Topline: Store Exterior Promotion

Topline core message mark on store exteriorOver the past four years Topline have successfully enhanced a large number of its members’ stores. This involves devising new store layouts, maximising product range per square metre and implementing the brand identity system through signage and point-of-sale in each store.

However, Topline came to us with a problem – the revamped store exteriors did not reflect the in-store experience. Members’ stores are large cladded retail units, often with a limited amount of window space and are located on the outskirts of towns. The exteriors needed a coordinated approach that could effectively promote the full range of product and expertise available within the stores.

Research boards of competitors and high street storesTo begin our process, we researched key competitors as well as high street stores to get an overview of current best practice in store exterior promotion. We then held a brainstorm session, with the Topline team, where we explored a variety of ideas and approaches. This formed the brief for a suite of new visual elements we designed and developed to help Topline member stores achieve strong impact in the competitive retail market.

We designed a core message mark which is a promotional device specifically designed for store exteriors. The words Maintain, Renovate and Decorate represent the core activities a customer will look to do when visiting a store. The Right Here arrow directs the customer to the store entrance and also acts as a call-to-action. This message mark is designed to support the Topline brand mark and uses the purple and green from the main palette.

We created a set of fun illustrated characters to add personality to the exterior windows and to promote many of the key product categories available within Topline stores. We chose illustrator Steve Simpson to work with us on this aspect of the project, under Marie’s art-direction. These unique colourful characters further differentiate Topline’s stores from their competitors.

Topline Burtons in Kanturk is the first store to implement the new exterior elements. The revamped store opened on the third of December with a completely revitalised interior and exterior to entice customers to visit the store.

Topline Burtons revamped store with exterior promotional elements

An Overview Of Our Work For Aer Lingus

We have enjoyed working with Aer Lingus since 2007 when we were asked to develop a new aerlingus.com mark to deliver more synergy with their corporate identity mark.

Since then our work with Aer Lingus has ranged from consulting on the brief for the new lounge interiors, art directing a new photographic library, designing customer communications, through to creating their forthcoming comprehensive brand guidelines.

Where our work has added most value is in providing systemisation and brand consistency. We have to understand where they are today and—more importantly—where they are going in the future. The airline’s brand positioning has evolved and focussed over the course of our time with them. Our work has assisted Aer Lingus in keeping their visual brand identity in step with those changes. They use us as a resource to ensure certain communications are on-brand.

Micheál Gannon, Marketing Manager, says “BFK has worked on a number of projects for Aer Lingus across many consumer touch points. They always bring a fresh perspective to the brief and consistently deliver creative and disciplined solutions to tight timelines. In particular, their work on refreshing our corporate brand guidelines has helped us to present the Aer Lingus brand in a more consistent manner.”

Aer Lingus: New In-flight Menu

Aer Lingus has launched our newly-designed in-flight menu. The new menu, called Sky Deli, offers contemporary meal options including granola, Greek salad and antipasto. The brief asked us to create a new design to reflect the modern range of food and to define a photographic style that portrays quality, fresh and flavoursome food.

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An Overview Of Our Work For UCD

Our long-term relationship with UCD has allowed us to add value through our branding and design thinking by resolving multiple design challenges for a broad client base across the university.

We have worked with UCD since before 2000. Over that time our work has spanned a broad range of activites from corporate identity design, naming and brand governance, through to literature design, information design, wayfinding systems, signage design, exhibition design and online design.

Where our work has added most value is in replacing a fragmented identity system of more than 70 marks with one single master brand mark. The university’s unity of purpose was visualised and made tangible under this new brand system introduced in 2005. The updated brand supported the university’s strategic activities at both the national and international levels.

In addition to our contributions to marketing activities, our core design skills have been utilised in many key projects on-campus, such as the re-invention of the university’s library signage system.

UCD’s Student Recruitment Office have chosen us as their design partner for their undergraduate prospectus since 2005. Year after year, our close collaboration has resulted in deeper understanding, leading to ever more innovative and effective methods of visually communicating the university’s offering.

Anne-Marie Harvey, Director of Student Recruitment UCD, says: “The new-look prospectus really caters for the youth audience. It moved away from the annual report style and is far more effective in delivering our message to our target market.”

UCD: Undergraduate Prospectus 2012

UCD asked us to completely refresh their undergraduate prospectus. Our new design:
— Engages more with the prospective student.
— Enhances the student’s experience of UCD.
— Looks distinctive, inspires students, and encapsulates the spirit of UCD.
— Positions UCD as a leader in its field by showcasing innovation and difference from other universities.

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NDRC: Annual Report 2010

Our design for this year’s NDRC annual report further positions the organisation as a credible and important enterprise delivering serious net economic impact for digital innovation and job creation in Ireland.

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An Overview Of Our Work For NUI Galway

Caroline Loughnane, Director of Marketing and Communications NUI Galway, speaking about our branding work for the university.

Our work refreshing and revitalising the NUI Galway brand has built a communications structure that clearly delivers the university’s messages to all audiences.

We have worked with NUI Galway since before 2000. In that time our work has spanned a broad range of activites from brand research, brand strategy, naming, corporate identity design and brand governance, through to literature design, advertising, information design, signage design and environmental graphics.

Our brand consultancy and research work on the positioning and naming of the university in 2007 directly led to us handling the subsequent rebranding as NUI Galway. Since then we have worked with various offices, departments and institutes to bring the new brand to life. We have designed everything from printed marketing materials and digital resources to some large-scale graphics currently in place at the heart of the campus.

NUI Galway: Undergraduate Prospectus 2012

our design for the 2012 NUI Galway undergraduate prospectus to be an extension and development of the visual style that we have established in the last two years. We have introduced dramatic image-based double page spreads, refined the treatment of all information and switched to uncoated paper for the first time.

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