...web design, graphic design, illustration...

We've been working with our good friends from The Loyal Few for years now. Over this time we've created everything for them, from websites to posters, t-shirts to Myspace profiles.

actionaction even designed their last website for them. Thing is, as we've been talking to the guys about rebranding their old site, we got thinking about what a band really needs from a website. The trouble is that bands, and particularly unsigned bands, have to use all the channels they can to get them more exposure and connect to current and potential fans.

You can pretty much take it for given that a band will have a Myspace profile before they have their first gig. Then once you've gone to the trouble of getting a Myspace profile, you may as well sort out a Facebook presence for your band. Facebook leads to Twitter. YouTube seems perfect for uploading your videos...Flickr for your photos...Last.fm for your events... One thing leads to another and before you know it a band could have 6, 7, 8+ profiles across a variety of sites without even trying.

In any other situation, this is the sort of time we would propose a website that pulls all of this together. Where's the logic in keeping your photos on a different site to your tracks, and your Twitter feed different from your gig listing? And that's exactly what the last The Loyal Few site did.

But it didn't work. It didn't get updated as often as Twitter, as much traffic as Myspace, or have as many photos as Flickr. So we pulled all of these things in - Flickr streams, Twitter updates, Last.fm listens, all arriving at the site.

But it still didn't work. And this is the thing - it had nothing new to offer. If someone wanted to see one of their videos, then they were already searching for it on YouTube. They were already leaving comments on the Facebook page. The website became redundant - one more thing to update that didn't actually offer anything else that wasn't already available through a more well-known channel. Hence the most recent reincarnation of their website - theloyalfew.com.

The new website does very little, particularly in comparison to the old site, but it does one thing that none of the other sites do, and that is to provide a jumping off point to all the profiles, sites and services that The Loyal Few subscribe to. And beyond that? You can download their E.P. And that's it. But it will never be out of date, it will never be a burden to update, and it doesn't try to do anything that Myspace, Flickr et al do so well. And most importantly it spoon-feeds the user with every link to every site of The Loyal Few, and by stripping out everything that is unnecessary makes sure that every single thing on the site will be of use and/or of interest to a potential fan.

This strategy will inevitably change should the band's popularity increase sufficiently to command a high level of traffic to the site in it's own right, however for now, this is exactly what the guys need.

Take a look at the new theloyalfew.com site now, and download a free copy of their E.P. while you're at it.

Perhaps love is even too slight a term to describe how we feel about Spotify, the free, legal and social music-streaming service. Aside from everything else it just works so well, and with future developments that are bound to include better recommendations, links to purchase music/merchandise/tickets, videos etc, it is poised to be an unstoppable force, and one that is on the same side as the record labels for a change!

We've put together an actionaction playlist so take a listen and send us over links to any playlists you think we should be checking out. You'll need to sign up and download the Spotify software first but we guarantee you won't be disappointed.

We were recently approached by R-Art, a new eco-aware community arts initiative who are starting to run workshops and classes for young London-based artists, to design a website and some eco-friendly branding.

We've thrown up a holding page for them while the new site is under development. If you know anyone who may be interested in this fantastic scheme then they'd love to hear from you.

actionaction have just been commissioned to manage the search engine optimisation and PPC advertising for a new employment website zookle.com.

We've just finished working on a fun little project for a new interiors design and home makeover startup - allyourinteriors.

We put together a logo and brand identity plus a portfolio site to show off their most recent projects. Take a look at the results or head over to allyourinteriors.co.uk to check out their work.

We found this photo on Flickr this week and have been trying to find out more about the artist since.

If anyone knows anything about them or has any other examples of their work then please drop us a line

So, after a year of mostly ignoring our stagnant, unloved and largely barron portfolio site, we thought it was time for a revamp, so here it is. We've stripped it of the dead weight, had a makeover and added some personality

Keep checking back to see what we've been up to and what we've been enjoying.

Follow us on Twitter, add us on Last.fm or drop us a line if you have any questions, comments or queries. We're always interested in new projects so feel free to get in touch for a quote for anything, big or small