Coca-Cola launches Christmas campaign identity

“Coca-Cola and Christmas are synonymous,” says Kristie Malivindi, creative director at JKR. It’s true that the brand has carved out its own strangely prominent spot in the festive calendar, largely thanks to the Coca-Cola lorry announcing the arrival of the holidays via the nation’s TV screens each year. “Coke holiday campaigns are a seasonal tradition.”

This year, Coca-Cola is consolidating its Christmas links by debuting a visual identity created by JKR and the brand’s in-house design team specifically for its holiday campaign work. The identity was designed to be “iconically Coke” and “iconically Christmas”, according to Malivindi, while being flexible enough to work globally across all of its touchpoints – from digital platforms to packaging to communications.

“We created a suite of ornaments in a tight palette of colours, shapes, patterns, (and from different perspectives), to balance recognition of the brand with flexibility of application,” she says.

The holiday campaign identity also includes a new serif typeface that brings “warmth and sparkle”, Malivindi says. Designed by Brody Associates, the typeface is based on specimens from the Coca-Cola archives, which lends it a kind of vintage charm.

The team also channelled their efforts into creating a motion design toolkit that would help the festive campaigns to thrive on digital, which was “a bit of a first for Coke”, Malivindi says.

Book explores medieval merchant marks

Logo Rewind, a new book by designer, researcher, and educator Darren Leader, brings together over 200 trademarks from medieval-era Norwich in England and studies their impact on modern logo design.

“The rediscovery of Norwich merchant marks from the 13th to the 17th century is a graphic gem and an important piece of the puzzle in the early history of the development of the modern logo,” writes Jens Müller in the book’s foreword.

Beginning with the history of modern graphic design, Logo Rewind looks at the often overlooked impact of these trademarks, taking readers on a journey through medieval-era Norwich and exploring their use as symbols of trade and business.

Another of the book’s contributors (and CEO of the Design Council), Minnie Moll, explains how these symbols needed to separate their creators from the competition, as well as appeal to a largely illiterate population for whom the use of wordmarks would be ineffective.

Looking through the host of trademarks featured in the book, it is immediately obvious how strikingly contemporary many of them are, bearing the angular lines and geometric shapes that we so often see used in modern logos.

For clarity, Leader has recreated each one digitally, making them accessible through providing the merchant’s name, occupation, location, and year of identification. As a result, readers are able to understand the context for each mark, and can witness the evolution of these designs as time passes.

Outstanding Natural Beauty rebrands as National Landscapes

Traditionally, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs) are designated parts of the British countryside that are under conservation due to their significant landscape value. Totalling 39, these areas are found throughout the entire country, and are visited by millions of people every year. However, a recent survey carried out by the organisation showed that public awareness of them was below 50%.

London-based creative agency Nice and Serious was brought in to steer a full rebrand of AONBs that would spark engagement and help them to better serve their communities. This began with simplifying the name to National Landscapes, along with a new visual identity for the organisation that stresses the importance of these natural areas.

The team at Nice and Serious also wanted to unite all of the 39 areas, and as such, developed a consistent narrative and visual system that could tie them together. Throughout the visual system, these areas and the people that occupy them are woven into a “living patchwork”, symbolising their interconnectedness.

“The idea of the living patchwork came to underpin the visual design system,” explains Nice and Serious creative director Peter Larkin. “Where each square is as unique as the next – filled with endless patterns of people and place. Up close, these individual patches represent one part of the landscape’s story, but step back and they thread together to form our nation’s fabric. One that’s vibrant, and full of life.”

Accessibility and inclusivity were an important consideration during the design process and informed the typeface used for the identity. The main one, Effra, was selected for its “contemporary, humanist aesthetic but also its open characters, distinguishable letter forms and lack of ‘mirroring’ – all which help it be more legible for people with dyslexia,” Larkin says.

Koto rebrands music streamer Deezer

Founded in 2007, the music streaming platform Deezer has often been in the shadows of its main competitor Spotify. But with users in over 180 countries and almost 10 million subscribers, recently the platform has shifted towards a new brand purpose, defined as ‘Deezer helps you be and belong’. With that comes a new identity rooted in their belief that ‘Music is the beating heart of life’.

Bringing in design studio Koto to help, at the heart of the rebrand is a fresh logo that symbolises a beating heart. The logo aims to capture Deezer’s essence and draws from a few core ideas: love and passion for music, and instilling a sense of belonging in the Deezer experience. The logo has also been set in motion and pulsates to echo rhythms and beats.

