Pernod Ricard teams up with WMH for new Midleton Craft Collection

Midleton Distillery is home to Jameson – the number 1 selling Irish whiskey across the world – as well as a further six premium, global whiskey brands, each with their own story to tell. Williams Murray Hamm was asked to create an identity that brings these brands together in one collection that resonates with consumers across the globe.

Irish Distillers, a Pernod Ricard-owned company, has been leading the renaissance of Irish whiskey, with Jameson claiming its spot in the top 10 global spirits brands in 2019. Irish whiskey is projected to grow ahead of the total whisk(e)y category, and Irish Distillers wants to continue to lead this next phase in the Irish whiskey journey: premiumisation. Their portfolio of brands produced at Midleton Distillery provides an array of premium, super premium and ultra-luxury whiskey offerings, each targeting different consumers, price points and taste profiles.

Our key challenge was to define the bond that holds these seven brands together in one craft collection, whilst letting each individual brand sing in its own right. The team unearthed a unique truth about Midleton and why it exists, before expressing it through a compelling visual idea.

The source of water is always hugely important when deciding where to locate a distillery and this was the case with Midleton Distillery, where the Dungourney River passes through the distillery’s grounds. Yet this does not fully explain why these seven amazing brands all originate from this single source.

After centuries of worldwide success, by the early 1960s political and economic challenges left just three distilleries in Ireland, clamouring for prominence in an ever-decreasing domestic market. Thankfully, John Jameson & Son, John Power & Son and Cork Distilleries Company came together, to form what we all know now as Irish Distillers, relocating all of its production to the renowned Midleton Distillery in Count Cork. This historic merger safeguarded the source of amazing Irish whiskeys for generations to come.

The design of the Midleton Craft Collection brand world is inspired by water. The Dungourney River became the symbol of this source. From the flowing lines of one letter to the next in the logo, to how the water of the Dungourney has become the collection’s key colour – the river can be found in every aspect the brand world. The monogram is a double-arched bridge crossing the river, incorporating the letter “M, and for the beautifully fluid illustration WMH worked with renowned illustrator Si Scott.

WMH produced a comprehensive kit of parts that provides Irish Distillers’ local markets with full flexibility to select the brands from the portfolio that are appropriate for each market. The brand world assets include key visuals, merchandising, web banners and items for the on trade.

Laura Hanratty, Head of Prestige & Specialty at Irish Distillers says about the new Midleton Craft Collection: “We are delighted to honour the bond between our families of Irish whiskeys by showcasing where they come from. Midleton Distillery is steeped in craft, tradition and innovation and it’s a joy to see this celebrated through The Midleton Craft Collection”.

Wybe Magermans, director at WMH, mentioned: “It’s been a great challenge to work with these seven amazing brands, and find the overarching story that is relevant to both people who already drink Irish whiskies and those who are novices to the category.”

The collection will see its launch later this spring across the Irish, UK and US markets.

Click here for full case study.

Searching for an artwork brain with an eye for design

We are looking for a Creative Artworker with 2+ years’ experience to join our activation and production team, WMH Adaptive.

WMH Adaptive work with a number of large global retailers, delivering high quality packaging artwork for use within their stores. As part of our team, you will be vital to the creation and delivery of these projects. You will have a keen creative eye, and are able to take created design concepts and run them across a multitude of different sized pack formats and ranges. This is a fantastic opportunity to grow and develop your production, retouching and creative artworking skills.

For the last 20 years, WMH has been inventing and reinventing brands. We are an eclectic mix of creative thinkers, with one thing in common: we all get a kick from defying the rule book. There is no house style and we take on projects of all sizes, from local start-ups to large global brands. We only work with ambitious clients who want to build remarkable brands.

Your responsibilities

  • Creation of a wide range of packaging artworks, delivering to print.
  • Have a good understanding of creative implementation- taking a design file and then running it across a wide variety of packs.
  • Meticulous attention to detail with an understanding of range consistency.
  • Taking responsibility and ownership of your projects and work together with the team to create work of the highest standards
  • Able to work quickly and effectively.
  • Interrogate the briefs and get under the skin of the issues
  • Treat every project as an opportunity with the same passion, ambition and resilience
  • A team player, happy to work closely with the production team, designers and project managers

Your experience

  • Strong background in packaging artwork creation – ideally experience from an agency environment.
  • Good Understanding of production and print techniques
  • Excellent Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign skills
  • Excellent Retouching skills (visualising skills would be beneficial)

We can offer you

  • Competitive salary and benefits
  • A place where you are empowered to grow and develop
  • The opportunity to work on a range of clients
  • An open agency culture that encourages debate
  • A fun place to be, with people you want to work with

Please send us your portfolio and a short message on why you would like to join us. You can email us at: recruitment@wmhagency.com

No agencies please.

 

Why success shouldn’t change the octopus

Octopus Energy’s widely reported £3bn deal will catapult the energy business from a start-up into one of Europe’s biggest renewable energy investors and fastest growing energy suppliers. Octopus is now targeting 50 million customers in the UK by 2027 and has plans to increase its new renewables division to generate as much clean electricity as it sells.

This kind of trajectory means that it will soon lose its start-up badge. How will this affect the brand?

In the UK, 41% of households switched their energy provider in 2020. People generally shop between the Big Six, led by British Gas, EDF and E-on and currently excluding Octopus Energy. The trigger to switch is more often than not price, with decisions being made easy by the plethora of price comparisons sites. This price war is hard to keep up with for any business. Start-ups attempting to take part in such a war and who solely focus on a price message will inevitably erode their brand’s value over time. For example, AirBnB, who instead of focussing on cheap rooms focussed on local experiences overcame the problem of brand erosion.

Messaging is not the only consideration; many people will think that now is the time for Octopus to rebrand. Many modern start-ups, from Twitter to Deliveroo, reinvent after extra funding is secured. Perhaps they feel that a more ‘grown-up’ brand is required to appeal to a wider audience. This however does not have to be the way. Ryanair has hardly changed, and its brand experience is as unslick as when it started. From its advertising to the on-board experience, the brand’s non-design is considered and there to reassure passengers that they are not paying for any unnecessary fluff they would be paying for with the big, shiny airlines.

With growth comes change. The temptation to evolve everything is sometimes a hard one to resist, from what brands say, to the way they look. But change can be destructive.

Firstly, even if price was the initial reason for the switch to Octopus, the brand needs to remind its customers that they’ve made the right choice beyond a cheap deal. Customers need to constantly recognise Octopus as one of the flagbearers in the fight against climate change. They need to be repeatedly delighted by meaningful promotions and see how the business uses its influence in other areas through brand partnerships. Octopus should leverage its current feel-good factor and build salience. Only then will it be able to change its customers from bargain-hunters to fans that show loyalty beyond reason.

Secondly, Octopus Energy would be making a mistake to shed its current identity. Many people who have come in contact with Octopus Energy often site how much they love the way the brand interacts with them – from Constantine, their loveable octopus mascot, to personalised waiting music (which is based on what was No.1 in the charts when you were 14). Having said that the brand can come across as a little one dimensional. It sings one purple note, which isn’t always in tune and its visual assets don’t seem to work well in the digital space. Nonetheless, there is a lot there for Octopus’ marketing department to maximise. Could the octopus mascot come more to life – meerkats spring to mind?

Octopus Energy should be wary of not losing its sense of self. Its brand has quirks that are based on social values and its wish to do things differently. This does not mean Octopus should keep things as they are. The business needs to galvanise what it has and say it better and louder.

From musicians to politicians, everyone can fall victim to their own success. Similarly, thriving challenger brands can grow into exactly the thing they were originally rebelling against. Octopus Energy is an exciting player to watch in a hugely important sector. Let’s hope they can continue to use their business growth for good.

