on where to stand, in which direction to look and how I could pose, whilst the photographer snapped away. Shortly after the event I got one of the finished head shots by email - easy peasy! The studio is quite large and well equipped. They have a range of different backdrops and props for you to use, ranging from a scroll top bathtub to a tiny wooden horse. There's even a dedicated sprucing up area at the back, should you require a quick costume change. I would definitely recommend Tip Top to anyone who wants to get some professional photos taken. They are friendly and professional and it was a fun experience!

My uncle owns a bed and breakfast in Hollywood. No, not the Hollywood in LA, but the less famous…read moreone in Birmingham. We looked in the listings and found that Baker Ward Ltd does the following. Signs, vehicle graphics, shop signs, illuminated signs, advertising signs, van graphics, vehicle wrapping, banners, school signs, car graphics, vehicle livery, safety signs, pavement signs, projecting signs, window graphics, menus, restaurant signs, pub signs. We were a little worried that they might be a jack of all trades, but we went ahead any way and the quality of workmanship was superb. The sign didn't look cheap or plastic. It was made out of wood and had a very fine print on them. I will be coming back here again for all of my graphics needs.