Beyond the logo, Koto has adopted a motion-first approach with the rest of the design system further building on the beats element as well as playfully tapping into the rhythmic pulse of music. The beats take various forms to create dynamic patterns and graphic elements to help bring the identity to life. This offers Deezer flexibility by using these beats as illustrative elements, sound expressions, or container shapes for brand imagery.

The rich history of London Transport’s poster design

The London Transport Museum is opening a new gallery to showcase the rich history of poster and art design, of which it has been an integral driving force since the dawn of the 20th century. The Global Poster Gallery will feature posters for London Transport and the Underground from the Museum’s extensive collection.

Round London sightseeing tour by Abram Games, 1971 © Abram Games Estate and TfL

London Zoo by Abram Games, 1976 © Abram Games Estate and TfL

The launch of the first exhibition, How to Make a Poster, coincides with the opening, and will offer visitors a chance to explore the world of poster commissioning and creativity in the pre-digital age. Visitors will gain invaluable insights into the processes involved in creating some of the 20th century’s most important works in this medium.

These include works by American artists Edward McKnight Kauffer and Man Ray, German graphic designer Hans Unger, and British artists Abram Games, Tom Eckersley, Paul Catherall, and Dora M Batty – the latter of which was a particularly influential female graphic designer in this era.

There is still the Country by Dora M Batty, 1926 © TfL from London Transport Museum’s collection

Busabout by Hans Unger and Eberhand Schultze, 1970 © TfL from London Transport Museum’s collection

A new view of London by Paul Catherall, 2007 © TfL from London Transport Museum’s collection

First Choice’s new identity

The brand strategy reframes the benefits of travel agencies, partly in a bid to appeal to younger customers, who have likely never had the experience of walking into a high street travel agency and coming out with an package holiday planned for the following year.

While we’re reminded of long-standing selling points like travel protection, the new positioning taps into a very contemporary issue – decision paralysis. The identity invites people to be “proudly picky” about their holidays without the headache of cross-comparing options and flicking between endless tabs.

This comes through in the new characterful icons, which almost resemble a coat of arms when arranged together in smaller clusters. The main icons seen on the logo symbolise different holiday options available to people – city, coast, poolside or countryside – dispelling the idea of travel operators being rigid or predictable in their offering. These appear across other touchpoints, from the digital experience to communications, along with a wider suite of symbols that further illustrate choice and flexibility.

While it’s clear the new identity is geared towards younger generations more than before, the agency didn’t want to alienate other customers. “We aimed to find a mindset that both new and existing customers shared. Speaking to a range of different holidaymakers, that sense of choice paralysis seemed to be common amongst all demographics, and so the brand strategy – empowering people to be proudly picky – felt like it had a fairly universal relevance,” Ottignon says. “Ultimately, this brand is about picking the right choice for you, whoever you are, and whatever your preferences.”

Wine brand New Theory

In the same way the craft movement has transformed the way beer brands look and behave, perceptions of the traditionally pretentious world of wine have been shifting in recent years. This is in part thanks to the likes of wine fanzine Noble Rot (which has since spawned its own gastronomic empire), along with a wave of design-led brands such as Chin Chin and Stompy.

Founded by brothers Charlie and Thom Bradley in 2021, Nouveau works with South African winemakers to bring low intervention wines to the UK, and has built a strong community of non-traditional wine drinkers since then.

With insights from Thom’s background in graphic design, the duo felt that the brand needed to better reflect their vision and audience, and so decided to rename it as New Theory.

Rather than borrowing from the visual language of old school wine brands, the wider rebrand is inspired by lifestyle and culture movements. Created in collaboration with type designer Clara Isaksson, the new hand-drawn logotype is intended to feel deliberately DIY.

The brand has also worked with illustrator James Graham to build a world of characters that adorn the front of each bottle. From a characterful nose to dancing dice to wind-up teeth, each bottle of New Theory is designed to have its own unique identity.

ManvsMachine’s Tom Bunker has also created a new mascot to encapsulate the brand, which will be rolling out in various places in the coming months. The hope, say the co-founders, is to “create a brand for wine that doesn’t take itself too seriously”.

SVA’s subway poster show features icons of design

Art Is!, 2018. Designer: Pablo Delcan; Illustrator: Justin Metz; Creative Director: Anthony P Rhodes

The School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York has announced the opening of Underground Images: A History, which revisits the college’s famous Subway Posters collection. These posters have adorned the walls of the NYC subway system for nearly 75 years, and now, for the first time ever, they are being shown as a complete collection.