Author: Wybe Magermans, as originally published in MarComms News

Helping Castrol Switch On An Electric Future

WMH has collaborated with its long-time client partner Castrol, to create the name and identity for a new umbrella brand that will cover its range of e-Fluids for the electric vehicle market. Castrol ON signals the business’s move into electric mobility.

The business approached WMH over 18 months ago to create the positioning, name and identity for this advanced range of products which are already used by the Jaguar Racing Formula E Team.

Focusing on the desire to position Castrol as pioneers in e-mobility, WMH wanted to create a brand that was forward thinking, bright and futuristic. Positioning Castrol as a business that helps the global switch to electrification, the name ‘ON’ was established as the brand name and created simultaneously with the brand identity which uses the globally familiar digital toggle button – swiping from left/off to right/on – as inspiration.

Easily recognisable, the physical movement is represented on the graphic, as the ‘O’ comes from a colour gradient going from dark blue, through vivid blue to bright fluorescent green communicating both its e-mobility credentials.

The silver ‘O’ and ‘N’, at a slight angle shows a brand forever in motion and always moving forward whilst emitting a future-focused feel. In its online activated state, the Castrol ON switch energises illuminated graphics, while the energy lines communicate progress and show how Castrol ON helps to make the switch to an electric future.

On the launch of Castrol ON, Phil Neck, Global Marketing Lead for Castrol e-Fluids, said; “The launch of Castrol ON is a clear indication of the work we are doing at Castrol to help drive the electric vehicle sector forward. The new name and identity are crucial to position Castrol as a credible player in this future market”.

Garrick Hamm, creative partner at WMH added; “We been working with Castrol for over 10 years now and I’m thrilled we are part of this next bold & pioneering step with them, as they launch their e-Fluids brand.”

Click here to read the full case study.

Choose The Challenge, IWD 2021

International Women’s Day celebrates the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. It raises awareness against bias. Takes action for equality.

We collated our studio’s favourite pieces by women and non-binary creatives across the globe. From roadway signs to wine bottles, and record label posters to museums, or the above Walala Parade by Camille Walala. Have a look at our selection. Each of the pieces shows how the creatives have challenged their respective art form, profession or society. And as IWD states in their 2021 theme #ChooseTheChallenge; a challenged world is an alert world and from challenge comes change. So let’s all choose to challenge.

Long Neck and Groove Bottles – Hella Jongerius (2000)

“Love these wine bottles. Combining glass and ceramics, which can’t be fused together as they melt at different temperatures. So Hella designed a method of using traditional fragile tape. Revolutionary when it came out. This is not how bottles looked like”. – Wybe

C*nt Direct Mail – Alison Carmichael (2005)

“Alison Carmichael’s self promotional poster. It’s a brilliant idea, beautifully executed. And reminds me of the late Richard Murray as he wasn’t shy about using the word, so much so, we even had his birthday cake piped with the word on”. – Garrick

Posters for record label Axe On Wax – Caterina Bianchini (2018)

“Caterina cleverly manages to balance Art and ‘textbook’ Graphic Design to create work bursting with energy! She has been a huge inspiration for me over the years. Especially her 2019 Nicer Tuesday’s Talk, which I still refer back to every so often”. – Heidi

Second Nature – Jenny Saville (2020)

“I particularly love the recent work from Jenny Saville. Never shying away from displaying the female form. Although known for her grotesque depictions of the female body- enlarging body parts etc, her new work has a radical approach using strong, vibrant colour palettes which depict strength and beauty in the female form”. – Becky

UK Road Signs – Margaret Calvert (1965)

“Margaret Calvert for her road signs. I love the simplicity of them and how they are super clear and detailed at the same time! Not to say they have saved me from getting lost a few times too. Modern at the time, I still think they are today and have almost an icon status”. – Emmanuelle

Curved Form, Bryher II – Barbara Hepworth (1961)

“I’d give Barbara Hepworth as one of my women artist heroes. I grew up in St Ives surrounded by her works which are placed all over the town. My mum used to live next door to her studio and could always hear the sound of her hammering away at her bronze works”. – Carly

Heydar Aliyev Centre – Zaha Hadid (2007)

“I do love a good curve and I think her museum in Azerbaijan looks spectacular. I so would like to visit it. A bit like Gaudi’s architecture for me it is so imaginative (and I think anyone will see what they want in it) and really pushed the possibilities of physicality. It must have been a headache to build but it was so worth it”. – Emmanuelle

Somnyama Ngonyama, Hail the Dark Lioness – Zanele Muholi (2017)

“Zanele Muholi is a South African visual activist and photographer. In their recent series Somnyama Ngonyama (Hail the Dark Lioness) they turn the camera on themselves experimenting with different characters and stereotypes. The portraits are not only powerful in their metaphors and symbolism but beautifully produced when up-close to the prints. The memory of seeing their work for the first time at the Zeitz MOCAA, Cape Town has continued to stay with me”. – Chris R

The Role Of Creativity In A World After Covid

As governments across Europe announce their post-lockdown plans, people are slowly starting to dream of a sunnier life. This hazy optimism may well keep us going through isolation but how might we prepare for what’s coming. For every CEO who is banking on a potential economic boom, there is an economist with a grim outlook. Many of us in the creative industry who struggled through 2020, will be wondering how much need for our skills there will be, or will creativity have become a nice-to-have luxury.

The good news is that business needs us, be it hospitality, retail or any other sector that has been radically altered by the pandemic and business-as-usual-thinking does not apply anymore.

Whenever pubs do reopen, drinkers will be lining up three rounds at a time to minimise visits to the bar, which will make for pretty long queues of (hopefully vaccinated) people. What is the innovative service solution to getting the new customer service right?

The thought of shopping might be anxiety inducing right now, is it possible that shoppers might soon expect a radically different approach to product display? Something that limits their exposure to the next contagious devil’s spawn.

Governments might find it even more difficult to maintain discretionary services and balance the books. Where a pre-pandemic response may have been to slash and burn, what is the solution in a society that is now far more aware of its neighbours? Who will be the creative thinker that will encourage central or local governments, who are inherently uninventive, to change the way they service their communities?

The world has changed, the creative industry can be certain that opportunities won’t come in the same shapes or sizes. It is only the agile creative who is able to spot new openings and trends, in order to adapt what they offer. You can already see this happening with branding agencies starting to provide social media content for their clients. And with moving image producers growing their creative teams to go direct to end-clients, cutting out traditional (and less agile) advertising agencies in the process.

As lockdown is lifted, we are going to get busy. Afterall, it is creative thinking that clients continue to come to agencies for. From redefining customer journeys to advising local authorities, from creating new products and reinventing existing ones, creativity will play a key role to economic survival.

There is much to do.

Author: Wybe Magermans, as originally published in MarComms News

Going back to a ghost town

Since the Mayor of London declared a state of emergency on 9th Jan, Zone 1 Londoners have been living in “28 Days Later”. The centre of London has turned into a ghost town.

The latest UK lockdown closed everything apart from the essentials and the government’s strong advice to stay indoors continues. But of course, people still need to get out. The result of this need is that we are once again promenading like we did in the 18th and 19th centuries, packing out suburban parks and other local open spaces in huge numbers, leaving Central London rather sad and empty.

The burbs are back

This reinvigoration of open and green space is also affecting where we want to live. The PropCast of The Advisory is a weather report that shows levels of ‘buyer demand’ in UK housing markets. Their latest forecast shows Central London as cold as the Arctic, whilst property demand in the suburbs and further out is not only rising in the UK but in other European countries too.

