CR Blog
Case Study: ESU by The Click
Posted by Patrick Burgoyne, 30 November 2010, 17:12 Permalink Comments (3)

One of the more popular features in the print version of CR is the Case Study, so we thought we would introduce that here too, starting with a project for the English Speaking Union by Norwich-based studio The Click
According to The Click's ECD Bobby Burrage, the studio started to work with The English-Speaking Union (ESU) earlier this year. "We won the project by beating seven other UK based creative agencies who, along with The Click, were invited to deliver a credentials and insight presentation," he says.
"ESU are in the midst of massive internal change and have already sought to engage a wider and more diverse audience. In the past, they have typically attracted an older generation, some who have grown with the organisation since its inception ... Our strategy was to create something that wasn't centric to their name - instead introduce a visual identity that reflects their vision and offering, allowing ESU to speak to everyone with a consistent voice."
An audit of the ESU's existing communications, as is often the way, revealed a disparate range of styles and treatments, many of which, Burrage says, did not represent the organisation very well.

The Click's solution revolves around a graphic speech bubble device "which is hugely flexible in terms of application and the way it accommodates headline information across all communications, likewise, it's equally versatile in terms of printing and production methods (ie: die cutting, foil, imagery, colour, quotes etc.)," Burrage claims. "we've been rolling out a vast amount of printed literature - anything from a postcard to a handbook and stationery to magazines. We now act as ESU's brand guardians and have quarterly review meetings at their Mayfair HQ to ensure creativity and consistency are maintained. We are also currently working on a brand bible for the organisation."







Only the logo remians of the original ESU identity, but, in time, that may also change. The Click has devised an alternative using the speech bubble idea. "[The speech bubble] has, in time, become adopted as a more important and central graphic device than their actual logo and could, should ESU wish, become their identity in the future," Burrage says. "This conversation continues."


To see more of The Click's work, go here
3 Comments
Great to see a top-notch Norwich-based agency getting some recognition, also loving the Sportspark identity The Click did earlier this year, the images on their website doesn't really do the signage justice.
2010-12-01 10:43:11
hardly original but it definitely works. i can see lots of flexibility and potential in this. i think the new branding sits alongside the old logo quite well - a nice balance between tradition and modernity.
Though I think there is a potential danger in going too far in the new direction. With nothing but flat coloured geometric shapes and that rather generic uppercase sans type, there is the possibility that the company identity could end up receding rather than being bolstered.
2010-12-01 11:24:00
excellant inspiring work
2010-12-03 08:28:37
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