D&AD Xchange 2007

I recently worked with Hat-trick on my first D&AD project, which was nice. It was a booklet to promote D&AD Xchange - the annual two-day event for educators in design, advertising and communications.

As ever, D&AD had assembled a stellar line-up of speakers. So the concept for the materials was 'Mix with some big names'. The cover of the booklet (left) is a playful interpretation of that idea.

If you'd like to read what I wrote, click here to download a PDF of the booklet.

Capital Commitment book

The latest version of Land Securities' Capital Commitment book is hot off the presses, designed by 300million, with copy by - well, you can imagine who wrote the copy.

This new book updates the original, produced in 2004, and details Land Securities' entire London property portfolio - worth some £7 billion (and counting).

Over 100 pages, this hardback tome shows off both existing properties, and those in development, as well as providing a platform to expound Land Securities' long-standing commitment to the capital. (They've been in London for over 60 years.)

The front cover presented one of those little writing challenges that so enthuse us wordsmiths. I had to create a paragraph that would sum up the book, and use the words 'capital' and 'commitment' in such a way that they could be picked out in silver. As you can see, it worked out rather nicely.

SoCo: the big picture

This is one of the first pieces of literature for SoCo, the Edinburgh development between South Bridge and Cowgate.

The piece is an A3 introduction to the development, including CGIs and maps of the area.

It also shows off 300million's identity for the project very well, but at this size you don't get to read much of my copy.

However, the headline shows the 'riddle' campaign (see my previous post) developing nicely.

Helping create a new food brand

Pioneering Foods is a new brand, bringing together two frozen foods businesses under one inspiring umbrella. Elmwood were given the job of creating the new identity and launch materials, including this brochure. And I was delighted to be asked to help with the words.

Elmwood's identity includes a very nifty mark, in which a cap P tips on its side to create a creamy-topped mountain peak, and a bank of witty images in which food takes on a new, appropriately pioneering, appearance. On the cover (left), for example, some tasty chocolate desserts are transformed into the sort of place Captain Kirk would boldly go.

The brochure also introduces Pioneering Foods' two constituent businesses, Icefresh Foods and Heaven Made Desserts. Elmwood has created identities for these subsidiaries too, including the one shown (below) for Heaven Made, in which a plate becomes an ill-deserved halo for what are actually extremely naughty, but delicious, frozen desserts.

If you'd like to read some of the copy, you can download a PDF of the hot-air balloon spread and a PDF of the Heaven Made spread.

A box of delights for Land Securities

The latest of my work for Land Securities is hot off the press this week. It's a beautiful portfolio of images to promote New Street Square, in the City, to potential retail tenants.

It's an especially interesting development, turning what was a typically revolting 1960s office block into a collection of new buildings that reinstates the long-lost street plan. Instead of a monolithic lump of concrete, New Street Square is becoming a little hive of lanes and open space, surrounded by shops, cafes and restaurants.

All those establishments need tenants, of course, and that's where this piece comes in. Much more than a mere brochure, the box contains a selection of beautiful, aspirational images (which can be tailored to the audience) to tempt high-quality retailers into the Square. The minimal, straight-talking copy, which introduces the concept and accompanies each image, puts the powerful business case for setting up shop in New Street Square.