ABOUT

Waitrose was founded in 1904, it is one of the UK’s largest supermarket chains with more than 350 stores across the country. Despite having a long tradition in food and drink, the company had no track record in out-of-store events. But this year and for the first time, Waitrose launched a Food and Drink Festival, bringing together many of their favourite wines, champagnes, spirits, beers and ciders along with an array of speciality foods. Through the use of a strong identity and a communication campaign they sought to showcase their unique relationship with their suppliers as well as to engage customers who visited the event and inspire them to try new or alternative products.

Nalla was asked to help the company and their events organiser to create a special look and feel for the festival, inspired by the craft and quality of products on show.

As this was a first-time venture, Waitrose understood the benefit of investing in communications strategy. Our first task was to create a strong identity that would spark a connection with the customer, while complementing the well-established main Waitrose brand. We were asked to create an identity from scratch, while retaining the heritage of the main brand. It was vital to acknowledge and use Waitrose’s existing assets and brand equity, while ensuring we focused on the aspirations of the festival. This was an opportunity to create a platform for suppliers’ stories and products.

Based on the new identity, we were also commissioned to design a comprehensive handout and show guide to help the 1508 visitors find their way around the venue’s five floors. As a result of everyone’s efforts, a total of 1745 tickets have been sold for the festival, workshops and after party, and the response on social media was overwhelmingly positive, asking for a repeat performance next year.

Transform Awards Europe 2017:
Highly Commended for Best use of Typography