Thompson Brand Partners

Olympic Dillon

Delighted to see that Fontsmith's FS Dillion has been implemented as a signage font for a number of key venues at the London 2012 Olympic park, and it looks fantastic. Well done guys!

Take a look over at the Fontsmith blog.

Sculpture/Performance

If you're stuck for a Bank Holiday activity for this weekend, pop down to Yorkshire Sculpture Park and witness sculpture - live.

Artist Florence Peake is coming to Yorkshire to conduct the live build and then deconstruction of a monolithic structure before the eyes of a live audience. The build/performance begins at 17.00, is FREE to attend and will last for about an hour, with refreshments available (theatre-style). 

http://www.ysp.co.uk/events/florence-peake-make

Pimp my IKEA sofa

It seems so obvious, I can't believe no one beat Prettypegs to it... This Swedish company produce quirky, playful legs that screw into the bottom of IKEA sofas and beds, allowing you to quickly, easily and relatively cheaply update your furniture (well, it's cheaper than a new sofa anyway).

Prettypegs allow you to choose your design and colour, and will ship it all the way from sunny Sweden for you to install yourself, IKEA-style. 

Their website is nice too - www.prettypegs.se

Rach x

P = The Protagonist

 '22 Stories'

Apparently it doesn't matter which Hollywood film you look at, the plot will follow one of these 22 stories. See here for the full shebang. Using this model, my analysis tells me this:

1. Transformers = a classic 'Monster'

2. The Rock = somewhere between 'Quest' and 'Pursuit'

3. Gran Torino is another classic, this time of 'Maturation'. Albeit 'Maturation' with slight hints of 'Tragedy'

4. Zombieland, whilst an amazing tale, involving 'Escape', 'Maturation', 'Discovery' and 'Rescue', is ultimately a total 'Underdog'.

Rachel x

PS I hardly need point out that our 5th learning is my questionable taste in films.

Phaidon outlet store

I’m not the biggest shopper in town, but do enjoy a wander through the Victoria Quarter (in Leeds) and the occasional rummage around the sales. One place I do enjoy shopping is the Designer Outlet just outside York. This is where I bought my wedding suit, from Paul Smith, so I’ll never forget it. When you’re there, if you brave the ranks of discount shoe stores, you’ll be rewarded with some real gems, like Margaret Howell, Daks and The Kooples.

My visit on Saturday was blessed with another fantastic discovery, a Phaidon outlet store. Can you believe that? The outstanding British publisher of arts, culture and design books, with a consistently amazing level of quality, has an outlet store! And it located less than 40 minutes from where I live. Now that’s what I call a find.

The shop is relatively small, but is packed to the ceiling with a combination of photography books, travel guides, art collections and some of the best design books ever written. I picked-up a selection by Alan Fletcher and John Pawson, and could have done some serious damage to the bank account if I hadn’t been dragged out.

The best feature of the store is their ‘Hurt Sale’. This is what others call the bargain bin. These are books that are not in mint condition, and its usually just the cover that has a few marks. Once inside the experience is just as good as always. These titles have been seriously discounted and its such a lovely way to find a new home for them. Its as if they have not had the best of lives so far, but can still be special to the right type of owner. 

What a great way to sell ‘slightly soiled’ stock, in a very human and meaningful way. Great idea by Phaidon and great news for the design community of Yorkshire. Get yourselves along there and help to keep the shop in business, for all of our benefits, including the poor old shabby books.

Be excellent

Quote from Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure + embroidery = a total gem

http://tinyurl.com/7v7wf62

Rachel x

Tis the season to be sharing...

(Image – PROTEIGON from BURAYAN on Vimeo)

If you're anything like us, at this time of year we're inundated with cards, calendars and choccies - most of which will end up in the bin or landfill site... So last year, in the vein of saving the planet and keeping you entertained, we created a Christmas-themed blog and packed it full of Christmas-themed posts that would either inspire, instruct or just generally entertain. 

It went so well it looks to have become a new favourite festive tradition of ours - and so for 2011 we've turned blue, gotten crafty and sexist, shared secret recipes, put together an abridged TV run-down and much more. Pop over just for a quick stop and we're pretty sure you'll find something to amuse or assist, whatever your tastes!

thompsonchristmas.com

Merry Christmas from the Team at Thompson.

Yorkshire is....

... t'branding capital of the North? Needless to say, a whole load of Yorkshire-based agencies seem to think so.

If you have two minutes, check out The Drum's article for a warm glow of pride and satisfaction if you're based in the Yorkshire counties, or otherwise admiration at just how much Yorkshire folks can talk 'emselves up:

 http://tinyurl.com/c7eu9cc

Thompson Brand Partners rebrands national charity to Young Epilepsy

Thompson Brand Partners has completed the rename and rebrand of the National Centre for Young People with Epilepsy (NCYPE) to Young Epilepsy.

Young Epilepsy is the only UK-wide charity exclusively supporting the 112,000 children and young people under 25 years of age with epilepsy and their families. Young Epilepsy is a leading provider of specialist education and health services to those most severely affected by epilepsy and related conditions.

Thompson started working with NCYPE in late 2010 after winning a 4-way credentials pitch. Since then the project has included an extensive research exercise prior to the decision to change the name to Young Epilepsy, followed by the development of a new brand identity.

The new identity was officially launched on 1 November 2011 and Thompson has been working with the Young Epilepsy marketing team to develop a range of applications including signage, new web templates, banners, corporate brochure and newsletters, as well as a set of brand guidelines to help ensure consistency.

The idea behind the new identity was to create a logo that changes from time to time, because it includes elements that have been drawn by the students from St Piers School and the FE College, which Young Epilepsy owns and manages in Lingfield, Surrey. As well as creating an identity that is credible for a national charity, Thompson also delivered a practical solution that is not too expensive to implement. Stars were chosen, as the child is always the star, and a project was set in the school and college for the children to create the artwork for the stars.

Nick Ramshaw, Managing Director of Thompson Brand Partners has enjoyed working with Young Epilepsy throughout and is excited about the effect the new branding will have on the charity: “The organisation began to change from a location-based health and education provider in Surrey, to a national epilepsy charity supporting children and young people around 3 years ago. What we have been able to do is help them decide on a more appropriate name and then use branding to communicate this re-position effectively and imaginatively.”

Young Epilepsy Chief Executive David Ford said: “Thompson has been an excellent partner throughout the process, adding rigour and inclusion when we were considering the name and fantastic creativity when developing the new identity. Everyone here loves the new identity, understands what our new brand stands for and can’t wait to stand behind it.” 

 

When it rains, it pours.

Despite a long and productive relationship with this fantastic institution, never before have we had the pleasure of working on quite so many amazing projects with Leeds College of Music!

From the (newly revamped) prospectus, to banners, sticker and adverts, their new branding is really coming to life. But my favourite is the incredible vinyl wall installation that went up on Saturday morning - a collage of over 200 photos of students and alumni, Leeds music scene, visiting professors and everything in between. We're taking pictures as we write... Stand by!

Rachel