Marvelous Mariscal drawing life

Javier Mariscal was born in Valencia, Spain in 1950. He began his diverse career when he moved to Barcelona in the early 1970s during the last years of the Franco dictatorship. Marical worked as an underground comic artist. Later, as Barcelona emerged from its troubled past, Mariscal gave the city a graphic identity, full of optimism reflecting the new Spain. The project culminated in his work for the Olympic Games of 1992 when he created Cobi, the mascot that was to be recognised by millions, as well as an identity and signage programme.

Mariscal now operates a large studio, with clients around the world and is currently working on a full-length animation feature film.

The photographs were taken on a visit to the Design Museum with students from the MA Design for Communication course University of Westminster.

Strange and wonderful characters

It usually starts on the plane to Thailand you bump into some

strange characters! here are a few strange and wonderful characters

I met in Bangkok.

In-flight contemporary values

Giving customers more without added costs was the brief from Britannia Airways. To define the brand values of an airline dedicated to fulfilling holidaymakers’ expectations, we worked closely with teams comprising of key internal and external audiences. Everyone from employees and cabin crew, to customers and specialist suppliers. 

After defining the essence of Britannia’s appeal, we created a powerful and intriguing ‘360 degree’ concept which then became the visual shorthand for a strong, lively carrier. The identity visual language is used imaginatively on everything Britannia produces to enhance brand experience with customers.

As part of the airline’s focus on service, we created the OBK sub-brand targeted at ‘On-Board Kids’. Fun and funky OBK is able to meet the demanding needs of some of the most brand-aware customers - young children and teenagers.

At a functional level, alongside the light and contemporary cabin interiors, we also created a refined seat design for new 767-300s to increase the perception of space.

Aer Lingus’s image came under scrutiny during the process of significant change as the airline examined ways of communicating its unique character in a competitive context. We were commissioned to evaluate perceptions of the Aer Lingus brand and to develop a new visual identity.

A more distinctive and energetic identity was designed to reflect the aspirations of the airline, the airline’s key markets are Europe and North America. Driven by the concept of ‘Modern Ireland at its best’, to place emphasis on modern values while reflecting Irish heritage, the identity drew its inspiration from strong associations with the character and natural beauty of Ireland. The visual language draws on Ireland’s rich literary heritage using quotes from famous Irish writers.

A major part of the implementation programme was aircraft interiors for both long and short haul classes of service - with particular attention to how classes are communicated, and physically managed, in the cabin environment. The identity visual language concept was reflected in cabin environment with the quotes theme woven into carpets, seat fabrics and reflected throughout in-flight service material such as luggage labels and ticket wallets.

Dungeness: The lyrics of Athlete ring true

A selection of photographs taken on a day in Dungeness.

Dungeness Lyrics by Athlete

I found a rope and a rubber glove

You found some pretty stones and they had holes so you could tie them together

Tie them together

Tie them together

And when we spoke there was silence

Cos there’s no need to make a sound when you’re got

Smiles instead

Smiles instead

Smiles instead

Go to Dungeness

Let’s go to Dungeness

Let’s go to Dungeness

Let’s go to Dungeness

No tall latte in a rusty shed

Just shots of light and broken bike to stimulate your busy head

In Dungeness

In Dungeness

Try Dungeness

Brand spirit: Defining visual language

Distinctive visual language should promote the spirit and brand personality of an organisation. Brand personality and how it is manifested through design elements is the pure essence of the brand. A brand’s visual language is a powerful reminder of how people perceive an organisation in their mind’s eye; the real organisation behind the image. Today visual language has a vital role to play in terms of updating, repositioning or refreshing a brand, to send a new message.

Visual language is a powerful but subtle combination of design elements working in harmony so strong brand management is needed to create consistent and distinctive ‘language’ in communication. Photography, tone of voice, colour palette and layout style need to express the right connotations to support a brand and its meaning. The combination of brand name and colour recognition are the core visual elements but these need to be enhanced with a visual language that is unique and appropriate. Determining the right visual language for a brand is a fine art between taking into account competitive differentiation and creating a result that enhances the brand values.

The Maltese Tourism Authority wanted to improve promotion of the Maltese Islands as a travel destination, enhancing the quality and value of Malta through maximum recognition and understanding throughout 

the world.

We developed a distinctive symbol and specially drawn logotype which presents the name Malta in a way that underlines the values of the islands as a travel destination. The mark incorporates two common Maltese symbols, the protective eye painted on the front of traditional luzzu boats, and the unique Maltese Cross. The manuscript style of the specially drawn logotype for the name Malta recalls the 6,000 years of Malta’s civilsation and underlines the human warmth with which the Maltese greet visitors. The primary colours, representing sea and sky and radiant sun reflect the warm climate.

In order to provide a forceful and evocative impression of what the Malta brand offers, we developed a detailed visual language to support Malta’s market positioning and values. This included designing a system of powerful and appealing literature and advertising visuals and an 

engaging website.

 

Meridio is an innovative technology company whose software is creating new markets in managing and accessing company information. We created a distinctive brand and visual language to embody the philosophy of opening up information and making it readily available. The mark reflects the open flow of information. The use of circles is an important design element to signify dynamic and precise ‘rippling’ out of data.

Pakistan PTA Limited (PPTA) is a specialist producer of pure terephthalic acid (PTA), a basic chemical used in the production of polyester staple fibres. Originally a business unit of ICI plc, the PTA business was spun off to become an independent entity.

The challenge was to manage this transition, creating a powerful new independent brand that appealed to established customers and employees alike. We worked closely with ICI and PPTA management to help define PPTA’s brand values and proposition and to support the company’s launch. 

Sporting Portugal, known as Sporting, was in the process of commissioning the building of a new stadium. This was the catalyst for evaluating the visual identity and club communications.

Our work stipulated ‘evolution’ as part of the brief with minimal change to the ingredients of visual identity, but gave the opportunity to influence conceptual thinking, clarity, consistency and visual language to enhance presentation. The challenge was to maximise retention of the equity in the brand while ensuring it worked in a modern communications environment.

Sonera is the name for Telecom Finland to reflect the company’s international ambitions and to reinforce its reputation for innovation. 

We developed the new name, Sonera, which stands out as the most aspirational name in a sector characterised by conservative naming, 

‘Tel’, ‘Coms’, or national descriptors, or ‘Country names’.

As a leader in mobile communications Sonera developed Zed, a global mobile portal, now a unique and individual brand in its own right. 

We created the name to communicate the essence of a brand at the leading edge of global wireless technology.

Zed is more than a mobile portal and the strong, fresh and individual visual language reflects the values which position it as a distinctive and memorable company and service. The guidelines for the brand and visual language are packaged as digital interactive files on a CD.