Lap the olympics
Shrewsbury School graffiti - a Shrewsbury one-off since 1552.
Shrewsbury School graffiti – a Shrewsbury one-off since 1552.

A lot of things can go wrong when you’re creating a brand for a town (known in the biz as ‘place branding’). You have to win over everyone who lives and works there. Keeping them all happy means places often end up with a woolly line like ‘One Leicester’, which doesn’t get noticed beyond junction 23 of the M1.

We did a lot of work behind the scenes to persuade people in Shrewsbury not to do the usual going-through-the-motions workshops, and to back something that didn’t feel like a traditional tourist brand instead. They went with it and people all over the world have shown a lot of love for Shrewsbury – not bad for a brand that was meant to attract day trippers from Birmingham.

Our work was featured in Creative Review and Fast Company, and it was the only branding scheme nominated for a D&AD pencil in its category (nudging ahead of London 2012′s Olympic branding, no less).

One-off stamp
‘A Shrewsbury One-Off Since…’ a line that works in lots of different ways – to show how old something is: since 1586. To show that something is new: since 2012. Or to say that a cake was baked earlier this morning: since 6.30am.
Shopkeepers and businesses can use stamps to celebrate their own one-offs and promote their businesses too.
Shopkeepers and businesses can use stamps to celebrate their own one-offs and promote their businesses too.

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WHAT WE DID.

+ Came up with the brand, managed it, and did the thinking behind it.
+ Came up with the tone of voice and wrote their guidelines.
+ Trained people how to use it.

WHAT WE DIDN’T DO.

+ The design. & SMITH did that.

"A gem in the muddy world of place branding." Creative Review