I am sure most of you wish, like I do, that life could go back to normal, the way we were used to.

But this moment of ours, with social distancing, wearing facemasks and constantly washing our hands, well, this is now normal.

​For now.

But then, hopefully soon, there will be another normal. With less Covid to worry about.

Stay positive. 

This new normal will pass. (It will, it will, it will....)

It’s been some really strange months... But finally, a feeling of hope has arrived.  

I still feel a bit slow to get going, though. So I dug out this motivational ‘saying’ and I shall try to adhere to it from this week onwards: Plan the work. Work the plan.

We often over estimate how much we can get done in a day. But just as often, we under estimate how much we can get done in two years. 

​So make a plan and work it, one hour, day, week at a time.

The word “Infographic” is made up of two parts; “info” and “graphic”. “Info” is short for information, and “graphic” refers to what we do, the design part. 

For a better view on a mobile phone, click here for the long version.

Here's a few selected examples of infographics we have designed.

Define a topic. Do some research and remember to credit your sources. Leave the rest to us;-)

Testimonials
We are delighted with the new infographic. We really appreciate your work and design expertise in helping us to pull our ideas into a succinct infographic document!
Carmel B Buckley, Area Director, Nursing & Midwifery Planning & Development, HSE South

I always find May fantastic to deal with - extremely innovative, professional and responsive to the varying needs of whatever project we are working on. I have no hesitation recommending May for all your branding project needs.
Louise Reynolds, Communications Manager at INDI

​Trumpet Branding & Design have worked with Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council on both large and small scale design projects. May and her team have always had a clear understanding of the brief and bring a personal touch to their design work, offering a friendly & professional service underpinned by a comprehensive understanding of our specific corporate needs.  ​
Conor Peoples, Communications Officer, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council

To view other projects we have worked on with our clients, click here.

This “new normal” will not last forever. But it is starting to feel like it is, with every day feeling the same. I am not being flippant about this crisis. At all. It is a total disaster... But I am bored now, of reading about how not to panic.

So instead of writing yet another blog post about how to focus and figuring out new ways of working and communicating, or anything useful at all, really, I have browsed the internet for jokes. I hope they make you smile. Or laugh, even.

Keep the dream alive: Hit the snooze button.

The human brain is a wonderful thing. It starts working the moment you are born, and never stops until you stand up to speak in public. 

Team work is important. It helps to put the blame on someone else.

To blame it on someone else shows management potential. 

To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism. To steal from many is research.

If you can stay calm while all around you is chaos, then you probably haven’t completely understood the situation.

The trouble with doing something right the first time is that nobody appreciates how difficult it was.
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Do not argue with an idiot. He will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience.

​If everything seems to be coming your way, you’re probably in the wrong lane. 

Some of us learn from the mistakes of others. The rest of us have to be the others.

My friend says to me: “What rhymes with orange” I said: “No it doesn’t”.

If every day is a gift, I’d like a receipt for Monday. I want to exchange it for another Friday.

Parallel lines have so much in common. It’s a shame they’ll never meet.
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If it wasn’t for the last minute, nothing would get done.

I also have a lot of jokes about unemployed people but none of them work...

That’s it. That’s 15 jokes. I hope you liked them but even if you didn’t, at least you got a short break. 

Finding funny jokes on the internet was surprisingly difficult. So if you have a joke or two to share, please do! I would love to hear from you.

Normal has left the building. The country. The planet!

The Coronavirus has changed just about everything we do and if you feel anxious or helpless the one thing to remember is to breathe. 

To properly breathe. 

You average about 25,000 breaths each day but most people use only a small part of their lung’s capacity. Shallow breathing deprives the body of oxygen which is essential for good health. The effects of inhalation and exhalation controls the workings of the heart and lungs, so by breathing properly your body’s energy production is working as it should and you will be able to cope with the extra stress that we are all going through at the moment.

​The simplest way is to close your eyes and consciously take three or four really deep breaths with equally deep exhalations and notice how much tension you release. 

To go deeper into it, you can cover one of your nostrils, inhale whilst counting to five, hold your breath and then breathe out whilst counting to five, another pause of breath, swap side of nostril and repeat. This is a simple version of Pranayama breathing and you will hopefully feel a bit more relaxed after doing this exercise for a few minutes. 

​Next time you feel the panic coming on, try to remember that your breathing controls how you feel, think and react. 

I wish you all the best for this time ahead.
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Stay safe. And stay sane.

New year, new beginning - and this year it feels even more like a fresh start with it being 2020. 

Like a lot of people I start the year with ambitious intentions. However, this year it might sound like the opposite as I am planning to work less. Well, less hours. The idea is that I will get as much done. 

Some countries are already experimenting with a shorter workweek. A four-day working week is nearly standard in the Netherlands, and Finland’s new prime minister, Sanna Marin, was on the news recently backing a four-day working week also. 

Both of these countries are just as efficient as any other, as far as I can tell. In fact, they might be even more productive. And in Norway, well they still do the five-day week but they only work about 33 hours a week with a minimum of 21 paid holiday days. 

We have nine bank holidays in Ireland every year, that’s one Monday off every month or so (if you look at it optimistically). Some companies offer reduced hours on Fridays during the summer months. Here’s to making that a standard every week, every month. 
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That’s my 2020 plan. To switch off from lunchtime every Friday. Being my own boss I can of course do this whenever I want. But it is the self-discipline of not checking my e-mails late at night and at the weekends that I will find challenging. 

I will be working towards a four-day working week. If we were all in on it we would become more productive. I am sure of it.

Happy new year!

Happy Christmas to you all - and best wishes for 2020.