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Rebrand Roundup: Kingsmill, The Old Vic, Manchester Fashion Institute and Brentford FC

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Pentagram – The Old Vic Theatre

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Pentagram partner Harry Pearce has designed a new visual identity for The Old Vic Theatre in London, basing the design on its pub-like moniker rather than its original name, The Royal Victoria Theatre. Designed to be raw and honest, the visual identity is inspired by spirit of what the theatre is all about: connecting with people. During the design process, Pearce spent time with The Old Vic’s artistic director, Matthew Warchus, learning about his vision for the theatre, as well as looking through the extensive physical archive of graphic material relating to the theatre. The end result sees Akzidenz Grotesk Bold Extended (a typeface which dates back to the late 19th century) applied to the theatre’s specific show and seasonal posters through a prescribed grid and typographic system. Pearce’s choice of typeface was inspired by the wall-painted typographic style historically found on pubs and other buildings in London, as a nod to the colloquial name of the theatre. The typographic system accommodates for a range of different colour combinations, depending on the type of event being publicised. Street artists were commissioned to create illustrations for the posters to give them a raw, unpolished look, and Pearce has taken a series of behind-the-scenes photographs which are being used on the theatre’s website and non-show collateral.

“It’s a simple system but it changes constantly. It has to be open because the kind of stuff that goes on there ranges from comedy to tragedy. It is so varied that the identity has to swallow up all of those differences” Harry Pearce

 

Distil Studio – Caragh Chocolates

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Distil Studio has designed a new brand identity for Caragh Chocolates, a chocolate company based on the Channel Island Sark. The new visual identity depicts an illustrated horse and carriage symbol, which represents Sark’s traditional transport systems. Strangely, people aren’t allowed to use cars on the island so have to travel by bicycle; or old-fashioned horse and carriage. Photographer Michael Feather was also commissioned to take a series of islander portraits, which feature fittingly alongside appropriate products. This aims to connect the product range to the island, with local fisherman indulging in Sea Salted Caramels, the observatory club holding the Dark Skies collection and the island fire brigade eating the Chilli Bars. The branding will roll out across product packaging, advertising and online materials.

 

BrandOpus – Kingsmill

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Specialist brand design agency BrandOpus, has created a new brand identity and pack design for Kingsmill. The rebrand comes just 18 months after Kingsmill’s last rebrand, also completed by BrandOpus, which saw a clean, navy blue identity introduced with a bright sun and crisp, white logotype. The new branding looks to associate Kingsmill with a more hand-crafted approach, with typography done by Alison Carmichael, from Jelly London. It retains the navy blue, orange and yellow colour palette of the previous branding, but takes on a rougher, more hand-painted look. BrandOpus was briefed to bring a sense of warmth and simplicity to the brand. A shift in colour palette see’s the introduction of a textural ‘toasty’ warm yellow background whilst the hand-drawn logotype retains the Kingsmill royal blue. The tonality of the new identity shifts the brand from the perception of mass-manufacturer to reflect the people behind the scenes who are passionate about the simple pleasures of bakery.

“Blue and yellow are colours synonymous with Kingsmill and we felt it important to retain this colour palette for brand recognition, but we have fundamentally shifted the balance” Paul Taylor, ECD at BrandOpus

 

Mr B & Friends – Eastbourne

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Mr B & Friends has designed a new brand identity for the south coast region of Eastbourne, which aims to dispel misconceptions of the region as a retirement town. The consultancy worked with tourist information website VisitEastbourne to conduct workshops with local people from industries including business, tourism, education and the council. This informed the town’s new visual identity. The place branding includes a hand-drawn style and sans-serif typeface, along with the strap line; “Breathe it in.” The core colour palette is royal blue, pale blue, green and yellow, with the blue used to create a wave effect across the main logotype. There is also a secondary colour palette of different shades of green, orange, yellow, purple and pink, which create variations of the logo. New advertising materials feature photography of local scenery such as mountains and the sea. Mr B & Friends wanted to create a progressive brand, and shift misconceptions that Eastbourne is a retirement town, which has led to a decline in young people and families visiting or settling there, according to VisitEastbourne. The new visual identity hopes to revive the town as a tourist destination, and draw attention to its leisure activities, climate and weather. The project took 12 months to complete, and the new visual identity will begin to roll out across visitor guides, online, on campaign material and on physical place signage.

 

BuroCreative – Marcus Wareing Restaurants

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Marcus Wareing Restaurants has been rebranded by BuroCreative, which has looked to align all of Wareing’s restaurants as one family. The studio wanted to address the complacencies of how fine dining is presented and perceived: starched tablecloths and conspicuous waiters. Food, even at a high level, has moved on, so they needed to create an identity which dispensed with preconceptions, in favour of the personality, craftsmanship and love under this group’s skin. They introduced classic and contemporary typefaces to give a timeless feel with greater connection across the group. Meanwhile different types of photography have been art directed to express different restaurant experiences.

When a restaurant becomes a group, it needs an identity; something to tell the story when the famous chef can’t be in every kitchen” BuroCreative Creative Director, Roly Grant

 

Article – Brentford FC

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Article has redesigned the crest for Brentford Football Club ahead of its expected move to a new stadium in Kew Bridge, west London in 2018. The new design is simpler, bolder and more recognisable than the previous crest, while remaining true to The Bees’ heritage. The studio was briefed by the club to design a crest which would work effectively across a range of digital and physical applications (including app icons and the entrance of the new stadium) in full colour, single colour and a standalone graphic element. The final design is the result of an 18-month process which involved consulting fans, staff, directors and the club owner. Article looked at evolutions of all of Brentford’s historical crests, narrowed them down during the consultation process then commissioned specialist illustrator, Peter Horridge, to draw the final bee. The new crest references the supporters’ club badge from the 1960s, as well as the roundel crest used from 1972-1975. The bee illustration has angular edges to give it a more “competitive” feel than previous iterations of the logo. The yellow colour of the bee is a nod to the gold racing colour used by the club’s former patron, Lord Rothschild, when it turned professional in 1903. Article opted to use Buenos Aires bold for the typeface, which it reasoned is modern but classic and legible when used in smaller sizes. Subtle stripes can also be seen in the background of the crest, in reference to the red and white stripes on the team’s home shirts. The new club crest will be rolled out from the start of the 2017/18 season.

 

Music – Manchester Fashion Institute

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The Manchester Fashion Institute, part of the Manchester Metropolitan University has been branded by Music around a fearless fashion proposition. This has been inspired by Manchester’s industrial spirit, entrepreneurialism and the build it and they will come philosophy, according to Music. Manchester Fashion Institute has an audience ranging from parents and academics through to designers and international students. The challenge for the rebrand was in creating a bold, distinctive brand that could cut through the homogeneous world of fashion branding, but be adaptable enough to talk to all of these people in a relevant and engaging way.

“There was a slide in our pitch that read ‘Manchester = Brilliance + Balls’ and I think that summarises both the vision for the Institute and our approach” Music Creative Director, Adam Rix

 

Business Partners London – National Memorial Arboretum

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Marketing agency, Business Partners London (BPL), has redesigned the logo of the National Memorial Arboretum, coinciding with the opening of a £15.7 million Remembrance Centre at its site in Alrewas, Staffordshire. The National Memorial Arboretum is a living, memorial centre, with 30,000 trees and 150 acres of land. Having previously designed the Arboretum’s website, BPL was tasked with moving on the previous logo, which it says didn’t make clear its links to non-military related memorials. These include the Gift of Life Memorial, which recognises those who have given organs or tissue in life-changing procedures.

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