The lockdown will eventually ease and vaccines will reboot (some) of our old lives. But how likely are we to return to our love of the dense and smoggy inner city now we’ve had a taste of what’s on the other side of the hill?

In order to bring back residents, workers and visitors, local authorities and property developers will need to reinvent central areas into remarkable destinations. A strong brand will both increase the value of property assets and support the tenants and retailers within. Too many destinations however currently rely on cliché messages that do not reflect the authentic personality of a place.

A sense of place

Look at The City for example, London’s financial heart, where currently the only activity is the hustle and bustle of hard hats and high-viz jackets. New glossy towers of glass and concrete are still going up. This nonstop global development ready for the arrival of ubiquitous shops, restaurants and buildings leaves less and less distinction between London, Frankfurt or New York.

Leadenhall Market in the City by contrast offers origin and heritage – when you visit you know precisely where you are in the world. In the City’s maze of narrow passageways, Leadenhall Market opens up as an oasis. This unique feature could be more prominently used as a vehicle for visitor attraction.

Focus on what matters

There are areas of focus, which may seem obvious but combining and applying them in a meaningful way is less so.

1. Digital
Online will very soon be our primary shopping channel, with in-store purchases becoming a secondary consideration. Retail destinations will never be able to compete with the endless product selection and always-on nature of online shopping. But how technology is used to deepen relationships with people before and after a visit is something that Local Councils and property developers should be considering now.

2. Experience
Often developers will focus marketing efforts on the launch of a destination, forgetting that any space needs to continuously evolve and surprise visitors. Innovative destinations are already incorporating elements that regularly reframe what each place and space is about. In its simplest form this could mean keeping 10% of your retail space open for short-term experiential elements, such as concerts, classes or even pop-ups that provide a level of entertainment that cannot be successfully replicated online.

3. Sustainability
Consumers are beginning to demand true sustainability from their favourite places. This means that treating sustainability as a part of CSR is no longer enough. The Nordic Citycon shopping centres have as their motto: “We believe that operating sustainably is a key cornerstone in creating long-term value”. They apply this principle to the way their destinations connect to public transport, how they approach the community and their commitment to continuous improvements on CO2 emissions, energy use and waste in all of their operations.

Think differently

Our cities have undergone dramatic changes before of course. It wasn’t a virus but racism that drove the White Flight of the sixties, the mass exodus of white people from areas becoming more racially diverse. Although this phenomenon was most apparent in the States, it happened across Europe too. While many businesses stayed, it wasn’t uncommon to find entire downtowns with little street life after 5:00pm. The new Millennium then saw a return of downtown population growth. It was innovative thinking that created New York’s High Line, Paris’ Velib bike scheme and London’s Silicon Roundabout all of which have helped to completely reinvent each city centre. With the mass roll out of vaccines, hope is on the horizon. Now is the time for reconceptualisation. It’s creative vision that will once again repopulate our ghost towns.

 

Author: Wybe Magermans

Originally published in Marketing Communications News

 

 

Two pencils!

D&AD has awarded WMH with two pencils at this year’s ceremony.

We are incredibly proud to have added two more beautiful D&AD pencils to our awards cabinet. The recognition was for our poster design that raised funds to bring Afghanistan’s First All-Female Orchestra to Oxford, and support their music education. The poster is an image of a wool rug we created. A rug is an iconic symbol of Afghan culture, often used as a stage. They say, “when you look at an Afghan rug, you can see its soul”. We designed a traditional handwoven rug, incorporating the apparatus of war depicting the orchestra’s incredible journey from hardship to musical harmony. We commissioned its production with a women’s charity from Kabul and then photographed it to create a poster.

It is a project that has captured jurors’ imagination at many awards this year, including Design Week and winning the Grand Prix at the Drum Design Awards. Read more about this project here.

A rug tells the story from hardship to harmony

 

These awards are rubbish

On the 18th June 2020, FAB announced the winners of the 22nd FAB Awards, who will all receive a newly designed award’s trophy.

FAB are the only international awards programme that recognises the best creative work for food, beverage and restaurant brands. Although they liked their 21-year old logo, FAB came to Williams Murray Hamm to create a new identity that reflects their special place in the creative industry.

WMH hit upon FAB’s zest for what it does, delivered in a simple, unpretentious way. After all, the clue is in the title, so we set out to capture the creative and joyous world of Food And Beverage. For example, the striking sans serif logo has a bite mark out of one its letters. Whilst you can also see the new logo magically appear in all kinds of your favourite food and drink.

Garrick Hamm, creative director at WMH, said: “The old logo served FAB well, but it was definitely time for a new look. Working with FAB we quickly saw that they needed an identity with a bold personality that was, well, just as fab as they are.”

Right from the beginning of the project, FAB wanted to change the actual award trophies. They felt that they should be made out of recycled food and beverage packaging. WMH made this into a reality working together with Smile Plastics, who are specialists in manufacturing exquisite hand-crafted materials from recycled packaging.

Each trophy is made from recycled material and is 100% recyclable. For instance, the Silver award is made from recycled yogurt pots. Its white, marble-like surface has fragments of silver from yoghurt foil lids to reveal the material’s unique recycling story. By using waste to create FAB’s prestigious awards, we hope we can change people’s perceptions around recycled materials and unlock their hidden potential – turning rubbish into beauty.

The identity has also been rolled out across all other FAB properties, including FAB News, which is being supported with a Google partnership and the FAB Forum.

Neeraj Nayar, Chairman of the FAB Awards, said: “We are absolutely delighted by WMH’s genius. The simplicity and boldness of the new mark had us hooked the minute we saw it. Sitting perfectly across FAB News, Forum and Awards this is truly excellent and hopefully reflects the creative excellence acknowledged here at FAB.”

We want to thank the many people who collaborated with us on this project. In particular we would like to mention Smile Plastics and Unit 22 Modelmakers for creating the beautiful award trophies, and our sister agency, Studio4, for their help in the image production.

 

 

 

 

 

 

For any press enquiries email press@wmhagency.com or call +44 (0) 20 3217 0000. Unless otherwise cited, © copyright 2020 Williams Murray Hamm, all rights reserved.

 

When The Mask Comes Off

Whilst we are starting to feel some easing off from the lockdown measures, it might be easy to forget that our caregivers are still fighting on the frontline for us every day.

Debbie Thomas, skin health expert, wanted to show her gratitude and started offering free skin treatments to NHS workers who have suffered irritated or sore skin through wearing PPE.

She called this idea: “When The Mask Comes Off“.

Now this initiative has grown into something greater. As it’s not just about skin. These amazing front liners won’t have any time or ability to do any self-care treatments, yet they are caring for all of us.

Debbie Thomas is therefore calling in the help of her hair, health and beauty industry colleagues to give something back to our caregivers. If you are a hairdresser, beauty therapist, nails technician, aesthetic practitioner, fitness coach or holistic practitioner, you can join the “When The Mask Comes Off” and provide some TLC through free treatments.

The idea is that many will give a little, so no one feels the burden while it will help the wonderful care givers to feel more human and boost their moral.

Williams Murray Hamm have been working with Debbie Thomas on various projects over the past year, and we of course wanted to help and do our bit too. So, over a month ago, we got involved and designed its logo and some of the communications material. See below one of the animations we created.

To learn more visit their Facebook page here.

For any press enquiries email press@wmhagency.com or call +44 (0) 20 3217 0000. Unless otherwise cited, © copyright 2020 Williams Murray Hamm, all rights reserved.

 

 

A rug tells the story from hardship to harmony

We are thrilled to announce that Williams Murray Hamm received the Grand Prix at The Drum Design Awards 2020.

