CABE
Branding / Event design / Marketing / 2007 ongoing

Since 2007, we have been on the design roster at CABE [Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment] — the British government's advisor on architecture, urban design and public space. During this time we have worked on a variety of projects:

Building For Life
Is the national standard for well-designed homes and neighbourhoods. We commenced this project by redrawing and refreshing the existing logo whilst keeping the original colour palette in order to retain recognition. A major part of the initiative is an awards scheme that rewards exceptional examples of building developments. We designed a trophy that reflected the values of the scheme, taking the form of a building-block like cube, hand crafted from sustainable wood. Text listing the criteria of the awards wraps around the cube, engraved and filled with brightly coloured enamel. For the 2008 award ceremony we dressed the event with oversize versions of the trophies playfully stacked up. As part of the ongoing communication needs of the scheme we have also designed plaques, leaflets and give-aways.

Street Design and Placemaking
Is a series of seminars to promote good design for streets to senior public sector managers. We created a delegate pack that housed posters, postcards and case study booklets. We were concerned that the information and advice being presented could sound overly authoritative so we created a series of posters that borrow from the copywriting of propaganda posters of WW2, in a tongue-in-cheek manner. We embellished the letterforms with illustrations that converted the black type into streets with road markings and architectural-style town plans of houses, buildings and green space. This idea was taken onto the front cover of the folder, whilst the case studies were laid out to enhance functionality and legibility.

Sea Change
Is a cultural regeneration program for Britain's seaside resorts. We were asked to design the branding and are the principal design team for all the programs needs including plaques, marketing and awareness campaigns. Our logo incorporates a child's bucket and sandcastle as a playful metaphor for the idea of positive building by the seaside.