Last week when the French were knocked out of the world cup, there was murmuring amongst French intellectuals that the players, many of whom have worked in England, had caught the Anglo-Saxon bug of the cult of the individual. That explained why they were apparently unable to play as a team.
Another area where Anglo-Saxons excel is brands and branding. The French are also-rans in this discipline. Or so I thought until I visited Paris a couple of weeks ago.
So there we were, strolling down the Champs Elysee, en famille, when my eye was caught by some elegant blue neon lettering. ‘200 Ans et plus’ it read. Intrigued I investigated the shop which turned out to be Peugeot’s flagship showroom and brand show case.
Ask three designers a question and you’ll get four opinions, one sulk and a hissy fit. So it’s a sign of just how good it is that the design for London Transport’s new bus has drawn nearly unanimous rave reviews from the massed aesthetes at Coley Porter Bell.
The Wrightbus styled by Thomas Heatherwick is the successor to the much loved design classic, the Routemaster, and a replacement for the much hated bendy bus. In design terms at least, it has brilliantly struck a balance between making the bus modern and relevant to contemporary needs on the one hand, while on the other retaining enough of the character of the original Routemaster to make it recogniseably the same family.
As a company that makes a living from refreshing brands we know just how hard that is.
One of our planners summed up the general feeling when he said: “I love it for its retro chic. It takes what is great about London and embodies it in a bus - tradition mixed with progress. So much better than those bender buses.”
He’s right. How typically, quintessentially English to want progress liberally seasoned with references to the past. Think Tudorbethan semis, Roberts radios and anything by Kath Kidston.
People love the curved sweep of the back. People love the subtle rounding at the front and the slightly asymmetric line of the front window which picks up on the hood of the original Routemaster. People love the way that glass is used to emphasis key features like the stairs. And most of all people love the open platform at the back of the bus, which will allow them to hop-on and hop-off. Just like they did in the old days before health and safety went mad.
That’s not to say everyone loves it uncritically. There is a definite school of thought which says that the retro styling is not integral to its function which means that the resemblances to the original Routemaster are just cosmetic.
Its only when you start examining functionality that the wheels start to come off Heatherwick’s design. Like other double deckers currently on service it carries 87 people. But according one driver the much maligned bendy bus can easily carry 150 people. “It’s supposed to be 135 but at rush hour you can just keep on squeezing them on,” he said.
So London Transport’ll need two new buses for every bendy bus it replaces. What’s more because every new bus will need a conductor of some sort to police the open platform, one driver will need to be replaced by two drivers and two conductors.
The conflict between heart and pocket, between beauty and lucre is also a familiar issue at Coley Porter Bell. Let us just hope that in this case, beauty wins.
The CPB Shine Award is a competition we hold every year to uncover the finest new graphic design talent. It’s open to all 2nd year graphic design students and the winning entry becomes the following year’s poster.
Today I went to the printers to see this year’s Shine Award poster coming to life. Jia Ying Gnoh’s beautiful creation will soon be winging its way to a design course near you, after a few secret finishing touches!
Chiquita bananas have launched a campaign based on their iconic blue stickers. DJ Neff has designed a huge range of fun characters, using the iconic colours and shape of the little blue sticker. They’re still instantly recognisable as Chiquita even when on their own - a brilliant example of brand equity. But what makes this a truly ‘2010′ project is that they’ve pushed the creative idea even further, linking it into interactive games on the brand’s website. Check out an interview with DJ Neff here.
For years we’ve popping up our bread half way through the toast cycle to check its just the way we like it, peering over the top to make sure the edges haven’t burnt, narrowly missing singeing our eyebrows off.
Obtaining that perfect piece of toast hasn’t been an as easy task especially when you have such high standards. Just read the requirements from some of the CPB toast addicts and you’ll know what i’m talking about…..
“Caught just before it starts to darken, white and pale caramel coloured”
“crispy golden on the outside, fluffy inside with burned bits round the edge”
“I am very particular about my toast. I prefer hand cut bread, evenly done with a nice golden brown colour. It mustn’t be too overdone and if it’s too lightly done it’s too soft”
“Golden brown evenly toasted all over . To ensure its evenly brown I frequently peer into the toaster to check how its coming along”
If only we could see whats going on inside I hear you cry!!
For Christmas we have found you five pieces of beautiful inspiration with a festive theme. We hope you enjoy them.
At Coley Porter Bell we believe in making brands beautiful. Beautiful brands are based on a beautiful truth. They stand out from the crowd, they play on your mind and leave a lasting impression.They are beautifully thought, beautifully realised and beautifully effective.
We hope you all have a beautiful Christmas and New Year.
With our best wishes for 2010
december 2009
beautifully dressed for christmas: Luella Bartley, Liberty’s
This year, the beautifully eclectic department store Liberty has teamed up
with British designer Luella Bartley to create a unique take on British
Christmas traditions. With a giant tinsel robin and traditional patriotic
scenes of living rooms over-decorated with paper chains, Christmas cards
and tacky decorations, this window display is guaranteed to get you in
the Christmas spirit… well worth a look if you can brave Regent Street
this year!
For those of you that missed our latest Visual Futures presentation ‘Bitesize’ earlier this month, we have made a 3 minute bitesized version which covers some of the key points from the full presentation.
Take a look and if you’re interested in having us present the full story to you, please don’t hesitate to contact me at vicky.bullen@cpb.co.uk.
Last night we held our annual Visual Futures event at The Hospital club in Covent Garden. Visual Futures is a Coley Porter Bell initiative that has been running for over four years. It is a design ‘visual showcase’ supported by evidence and our observations, looking how what we are seeing in design today, reflects what’s going on in society. And last night we launched our fifth Visual Futures ‘Bitesize’.
As our lives become increasingly busy and ever more complex we have seen companies and brands respond in a bitesize way cutting through, getting straight to the point and connecting with consumers in a quick and digestible way. This example from VW is one of my personal favourites.
By simply crossing out the majority of words the ad is transformed in to a short, sweet and potent piece of communication, it’s great. And I love the way the brand even edits itself in its sign off.
There are lots more great examples throughout the presentation, so for those of you that missed the out last night watch this space. Over the next few days we are going to be uploading some of the best bits and if you would like us to come and present to you we’d be more than happy.
technology: Beauty can be functional - 3 pin folding plug
‘Mac book Air,’ Apple’s latest master-piece, is the world’s thinnest laptop ever. However, here in the U.K, we still use the world’s biggest and bulkiest three-pin plug. Most people carry laptops with adapters and plugs because laptop batteries have a limited life. However, despite the huge demand for small, streamlined products, the bulky UK 3-pin plug has been overlooked by designers until now. Is Min-kyu Choi’s design the end to travelling with heavy laptop bags, huge adapters and bulky multi-plugs?
I fell across this incredible film, shot in 1899. Firstly I was struck by the colour and beauty, secondly on how advanced the filming was, and how people must have felt when viewing it for the first time in 1899.
The colours and shapes in which the dancers are making are mind blowingly beautiful, I could watch it all day its hypnotizing. Each frame of this 19th Century film by Lumière brothers was hand painted to create an early colour moving picture. A beautiful example of the earliest cinematic ART.
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