The recognition was for our collaboration with the Orchestra St John (OSJ) in Oxford. The orchestra is a charity who passionately believes that music has the power to transform lives. They raised funds to bring Afghanistan’s First All-Female Orchestra to Oxford to support their music education.

To thank all their supporters, the OSJ asked WMH to create a commemorative poster. We designed a traditional handwoven rug incorporating the apparatus of war depicting the Orchestra’s incredible journey. We commissioned its production with a women’s charity from Kabul and photographed it to create a poster. The posters were sent in a rubble sack which traditionally Afghan rugs get dispatched in.

Together with the Grand Prix this poster received another four Golds in the following categories; Physical Product Design, Poster Design, Illustration and Design for Good.

The Drum Awards Jury’s thoughts:

“The judges felt it impossible to ignore this entry and during the judging sessions found that it covered many categories. We found ourselves on occasion split, then almost-simultaneously unanimously in favour of it. Any Grand Prix award needs to inspire conversation, debate and passion and considering the isolated conditions enforced on us all we found no shortage of exchange. In many ways this piece of work brought us closer together.

“The entry represents many things – a struggle, a journey, resilience, liberation, a story that needed to be told. This story perhaps was the thing that engaged us the most. It inspired rage, disgust and sadness but also a wonderful feeling of optimism and possibility brought through imagination and honest craft. If ever there was a symbol of overcoming adversity and delivering a message of hope, then this is it.“

 

 

For any press enquiries email press@wmhagency.com  or call +44 (0) 20 3217 0000. Unless otherwise cited, © copyright 2020 Williams Murray Hamm, all rights reserved.

COVID-19. Expect the Unexpected

Many people will have never witnessed a worldwide emergency like COVID-19. The banking crisis was twelve years ago and 9/11 nineteen. We all thought things would never be the same again. For the young, COVID-19 must seem earth shattering, but for people of a certain age age, well, it’s just another global catastrophe from which the commercial world always seems to recover.

However, seismic events do engender new behaviours and we never quite go back to our old ways, but the effects of these events are not always what we might have predicted.

When the PLO took to blowing up civilian aircraft in the late 1960s and 70s, we thought we’d stop flying because it had become so unsafe. That did not happen – there were 4.5bn air passengers in 2019. Instead, we created a massive new airport security industry. There were new jobs for security officers, expensive new detection devices became essential and airlines screwed more money out of us by creating Fast Track. A crisis is always an opportunity to make money.

In 1973 OPEC made oil prices quadruple. For a time, Americans resorted to buying smaller cars made by Japanese companies they’d never heard of, but once the crisis passed, they reverted to their old gas guzzling ways. By then the Japanese had a foothold in the market that they’ve never lost. Japanese cars subsequently destroyed Detroit and their manufacturing methods had a huge influence on worldwide manufacturing – all courtesy of OPEC.

Beyond gloves and face masks becoming fashion accessories, what might change thanks to COVID-19?

1. Air travel
Hundreds of passengers, cooped up for 14 hours, sharing the same air and spreading their germs offers a business opportunity. Imagine sterilised air becoming the value added. Business and First Class would be ‘Cleanroom’ clean, while poor old coach class breathes its own fug. Who is going to be ‘The World’s Most Hygienic Airline”?

2. Business meetings
For most telepresence is Skype or Zoom. Better than nothing, but a bit rubbish. Video conferencing will improve, but the real breakthrough will come when we feel we are really together. That transformation will happen when virtual reality meets telepresence. If you are sceptical, shell out £140 and try an Oculus Go. You will look an idiot wearing it, but things will never seem the same again – you are really there, in the jungle, in a Spitfire or perhaps, in a meeting.

3. Working hours and time zones
If COVID-19 proves anything, it illustrates just how strongly we are interconnected. With technology that lets us meet sufficiently well online, how long is it before we adopt more aligned working hours/days? It is mad that the UK and Europe do not share the same time zone. Should the US become a magnet for our trade, might we see a swathe of businesses running two shifts, one for Europe and one for the US? It’s called service and Americans swear by it.

4. Exercise
Do we really want to go to a sweaty gym and share unhygienic equipment? Peloton has paved the way for online training. Expect exercise to be done at home, with innovatively designed trainer devices that morph like Transformers into the exercise device of your choice that you can keep under the bed.

These are just some random thoughts and they probably won’t happen, of course. Please get involved and add your own comments and observations. Tell us what you think the consequences might be and remember…the exception to the rule is always the rule.

Author: Richard Williams

For any press enquiries email press@wmhagency.com  or call +44 (0) 20 3217 0000. Unless otherwise cited, © copyright 2020 Williams Murray Hamm, all rights reserved.

“I’m glad I was along for the ride”

Remembering Richard Murray (1965 – 2010)

Ten years after Richard’s untimely death at 44 years old, very few people currently at WMH worked alongside him. Yet, remarkably, his influence on the business remains very strong. WMH’s positioning, attitude and behaviour all derived from him and continue to course through the veins of the company today.

I have never encountered anyone so confident in their own views and as keen to dominate proceedings as Richard Murray. It was his clarity of thought that gave WMH its provocative stance – a simple extension of his personal beliefs that marketing and design had become moribund and unoriginal and needed goading.

To him, we were shooting at an open goal and it should have been easy to make a success of things. It was not, for the simple reason that most people in marketing are surprisingly risk averse. Richard railed loudly at the failure of other firms to create ground breaking work and readily walked away from clients who didn’t share our views. For a start-up business, this was wonderful stuff, because it gave us a common enemy – lazy thinking. Some thought we were arrogant, some cultish, but we didn’t care we, and particularly Richard, knew we were right.

In the ever more complex world of branding, it was good old packaging design that Richard held closest to his heart. Whilst other agencies, once established, moved swiftly into the more lucrative corporate identity world or focused on ‘digital’, Richard believed you could still command most fame through packaging design and it was fame that Richard sought for us. Packaging also connected him to the audience that he was most comfortable with everyday people, going about their everyday lives. ‘Big Brother’ and tabloid newspapers were what fascinated him, not the ‘C-Suite’.

Whilst kind and, on occasions, immensely caring, Richard would be the first to declare himself ‘difficult’ to work with, indeed he would be proud of the moniker. In his world, there was little worse in life than being beige. Chipped cups were publicly dropped onto the concrete floor, accountants and architects roasted for sloppy thinking or missing the brief. It did not stop people admiring him – you were never in doubt where you stood with Richard Murray.

He could be immensely funny. He had the wit and delivery to make a good stand-up comedian and, at one time, nurtured thoughts of a one-man show. Company drinks and Christmas parties always saw him centre stage, as did awards ceremonies, as long as we had won. If we hadn’t, he cleared off quickly, trailing a stream of invective behind him.

I always thought Richard was a designer manqué. He loved design and peoples’ reactions to it and, of course, he was obsessed with big ideas. He held designers in awe. Everyone else, including him, was there to serve them and, in turn, he commanded huge respect from them.

Like so many brilliant people (and Richard was brilliant) he was loved and feared equally. Clients didn’t get special treatment. He’d still show up an hour late for their most important meetings, tell them they were being lazy or he’d stop the meeting until they put their phones away. It just reinforced the message that this larger than life character was different to all the rest and he was.

Richard was a complex and endearingly funny man who had the remarkable power to make complicated things frighteningly simple. I am indebted to him for a helter skelter ride that I’d never have wanted to miss.

 

 

Author: Richard Williams

For any press enquiries email press@wmhagency.com  or call +44 (0) 20 3217 0000.
Unless otherwise cited, © copyright 2020 Williams Murray Hamm, all rights reserved.

Untangling the tracks

WMH creates campaign for “Untangling The Tracks” exhibition at London Transport Museum.

