Jordan North Billboard

2020 will be remembered for many things… One of the most joyous must be Burnley lad and Radio 1 presenter Jordan North’s appearance in I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here.

Happy Place Turf Moor

Making it all the way to the final, Jordan’s infectious good humour earned him a place in the nation’s heart. Particularly in his home town of Burnley after he coined the phrase, “Happy Place Turf Moor.” Burnley FC raised thousands of pounds for charity from selling tee-shirts bearing the phrase.

So when he finally escaped the jungle/castle, Burnley Council and bondholders engaged us to produce an illustration (based on the Barack Obama Hope poster) to celebrate! It has been extensively shared on social media and on a massive billboard outside Jordan’s beloved Turf Moor. This massive, celebratory illustration has had wide coverage, even making it to itv news.

Market Kitchen

Burnley market has enjoyed a mini renaissance of late, with the introduction of its smashing new food court – Market Kitchen. The new eating area, with the market’s multitude of food vendors gathered together around it, has been a real success, particularly with students. 

We did a lot of work to promote the Market Kitchen. Soon it became apparent that we would have to make sure this new attraction was broadened so customers could see what else was going on in the market. 

This new campaign, Food and More, became a challenging and rewarding series of illustrated posters showing food transmogrifying into some of the other great products and services on offer at the market.

Pendle Hill Landscape Partnership

Pendle Hill Landscape Partnership scheme seeks to bring Pendle together, restoring and conserving heritage and landscape, whilst reconnecting its people with the past, and creating a sustainable future for the area.  

Pendle Hill means many things to many people. It was going to be a real challenge to bring it all together visually.

We had to develop a brand for them that could represent 12 very different projects, as well as communicate the idea of ‘gathering’ the people and places together. It had to, somehow, represent the hill, without using its famous profile. Its famous slope looks very different from the Pendle side and the Ribble Valley side, with each side claiming their view to be correct!

Our branding solution uses a birds eye view. The resulting jewel shape is made up from connecting outlying villages and areas to the hill in the centre. The colour scheme represents countryside (greens) as well as the Pendle Radicals, such as George Fox and Selina Cooper (purple). Fresh photography was commissioned as part of the new brand, showing the area’s variety and complexity.

Our brand clearly badges the work of the project and can now be seen throughout the area. Further work includes notices, infographics, fliers, walking guides, a Farmer’s Guide, and interpretation panels in collaboration with local illustrator Cath Ford. 

Led by the Forest of Bowland AONB, and supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund, Pendle Hill Landscape Partnership Scheme continues to make a difference in the area, bringing people and place together.

Colne

Colne in Lancashire bustles with independent shops and is full of character. Home to award-winning cyclists, four theatres and one of the longest running blues festivals, it has a great deal to offer. What it needed, under the direction of Colne BID, was a fresh lick of paint – a place brand.

The town has an abundance of interior design shops – it’s a great place to shop when you’re looking for something unique to brighten up your home. Our brand, therefore, had to reflect this, as well as look in-keeping with a multitude of events and other uses.

We produced a logo and type style that can refresh with the seasons! A simple system that can work with any colour palette or pattern. Paired with classic, Farrow and Ball-type colours, it looks classy and homely, but when the comic book festival hits town, our logo looks stunning in pink, green and yellow, and thrives against a background of Ben Day dots.

The result can be classic or quirky. The font we have chosen has enough variations that it can flex to the client’s requirements. It was very important to the client that this place brand had longevity, that it would continue to change and grow years after the initial burst of activity.

Find out more at the website we built – cometocolne.com

Thompson Park

A green space in the heart of Burnley, Thompson Park received Heritage Lottery Funding in 2017 to return to its 1930s heyday. Work on site included the renovation of the boating lake and the conversion of the boathouse into a cafe and the pavilion into an event venue.  

We were brought in to provide new signage and interpretation to the park. The client was keen to reference the 1930s and to keep anything new in the park seem at one with the restored elements. We were inspired by the architecture and history of Thompson Park and came up with many ideas to bring its history to life. If only there had been budget for all the things we came up with. Perhaps when it approaches its next centenary!

Alongside welcome signage, systems for advertising events and signage for the boathouse cafe, we produced a fun illustration of the park, making it easier for people to orient themselves and find their way to the new refreshments or revamped boat hire. 

We continue to produce signage and interpretation for Thompson Park as the Burnley Council continues to support and develop this amazing, historic, recreational space.

Dog Fouling campaign

Whilst there’s nothing funny about dog fouling, there is some fun to be had if a campaign is going to be popular with the public and draw attention to the problem. Burnley Council’s streetscene department were particularly keen to get people to report offending owners. 

Since the council were inviting people to ‘turn detective’ the approach of dog detective seemed appropriate. Paired with the phrase Who Dunit? (surely somebody out there will remember the murder-themed quiz show from the 70s…), we produced an engaging series of posters and online assets, including motion graphics and a campaign landing page on the council’s website. 

This is an ongoing campaign, so keep your eyes peeled for more dog detective shenanigans!

Rochdale Animation

It’s always a pleasure to produce animation (difficult and time consuming, but, yes, a pleasure). When Rochdale Council wanted help with their fostering services we were delighted to produce  two short animated films for them. 

The first explains, in simple terms, the fostering process. A step-by-step guide with friendly characters and a timeline at the top so that potential foster parents can get a clear idea of what happens when. It’s a soft approach for something people can find very daunting.

A more targeted advert, looking for foster carers for teenagers, centred on all the important life events teens go through that you can be a part of. The exams, the break ups, the adventures, moving out to college. This was a lot of fun to illustrate!

Animation is a great way to engage with your client’s audience. It can be more imaginative, flexible, inclusive and cheaper than attempting the same thing in live action.