Prospecting in China…

As part of our future development programme, we have just completed another successful business trip to China. Following previous visits to Shanghai and Beijing earlier in 2004, this time we visited Shanghai and Wuhan over a 3-week period, meeting with existing and new clients in the interiors, graphics and exhibition sectors.

Return trips to all three markets, plus Hong Kong, are programmed for early Spring 2005. Plenty of exciting projects in the pipeline!

RGU

In January 2004 we were commissioned by RGU to carry out a review and refinement of the RGU brand. We decided that the existing brand had some strengths and market relevance but it required development to make it robust and applicable to all markets and also systemised to ensure it could be managed with consistency. A carefully developed visual identity deployed through the organisation is essential for RGU—a unique and forward-thinking organisation.

Our first stage was to gain a full and thorough understanding of the organisation through consultation with RGU staff, students and stakeholders and make an assessment of all available background material. Following this we developed a clear, consistent and systematic identity with which to control all brand elements including the coat of arms, the name, supporting text, colour and layout in all relevant media.

The system comprises several elements including the formal heraldic shield and a new bespoke typeface, named Gordon. We have designed a variety of items including course information brochures, exhibition panels, T-shirts, pens, bags, recruitment advertising and building signage that use the newly developed brand.

For more details, please click below:
www.rgu.ac.uk

Graven Images Schmooze

A big thank you to all those who joined us at Collage Bar for our “End of Summer Schmooze”. It was great to see you all and we very much hope you enjoyed yourselves!

Autostadt

Graven Images has just completed the redesign of Lagune, the 500 seat restaurant at VW’s visitor attraction, Autostadt, in Wolfsburg, Germany.

The Autostadt, Volkswagen’s ‘automobility forum’ encompasses 6 brand pavilions, a museum, its own 5-star Ritz-Carlton, 7 restaurants and the biggest car distribution centre world-wide. With over 500 new VWs collected daily and over 8.7 million visitors so far, the Autostadt is a premier German theme park and service centre.

Progreso Brand Launch

Hot off the press! Graven Images designed the new high street brand Progreso for client Matthew Algie.

Progreso is to be a chain of coffee shops opened up far and wide selling fair trade coffee. A one-day pilot cafe was unveiled in Soho which proved a huge success. The scheme is jointly set up between Oxfam and Matthew Algie.

Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park Signage

We designed and implemented external interpretative signage for Scotland’s first National Park.

We were pleased to be informed that the project has won top prize in the Wayfinding category in the Sign Industry Awards 2004!

Outstanding Contribution award

We won the Outstanding Contribution award for our work in Bar and Restaurant design from the lovely people at Theme magazine.

Thankyou.

Sorry we couldn’t make it to the ceremony (early flights the next morning) and the live video satellite link let us down.

New book: Design Stories

Our new book, Design Stories has just been published.

English version ISBN: 0-9547103-0-4, and
Mandarin version ISBN: 0-9547103-1-2. Price: £15.00 (plus p+p).

Initially, Design Stories will be available from Amazon, The Lighthouse and Analogue Books.

The book is glossy and juicy and we know you’ll love it.

Fieldtrip

Company Directors Janice and Ross contributed to this exhibition, featuring at The Lighthouse, Scotland’s Centre for Architecture, Design and the City from 9th April–5th July 2004.

For the exhibition, 5 guides lead 5 groups on 5 routes across Highlands, Islands and Central Scotland. At the exhibition, we discover where they went, what they saw and what they brought back.

Seminars will be held at The Lighthouse in June, where participants will be taken on an undisclosed fieldtrip. The journey, through the accompanying commentary of the speakers, will allow those who take part to rediscover Scotland’s landscapes and buildings.

For more information see:
www.scottisharchitecture.com

The book to accompany the exhibition is now available, ISBN 0-95365338-2.

Re:Motion

Re:Motion, our award-winning travelling exhibition is now showing in Glasgow at The Lighthouse, Scotland’s Centre for Architecture, Design and the City.