How can you keep millions of passengers moving while undertaking a huge project to transform an ageing railway and its stations – and make sure they’re kept up to date?

The UK’s railway network is the oldest in the world and today railways are more congested than ever. Passenger journeys in London and the south east have more than doubled in the last two decades leading to a capacity crunch. The Government-sponsored £7bn Thameslink Programme was an ambitious 10-year programme of extensive infrastructure enhancements and the delivery of 115 new trains that have (and continue to) bring faster, more frequent, more reliable, better connected journeys for passengers.

As the majority of the work has now been completed, Thameslink had the incredible opportunity to showcase the  Thameslink Program in an exhibition at the London Transport Museum. The exhibition is entitled ‘Untangling the tracks’ where visitors can learn about the upgrades through the ages and how Thameslink have done things differently in their decade long program.

The campaign follows various projects WMH has worked on with Network Rail and Thameslink that inform travellers on these engineering upgrades and the benefits they bring. Yet this campaign needed to not only reach travellers, it needs to grab the attention of kids, parents and teachers, making them feel as though they can’t miss out on this fun (and educational!) exhibition. The idea – Wow, What A Fact! – is therefore centred around the amazing facts and figures of the complex underground works, the rebuilt stations and new trains. The media includes out-of-home, digital and direct-to-passenger communication. WMH collaborated with its trusted production partner, Magnet Harlequin, on the implementation.

The run of the exhibition has been extended, so you can still visit the exhibition this Spring time at London Transport Museum.

For any press enquiries email press@wmhagency.com or call +44 (0) 20 3217 0000. Unless otherwise cited, © copyright 2020 Williams Murray Hamm, all rights reserved.

Formula 1 is dead. Long live, erm Formula E?

Boris Johnson recently revealed that a ban on selling new petrol, diesel or hybrid cars in the UK will be brought forward to 2035 so we can be carbon zero by 2050. In the not too distant future, our ‘personal mobility solution’ will be an autonomous electric vehicle that we will call up whenever we need it. This will be the final nail in the coffin of our century old love of the automobile.

No more lovingly polishing the beast in the driveway (it’s already banned in Germany) and no more excuses to treat your wife to a chrome exhaust or a pair of leather driving gloves. All this will be a thought crime – in some parts of woke Britain it already is. Sports cars will disappear and Formula 1, that great testing ground for automotive development will go the way of Linoleum. While we stress over whether our hummus pot is recyclable, Formula 1’s annual carbon emissions are about 256,600 tonnes. It’s done for.

It’s electrifying!

Unsurprisingly, “I’ve just bought a Nissan Leaf” is a conversation stopper, even at a vegan dinner party. Electric cars just aren’t sexy, but there is some light on the horizon for those who can’t live without a bit of four wheeled derring-do on their TV screen. Last Saturday a Kiwi chap called Mitch Evans won an accident strewn race in Mexico City without using any petrol and making hardly any noise.

To many race fans Formula E, the electric racing series, is a poor show. There is some truth in this. The drivers are all has beens and the upcoming ‘London E Prix’ will actually race through a shed called the ExCel exhibition centre somewhere in East London and nobody will bother going. However, Formula E is the perfect testing ground for electric vehicle development and it’s why Porsche, Jaguar, Mahindra, BMW, Audi, Citroen, Mercedes and Nissan have all piled in.

Electric vehicles are not perfect. They drop minute and harmful particles into the atmosphere from their brakes and tyres and electricity still needs to be generated, much of it still from dirty fossil fuels. As for Lithium mining, don’t even go there. However, Formula E will be the laboratory for all sorts of innovation from braking systems to low wear, low emission tyres and high-tech lubricants that the drivetrain manufacturer puts in that you’ll never see – we are working on these with Castrol already.

EVs will spawn a massive growth of new supporting brands to service the biggest revolution in private transport since the introduction of the internal combustion engine. So far, the Formula E paddock is a bit short on sponsors. Where is the trusted international charging network, the ethically source lithium brand or the wiper free glass? For anyone interested in innovation and branding look no further than the EV revolution and Formula E. There’s tons to do.

Author: Richard Williams – Founder Williams Murray Hamm

For any press enquiries email press@wmhagency.com or call +44 (0) 20 3217 0000. Unless otherwise cited, © copyright 2020 Williams Murray Hamm, all rights reserved.

Tackling hunger in schools

The faculty of the South Bank Arts Centre, Bedford, approached Williams Murray Hamm to help with a project for their 2nd year graphic design students. WMH wanted to use this opportunity to tackle the Hunger in Schools problem. In the UK, 1.8 million school children are at risk of hunger each morning. A hungry child cannot concentrate and research shows that hungry children find it more difficult to learn, and are harder to teach as a result.

We believe a great creative idea can create a meaningful difference – from igniting dialogue to initiating long lasting change, also with child hunger.

Chris Ribet, senior creative at WMH, headed up this project and asked the students to think of different ways to inspire a call to action. To help them on their way, his brief set out three approaches:

1. Government led awareness campaign
2. Campaign to reform policy led by an NGO
3. Fundraising and activation in collaboration with a brand

Choosing the best idea

The students separated into seven teams and created seven great ideas, which they presented at our studio to a panel of experts from relevant NGO’s, local government and the marketing community. In a Dragon Den’s style format, the judges discussed the projects. After some deliberation, the judges chose “The Whole Truth”, by Alex Wong and Oliver Judd as the winners. Runners up were “Bloom Card” by Amber Serali & Jordan Jones and “20p” , by Grace White & Cameron Dunn. The winners have been awarded an internship at WMH.

Chris Ribet says: “By identifying a clear insight about Hunger in Schools, the Bedford College students developed bold, creative and ambitious ideas that tackled the problem head on. Congratulations to the winners and runners up. The Whole Truth stood out as a brave, single-minded campaign delivered in all its unvarnished truth to the policy makers. We look forward to having Alex and Oliver in the WMH studio later this year.”

Many thanks to the judges who gave up their precious time to review, discuss and critique the ideas.

– Ellie Kershaw, Programme Delivery Manager at Tower Hamlets Council, tackling poverty
– Claude Barbe-Brown, Marketing Manager at Inspire
– Molly Long, reporter at Design Week
– Richard Williams, founder of Williams Murray Hamm

And of course many thanks as well to Bedford College and its 2nd year graphic design students.

 

 

For any press enquiries, or if your college would like some involvement from WMH, email press@wmhagency.com  or call +44 (0) 20 3217 0000.

A new look for FAB Awards

Proud to announce that Williams Murray Hamm is behind the new identity for the international FAB Awards programme, which recognises the best in creative work for food, beverage and restaurant brands in over 60 countries.

FAB awarded WMH the brief without a pitch and asked the agency to create a new identity that would reflect the unique status of the awards and make it feel fresh having had the same look since the 1990s. The identity needed to work across other FAB properties, including FAB News, which is being supported with a Google partnership and the FAB Forum.

WMH hit upon FAB’s zest for what it does, always delivered in its simple, unpretentious way. The new look captures the creative and joyous world of food and beverage.

The logo uses a bold sans serif brand name with a bite mark out of the A and a straw in the B. WMH decided to keep the red and white palette but adjusted it to a new, deeper red.

FAB unveiled the initial part of new branding with the first call for entries for the 22nd annual awards in 2020. The complete brand identity will be presented over the coming months, including an entirely redesigned awards trophy to be unveiled at the ceremony in May next year.

Garrick Hamm, creative director at WMH, said: “The old logo served FAB well, but after 20-plus years it was definitely time for a new look. Working with FAB we quickly saw that they needed an identity with a bold personality that was… just as fab as they are.