Featuring more than 200 posters by 93 different artists, the collection began in 1947 when SVA was founded. Initially called the Cartoonists & Illustrators School, esteemed members of its faculty were commissioned to design these posters as a form of “creative marketing”.

Every Wall is a Door, 1961. Designer/Photographer: George Tscherny; Art Director: Silas H Rhodes

It’s Never Too Late to Get Where You’re Going, 2011. Designer: Louise Fili; Creative Director: Anthony P Rhodes

Since 2006, various posters from the collection have toured around the world, becoming part of exhibitions in countries as wide-ranging as India, Jamaica, Ireland, Turkey, Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, Italy, and Serbia. But this time around, the posters return to their birthplace of New York for the largest exhibition thus far.

Alongside the posters themselves will be a showing of the Subway Series videos, historical photographs, original artworks, progress sketches, oral histories, and a recreation of a subway platform to make the experience fully immersive.

“Since the earliest days of the college, the subway posters have done more than just generate interest in SVA,” said SVA president David Rhodes. “They’ve stirred the imaginations of New Yorkers and the countless aspiring and practicing artists who visit the city each year.”

I Love NY More Than Ever, 2001. Designer: Milton Glaser; Creative Director: Silas H Rhodes

Spend a Few Nights With Us. It May Change…, 1973. Illustrator: Audrey Flack; Designer: Richard Wilde, Copywriter: Dick Wasserman; Art Director: Silas H Rhodes

Art Defies Gravity, 2017. Designer: Stephen Doyle; Creative Director: Anthony P Rhodes

Underground Images: A History is on show at SVA Chelsea Gallery until October 14; sva.edu

Amazon’s new ad brings the magic of books to life

Amazon kicked off its book-focused campaign That Reading Feeling last year with a mixed media ad created by agency partner Droga5 London.

The second instalment of the campaign continues to celebrate the place of books at the heart of culture, and reflects the boom in audio storytelling by using radio ads to support the print, digital and social assets.

For the print campaign, the agency commissioned 19 illustrators (some from the first time around) to create 110 individual designs that bring new life to the invisible magic that happens inside our imaginations when we read.

Featured illustrators include Angela Kirkwood, Yonk, and Leanne Rule, while the photography was led by Felicity Ingram, best known for her fashion and beauty work for the likes of British Vogue.

Each illustrator was briefed with the genre of a book and a specific word or visual to bring to life. The result is a playful mixed media approach that seeks to mirror the rich mixture of feelings that a good read can bring.

The campaign also appears on social, where it focuses on different characters as they react to the books they are reading, and extends to radio, where it explores the unique reactions that different readers have when enjoying a book.

Credits:
Agency: Droga5 London
Chief Creative Officer: Shelley Smoler
Creative Director: Matt Hubbard
Design Director: Matteo Alabiso
Senior Designer: Hannah Stewart
Creative: Chip McCoy
Creative: Ellie Keyes
Motion Designer: Michael O’Brien
Art Producer: Katerina Gharraph
Senior Creative Artworker: Paul Callaby
Artworker: Rob David
Photographer: Felicity Ingram
Illustrators: Chrome and Lightning, Vicmcmxciii, Harry Bhal, Yeah Nice Design, Vasya Kolotooosha, Sebastian Rabaste, Leanne Rule, Patricia Doria, Daniel Bornmann, Dillon Hutchins Marc Urtasun, Angela Kirkwood, Anatolii Belikov, Anton Hjertstedt, Steph Ramplin, Mat Voyce, Yonk, Thomas Burden, Joseph Melhuish

Sock’s branding subverts the cold world of crypto

Global design agency Koto has joined up with cryptocurrency app Sock to help it disrupt the sterile world of crypto branding. Breaking away from the crowd with its accessible and playful approach, Sock wanted to reflect this ethos in its new identity.

Even the name itself hints at Sock’s tongue-in-cheek attitude, showing that despite taking its mission seriously, there is always room for a little fun. Sock was taken from the many ‘creative ways’ people choose to store their money, alluding to the old sock drawer that was a favourite in years gone by.

As such, Koto worked with London-based illustrator Shin Hye Lee to develop a cast of friendly, whimsical figures to populate the app’s interface, tying into the appetite for illustrated characters in branding at the moment. Beyond simply guiding users through the various sections and features, the characters also serve to bring some warmth to what can often be a lifeless experience.