Agency Update: June 2019
Can it really be halfway through 2019 already? Surely not. However, as we approach the second half of the year, we thought it was high time we let you know what we’ve been up to recently.
So, what’s been happening? Well, quite a lot. Unfortunately, however, we can’t as yet share a lot of the work we’ve been doing, partly because in the case of some weighty projects, they are still ongoing, and in the case of some others, particularly those associated with the automotive industry, they are subject to non-disclosure agreements, meaning we can’t publicise them. Sorry!
What we can do is give an overview of the type of work we’ve been doing, and who we’ve been doing it for…
Vodafone Automotive are one of our key clients, as regular visitors to our website will know. Over and above the day to day creative work, a selection of which is in the gallery below, VFA have briefed us on a large project to develop a suite of collateral to introduce the Vodafone Automotive brand to their aftermarket customer base through their independent dealer network.
For us, it’s a great opportunity to really get under the skin of how the Vodafone brand can be used in the aftermarket automotive space, which is very different to their core market. As you might imagine, we’ve got a huge amount of brand resources to call upon, which when balanced with our knowledge of the automotive market, and indeed the business and product ranges (our experience of working with VFA’s previous guise, Cobra UK, goes back to 2007) is affording us the opportunity to deliver some really nice work.
As part of this project, we recently got together with our good friend and long term collaborator Damien Maguire at Image Digital to shoot every single item on VFA’s product inventory, during a three-day photo shoot at VFA’s distribution centre.
As we say, it’s still ongoing, but we couldn’t resist showing a bit of work in progress illustration and animation…
The education sector is something of a specialism for us. A key client in this space is Alliance Manchester Business School, for whom we deliver an exhibition roadshow of events. The latest of these took place recently at London’s Olympia, for the CIPD ‘Festival of Work’. As usual, we provided a turnkey service, right from design, through to liaison with the organisers, transportation, build and post event dismantle. A few images of the stand can be seen below.
Away from exhibitions, and following a great deal of strategy work during which we helped the client define core values and key messages of the organisation, we’re now working on a suite of communications materials that make use of that thinking - both in print and online.
Elsewhere in education news, we’ve just sent the annual Wilmslow Guild prospectus off to print. This adult education establishment has existing since the 1920’s, and it’s always a pleasure to work with them as they continue to innovate and develop their offer.
We’re also once again working with the lovely Cheadle Hulme School to design the 2019 yearbook, which regular readers of our blog, will know is called ‘The Waconian’. Visuals to follow soon! Extra bonus point if you can tell us what a Waconian is? Oh, come on…(answer at the foot of this blog…)
From education to cultural, and we’ve recently been working with our good friends at Macclesfield Museums to deliver a new suite of leaflets. The first two of these are for two of their most important audiences, families and school visits. We’re very lucky to have some great photography to work with, and we’re really pleased with the resulting work.
There’s been a lot of changes to the MM group recently, as a result of which, going forward there is some really interesting new work under discussion - work which will challenge people’s perceptions of the Museum and how they can get involved. We can’t wait to get started!
We’ve also been working with the newly reopened British Commercial Vehicle Museum to design some interpretation graphics. Aimed squarely at that all important family audience, these graphics seek to engage the younger visitor, encourage them to get on the vehicles they can, and (in a polite and friendly way) inform visitors which vehicles are off limits.
News in Brief
We’ve recently been appointed to the agency roster for Warwickshire County Council. One of the highlights of this new working relationship (for those in the office who are cycling fans, at least!) was the opportunity to design a ‘fan flag’ for the Tour of Britain, a stage of which passes through the County. Some images from the recent Womens’ ToB can be seen below…
Also seen below is some infographic design for Muse Developments, some nice little icons for our friends and accountants Axis, and the front covers of the first two editions of the Port Sunlight Village Trust Gazette. Following on from our work rebranding Y Homes, revealed early in January, we’ve been working on the second tier of their materials such as this flyer. If you live in York, you’ve probably had one through your door!
Moving on, (and any excuse for some of us to get a quick car in the blog) there’s some work for Vodafone Automotive for their client, McLaren Automotive. Lastly, we were delighted to help out fellow Maxonians Navigate Group recently, when they asked us to work with them on some creative for their client Solace Group.
For those who don’t know, the word Waconian is derived from the original name of the school - “The Manchester District School for Orphans of Warehousemen and Clerks”…