Neeraj Nayar, Chairman of the FAB Awards, said: “We are absolutely delighted by WMH’s genius. The simplicity and boldness of the new mark had us hooked the minute we saw it. Sitting perfectly across FAB News, Forum and Awards this is truly excellent and hopefully reflects the creative excellence acknowledged here at FAB. We LOVE it and hope you do too.

For any press enquiries email press@wmhagency.com or call +44 (0) 20 3217 0000. Unless otherwise cited, © copyright 2019 Williams Murray Hamm, all rights reserved.

 

A gem of a brand reinvention

WMH creates new brand identity and campaign for Hirsh London

Hirsh London, the Mayfair luxury jewellery house, has launched a new brand identity ahead of its 40th anniversary in 2020, created by Williams Murray Hamm.

Founded in 1980 by Anthony and Diane Hirsh, today the business is run by their son Jason Hirsh and his wife Sophia, who have grown the brand into a thriving company that is anchored in the heritage of London jewellery houses, combined with wit, technical innovation and contemporary appeal.

WMH was appointed to create a strong, bold and clearly defined brand identity and campaign to capture the attitude and quintessential Britishness of the business through completely new creative work across print, environment, and digital platforms

Hirsh London is one of the capital’s most respected jewellery boutiques. Its speciality lies in its large variety of rare, unusual, natural coloured gemstones which Jason and Sophia Hirsh go to extraordinary lengths to source. Each of their one-of-a-kind pieces are designed around a central gem and entirely handmade in the brand’s London atelier.

Hirsh London has been championing natural coloured gemstones for forty years and is now at the forefront of a movement towards bolder, more colourful designs, particularly in the engagement ring market. This, alongside their personalised service and exquisitely handcrafted bespoke designs, has established them as the leading authority on rare and unusual jewellery.

WMH was introduced to Hirsh by a former client and won the project through a chemistry meeting and subsequent competitive proposal. Its creative input stretches across advertising in European and Chinese markets, and a new brand identity across packaging, website and collateral.

Garrick Hamm, WMH’s Creative Director, says “Hirsh London designs and produces the most exquisite and joyous jewellery using natural coloured stones. They are immensely creative and have a wonderful Britishness to them. Our new brand campaign captures their spirit at the same time as giving them visibility and cut-through in a sea of mainstream, luxury jewellery sameness.”

“We were impressed with the creative direction that WMH took. They understood the very personal nature of our business, the care we put into selecting each of our gemstones, and our commitment to excellence in craftsmanship. We also liked their ethos of working with one company in each industry, rather than specialising in one sector. This has enabled them to come up with a fresh approach in fine jewellery marketing, which we are confident will carry our business forward as it continues to grow into one of London’s most respected jewellery houses,” said Sophia Hirsh, Managing Director, Hirsh London.

For more detailed case study, please see here.

For any press enquiries email press@wmhagency.com  or call +44 (0) 20 3217 0000.
Unless otherwise cited, © copyright 2019 Williams Murray Hamm, all rights reserved.

 

 

FABulously Free From

It has been a winning first half of 2019 for Williams Murray Hamm, adding another 16 gongs to its trophy cabinet. The wins include work for Waitrose & Partners, Network Express, Network Rail, 21 Sid, Jewel & Temple, Baerbar and its own 20-year book (Blood, Sweat & Ideas).

Yesterday evening, WMH was awarded a Gold and Silver for its work with Waitrose & Partners. WMH created ‘Free From’, a completely new sub-brand concept for the retailer. The new design presents Free From as a positive, progressive eating choice, regardless of whether you have allergies or not. WMH’s visual identity, including pack designs, had already won several awards, including at New York Festivals, Transform, Creative Pool and Fresh.

The FAB Awards is a prestigious international awards program focused entirely on work done for Food And Beverage industry. It recognises the contribution that outstanding creative work makes to building brands. Entries from over 60 countries across advertising, design, digital and other media makes this a sought after award. WMH’s Free From won a Gold in Brand Redesign, and Silver in Packaging Design. Whilst our work for the London coffee shop, 21 Sid, also picked up a FAB Silver in the Brand Identity category.

As a proud partner of the Branded group, WMH collaborated with sister agency Technik on the artwork production of the Free From 50+ product range. Whilst photography was produced by Jonathan Gregson.

Author: Wybe Magermans – Managing Director.

For any press enquiries email press@wmhagency.com  or call +44 (0) 20 3217 0000.
Unless otherwise cited, © copyright 2019 Williams Murray Hamm, all rights reserved.

Pink gets gold!

It was an evening work of golds and silvers for Williams Murray Hamm. Our work for Ocean Network Express (ONE) was awarded GOLD at last night’s tenth annual Transform Awards Europe. Whilst our Waitrose & Partners Free From design won a SILVER.

ONE is a joint venture between three of Japan’s leading container companies (NYK, MOL and K-Line). The Transform Awards recognised how WMH brought together these three giant shipping companies, found a common purpose and created a differentiating identity that is being deployed across 2m containers and 240 enormous ships. To create this new identity WMH worked closely with Hakuhodo – one of Japan’s foremost advertising agencies.

The silver gong was for WMH’s creation of the Waitrose & Partners Free From range. The new design represents a shift in mindset for “free from” food. The brand is resented as a positive, progressive eating choice, regardless of whether you have allergies or not.

Lastly the WMH campaign for Network Rail at London Bridge Station was highly commended. A campaign that was produced in collaboration with sister agency, Magnet Harlequin.

Established in 2009, the Transform Awards celebrates the transformational power of creativity for brands.  The awards ceremony, hosted by Paul McCaffrey, was held in The Brewery, London.

Brittany Golob, publishing editor at Transform magazine, says, “Recognising 10 years of excellence in rebranding and brand development has been an absolute pleasure for us at Transform magazine. It has also been a joy to observe the development and maturity of the brand industry across Europe and to see business leaders recognise the power of brand.”

Author: Wybe Magermans – Managing Director.

For any press enquiries email press@wmhagency.com  or call +44 (0) 20 3217 0000.
Unless otherwise cited, © copyright 2019 Williams Murray Hamm, all rights reserved.

What does the millennial shift away from drinking mean for alcohol brands

Dry January

Dry January is no longer about just recovering from excess. It’s a complete behavioural shift from millennials, often lasting more than four weeks. Williams Murray Hamm’s Wybe Magermans looks at the implications of this generational change mean for alcohol brands?

Brexit woes, Trump troubles, gilets jaunes, Putin’s plots and global warming – the state of world politics could easily drive us to drink, but instead it seems we are consuming less alcohol than ever before.

Dry January is becoming a positive start to the New Year rather than a way to punish ourselves for festive excess, and abstinence is now mainstream among millennials, with 29% claiming to be non-drinkers, according to the British Medical Council.

But just because we are drinking less doesn’t mean we enjoy alcohol any less: we are indulging more sparingly but more mindfully, drawn to brands that create superior products, even if they cost a bit more.

Consumers are making a conscious decision to drink less, but at the same time, they are willing to pay more for premium drinks. The message for marketers is clear: go for quality over quantity, and be bold when creating new products in response to this trend.

For a lot of brands, the knee-jerk reaction is to make alcohol “less bad” by reducing alcohol or sugar content, but the more innovative companies are making it “more good” by delivering positive benefits for drinkers.

Brands for the conscious drinker

The conscious drinkers are turning to brands like California based Boochcraft – a “hard kombucha”, which claims to provide “The happiest buzz on earth,” thanks to its organic, gluten-free, fair trade drinks that contain (along with the alcohol) probiotics, vitamins and minerals.

Consumers who are willing to pay more turn to premium brands like Chase Distillery, created by Will Chase, the founder of Tyrrell’s Crisps. Working from his Herefordshire farm, he makes vodka and gin using apples and potatoes that go direct “From farm to bottle.”

Likewise, Mesh & Bone in Chicago has had success crafting its own premium versions of niche drinks from around the world, including Mexico’s Sotol, which is made from a plant that takes 15 years to mature.

These premium products, which we glug less and appreciate more, are invariably made by ambitious entrepreneurs, often with minimal experience. Consumers are losing faith in big corporations, which appear to lack heart and purpose, and instead seek out local, independent alternatives.

The rise of global cynicism about the multinationals means that consumers are likely to reject efforts by mainstream brands to tap into the artisanal trend. They are willing to pay extra, but in return they want more than Diageo’s spin on premiumisation: Jack Daniel’s Gentleman Jack does nothing more than put a gloss on a mass-market brand, and is not going to cut it when Mesh & Bone are waiting 15 years for one botanical to reach maturity.

Giants like Diageo could learn from innovators like Chase Distilleries and Mesh & Bone, which are taking a new approach to specialist alcohols by creating a brand that works horizontally across categories instead of just layering on verticals to extend the brand into premium territory.

Big nights in

The trend towards more restrained alcohol consumption isn’t just about premiumisation and health. It’s also – let’s face it – about financial insecurity. The demise of chain restaurants, a poor Christmas for retailers, and the job cuts at Land Rover and Ford are all recent indicators of a shaky UK economy that is driving people to stay at home instead of splurging on big nights out.

Staying in is not about compromising on the experience, however, which is another reason why premium alcohol is growing in popularity. According to Nielsen, the value of off-trade alcohol sales grew 4.6 per cent last year, while the volume of alcohol sales remained flat, showing that the growth is coming from people who are willing to pay more for their booze.

Successful brands are celebrating and elevating the night in, making it even better than going out.

Wahaca has an “At Home” range to recreate the restaurant experience in your own kitchen, following a trend pioneered by the many recipe boxes vying for our custom, and alcohol is following suit, with premium offerings to help wash down the gourmet, home-prepared food.

Cocktail-making kits – containing artisanal ingredients and bespoke tools for home mixologists – can be delivered to your door courtesy of And Pour, Tipple Box and The Cocktail Man. Meanwhile, Marks & Spencer has embraced “staying in” with its Instagrammable “Colour It” gin range, created in partnership with The Old Curiosity Distillery, which changes colour when tonic is added

Consumer trends are moving towards this kind of “less is more” approach to many aspects of our lives – including plastics and fast fashion as well as alcohol – as waste and excess become distasteful.

For alcohol, whether inspired by health and wellness, cost-consciousness, global cynicism, or millennial peer pressure, the trend for cutting back is manifested in more mindful consumption that allows you to enjoy a drink with less of the angst – and potentially less of a hangover too.

 

Author: Wybe Magermans – Managing Director

As published on WARC

For any press enquiries email press@wmhagency.com  or call +44 (0) 20 3217 0000.
Unless otherwise cited, © copyright 2019 Williams Murray Hamm, all rights reserved.

Italian Hand Gestures and Traditional Etchings Inspire Design for 21 Sid

Brand strategy and design agency Williams Murray Hamm (WMH) has designed a visual identity for London-based coffee shop and bakery 21 Sid, which builds on the importance of hand gestures in Italian communication.

21 Sid, near London Fields in East London, is run by self-taught baker Laura Giovanna Lo Faro, who supplies baked goods to numerous cafes around London and bakes goods for her café on site.

With a myriad of independent coffee shops in London, creating a personal and unique brand for Laura’s business that went beyond a simple typeface or set of colours and was capable of not just standing out but engaging customers emotionally was key.

WMH’s solution is a visual identity based on the theme ‘Dolce Handmade’ – to reflect Laura’s handy skills both as a cook and also a passionate communicator – and ‘Liquid Perfection’.

The agency commissioned Italian illustrator Gabriele Grassi to capture, in a series of unique illustrations, a wide range of Laura’s hand gestures which are typical of the exuberance of Italian communications.

The hand-drawn, monochrome, illustrative style is inspired by traditional etchings and encyclopaedias.

The branding comprises dozens of illustrated hand signals, such as a raised hand with a raised forefinger (denoting ‘Just a second I need a coffee’); a closed hand with a raised pinkie (‘A latte skinnier than this’); and two hands rubbing together (‘Get excited, cake inside’).

The designs – which were done pro bono by the WMH team, who are regulars at 21 Sid – is being used across a wide array of items including badges; bills; staff aprons; cups and wrapping as well as in-store.

Garrick Hamm from WMH commented: “Hand signals can communicate as much as words, especially in Italian culture. Having bought our morning coffees from Laura for many months, we immediately knew that the branding for her coffee shop would need to reflect her personality, her Italian heritage, her passion and her charisma.”

Laura added: “Williams Murray Hamm has created a beautiful visual identity for the business, with the iconic hang gestures helping to convey the trust and the affection that we hope our customers feel when they walk into 21 Sid.”

By 

For any press enquiries email press@wmhagency.com  or call +44 (0) 20 3217 0000.
Unless otherwise cited, © copyright 2019 Williams Murray Hamm, all rights reserved.

The Ghost

A new film by WMH creative director, Garrick Hamm, “The Ghost” starring Emilia Fox and new comer, 9-year old, Felix Jamieson.

The Ghost

Garrick has been making short films for the past ten years, but he fell in love with visual storytelling while studying to become a graphic designer at Somerset College of Arts. His film school training was watching films with his father and reading every screenplay book he could lay his hands on.

Garrick’s first film was silent movie, shot on 35mm, over 14 weekends as they waited for the best weather. His latest “The Ghost”, is based on the tragic true story of John White, a Spurs footballer who was killed after being hit by lightning in 1964. He was just 27 years old. His son, Rob, was only six months old. The story is told from his perspective, who never had a chance to know his father – examining themes of loss.

The film has already racked up many awards including Best British Short and Best Director at the London Independent Film Awards last July. Whilst it will also feature at LA Shorts Fest, one of the most prestigious and largest international short film festivals in the world.

WMH will be screening the film to a select audience in Central London this evening, 20th September.

When ciders become wine

WMH takes Somersby from orchard to glass.

Somersby is one of the world’s largest and fastest growing cider brands and the only global cider brand in the Carlsberg Group portfolio. It is successful within the younger, fast-living consumer market; however, it had limited appeal to the wider, mature audience who prefer to savour a more sophisticated tipple.

The innovation of a new premium range called ‘Somersby Orchard Selection’ focused on the sense of occasion for the more evolved palate. Positioned as a premium light social drink, these apple ciders have been crafted especially with the same grown-up flavours and structures of wine, but are lighter and more refreshing.

Like an Estate or Vineyard Selection, this creative idea communicates provenance and authenticity in a ‘new world wine’ style. WMH took the existing Somersby logo, and puts it back into the orchard. The three flavours – Secco, Sparkling Rose and White Dry – are launched in the Nordics.

 

 

Making chocolate even more irresistible

With Easter here, we can finally welcome the spring season. A perfect time to share with you some WMH news that involves chocolate.

Fortnum & Mason is Britain’s most famous luxury department store. As part of the significant rebrand a few years ago, WMH created the original designs for Fortnum’s enormous ‘Chocolossus’ biscuits. A seriously indulgent biscuit that’s double-coated in chocolate. These became famous for being a favourite of President Obama. So successful had they become, that two new variants were planned and we returned to create the packaging for them.

WMH’s work focused on a strong idea that customers might ponder as they enjoyed the product at home – that idea was about the biscuits’ irresistibility.

The new variants ‘Sticky Toffee Pudding’ and ‘Morello Cherry’ were, unsurprisingly, renamed by WMH as ‘Toffolossus’ and ‘Cherrilossus’. The packaging is adorned with images of sugar cane and cherry trees respectively. A bird steals cherries from a tree while an elephant, known for its love of sugar cane, drips golden toffee from its tusk.

Toffolossus and Cherrilossus are available to purchase at Fortnum & Mason’s flagship store in Piccadilly, as well as additional stores in St Pancras railway station, Heathrow Airport and Dubai. They’re also available online and at various stockists worldwide.

 

 

 

 

 

 

For any press enquiries email press@wmhagency.com  or call +44 (0) 20 3217 0000.
Unless otherwise cited, © copyright 2018 Williams Murray Hamm, all rights reserved.

Vote 100 Creatives

To mark the celebration of the ‘UK Women’s Vote Centenary’ and International Women’s Day, WMH commissioned a set of portraits of 100 female creatives.

Women who, as trailblazers themselves, will all have benefited from and flourished thanks to the suffrage movement. The portraits have been created in close collaboration with illustrator Hiffy Ulrich.

We felt it was important to recognise women who are known for making a meaningful difference in the creative world. They have been chosen from a wide range of creative disciplines, such as illustration, design, architecture, photography and film. We have included some well-known visual artists, as well as some unsung creative heroes, or women who are still early in their career.

This project is a collaboration between WMH and Hiffy Ulrich. A designer and illustrator, whose witty and playful work communicates feminist ideas and thoughts.

Over 100 days, we have and will be posting the 100 portraits on the various WMH social media channels, and a specially created Instagram “Vote 100 Creatives” account.

http://instagram.com/vote100creatives

In addition, WMH’s studio has a street level window, which is updated every month. In the window, we showcase a host of different projects, from photographers we admire, to collaborations with the local primary school. For this initiative we have installed 20 of Hiffy’s portraits, in combination with her own hand lettering work. The “Vote 100 Creatives” installation will remain at WMH’s studio window until the end of March.

You can check out more of Hiffy’s work at: www.hiffyulrich.com

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For any press enquiries email press@wmhagency.com  or call +44 (0) 20 3217 0000.
Unless otherwise cited, © copyright 2018 Williams Murray Hamm, all rights reserved.

The power of creativity in delivering change

On 21 February, Wybe Magermans will be speaking at an evening by the Change Management Institute.

There are countless theoretical models about how an organisation can transform successfully. Yet for all the good these models do to structure change, the crux of successful transformation is centred around how people feel and behave differently. A rational approach alone isn’t sufficient.

Make sure to join Wybe, as he will be sharing key insights on how creativity helped Lamb Weston reshape from a company processing potatoes, to a $3,2bn multinational brand. One that is on now firmly on its way becoming the world’s No.1.

Wybe will be joined on stage by Leon Labovitch. An experienced business change and transformation consultant who has worked at the likes of KMPG, Shell and Sema Group, before setting up his own consultancy.

Register for tickets here!

The event is in partnership with King’s College London. The venue will be the remarkable Bush House in Aldwych, Central London. This iconic building has seen some huge changes since its opening in 1925. The Grade II listed building was originally an American-owned trade centre before becoming the headquarters of BBC World Service. Bush House’s latest purpose is that of higher education. King’s College moved in 2016, this time transforming the building into a centre of knowledge, learning and creativity.

An award-winning start of 2018

Williams Murray Hamm wins Best Of Show at Mobius Awards.

The new year kicks off in a celebratory fashion, with trophies for our work on Aberlour and RCS at this year’s Mobius Awards. Aberlour is awarded First Place statuette and Best of Show in the Brand Identity category. Whilst our work for RCS Advertising takes Second place ‘Certificate for Outstanding Creativity’ in the same category.

For Aberlour single malt whisky, WMH created a new brand world. Despite growing to the 6th position in the global market, Aberlour was relatively unknown. Equally, they hadn’t changed their communication much since their inception in 1879.

WMH looked at Aberlour’s long legacy, only to discover the founding family’s motto, ‘Let The Deed Show’, meaning ‘actions speak louder than words’. It’s the people, process and place surrounding Aberlour that create a whisky with such distinct character. WMH unearthed these deeds and, working closely with Scottish artist Liz Myhill, brought them to life. We used traditional lino cutting and printing techniques, to create original illustrations gleaned from books of storytelling in the 1900.

RCS came to WMH earlier in 2017. A 20-year-old Japanese advertising agency had metamorphosed into a brilliant new offering. They needed a new positioning and identity to reflect this. RCS helps clients identify, understand and optimise cultural differences. WMH called this ‘cross-cultural marketing’. The identity was built around a globe because RCS deals in global differences. It’s a cultural maze out there, so the ‘globe’ was fine-tuned to reflect this and a magenta ‘dot’ was created at the very core, to represent RCS – a point of consistency in unfamiliar territory.

“When I first met with WMH, I knew they ‘got’ who we were. They were able to interpret who we are, what we do and what makes us special in a way that went well beyond my imagination.”

Ron C Sternberg, Founder, RCS Advertising
For press enquires please contact:
Telephone: +44 (0)  20 3217 0000
Email: info@wmhagency.com

It’s a wrap!

Williams Murray Hamm, WMH, Network Rail

This Christmas, Williams Murray Hamm was tasked by Network Rail to create a campaign telling people about the many great shops at Glasgow, Victoria and Waterloo stations across various dates throughout December.

We created Wrapland, a free gift-wrapping service in the shape of a giant present tied up with a bright red ribbon and accompanied by a Christmas Pudding head-in-hole stand.

The project was done in collaboration with the production team at Magnet Harlequin, and the campaign itself is in partnership with Barnardo’s.

From all of us at Williams Murray Hamm, a very Happy Holidays and we look forward to seeing you in the New Year!

 

 

 

Williams Murray Hamm, WMH, Network Rail

 

 

Williams Murray Hamm, WMH, Network Rail

 

 

Williams Murray Hamm, WMH, Network Rail

 

 

Williams Murray Hamm, WMH, Network Rail

 

 

For any press enquiries email press@wmhagency.com  or call +44 (0) 20 3217 0000.
Unless otherwise cited, © copyright 2017 Williams Murray Hamm, all rights reserved.

WMH Creative Origins: Richard Williams at Sainsbury’s

WMH-THROWBACK-THURSDAY-RW-SAINSBURYS-PET-FOOD-FIRST-JOB-WEBSITE-130717

This week’s #ThrowbackThursday is a nod to the creative foundations of WMH – quite literally. It comes courtesy of our esteemed co-founder, Richard Williams, who created these pet food packaging labels when he began his design career working for Peter Dixon’s famous in-house design team at Sainsbury’s.

“The cats were portraits of the first cats my wife and I had. A nod to dear friend, the late Nick Wurr (co-founder of The Partners) who inspired the silhouettes and yellow eyes and to the great Peter Dixon. A fine man.”

WMH-THROWBACK-THURSDAY-RW-SAINSBURYS-combined-FIRST-JOB-WEBSITE-130717WEBImages: ‘Own Label: Sainsbury’s Design Studio 1962-1977’ © Fuel Publishing, all rights reserved.

It’s not lost on anyone how WMH once again worked with Sainsbury’s (some years later) designing their Basics and SO Organics ranges – the latter is still in store today.

WMH-SAINSBURYS-basics-SO-organics-WEB

You can find further examples of Richard’s early work in ‘Own Label: Sainsbury’s Design Studio 1962-1977 (ISBN: 0956356281, Fuel Publishing).

 

For any press enquiries email press@wmhagency.com or call +44 (0) 20 3217 0000.
Unless otherwise cited, © copyright 2017 Williams Murray Hamm, all rights reserved.