Following lots of consideration, we’ve decided to close The Common Room.
As we shut the doors after 8 and a bit years we’d just like to say a huge thanks to every client who’s trusted us with their brands and their businesses, anyone who’s recommended us for projects, all our talented collaborators who’ve helped us look & sound good and if you’ve shared, liked, or enjoyed our work then thank you too.
There are no firm plans for either of us yet but we are both continuing to work on our own things independently, so if you want to chat to either of us about opportunities, collaborations or projects our Common Room emails will still be active for a while, Chris can also be contacted here hello@christopherjackson.co.uk or drop Andy a line here andy@andylodge.com
Thanks again and goodbye for now.
Chris & Andy.
Brand creation for To Better Days…
Our brief.
We worked with the inspirational team at Horopito to name, brand and package a new range of well-being patches which use natural active ingredients to help long term sufferers of nerve, joint and muscle ailments.
Horopito understand that many people living with chronic conditions face often feel frustrated and forgotten by the medical world and worry about the long term effect of painkillers. Recognising a real need for something different they developed the patches alongside a practicing physician to offer a safe and natural alternative to pain relief.
Our solution.
As a new brand we want to do things in a new way…
We can’t cure, but we can help people manage their complex and individual issues, so we set out with the intention of being understanding & optimistic whilst not over promising.
We deliberately moved away from the category language of science, grids and targets and instead put positivity at the heart of our brand, from our name “To Better Days…” to our proud use of bright yellow.
We want to help make people feel good, both physically and mentally. So recognising and celebrating every step of their journey, however small, is essential. This thought led to the development of a typographical and message based brand identity. It is purposefully flexible so we could talk about the many benefits of using the patches within the idea of toasting - raising a glass and saying “here’s to..”
We complimented the typography with a series of illustrations and animations showing people getting on and celebrating their small victories, whether that’s getting out of bed, taking the dog for a walk, cleaning the bathroom or running a marathon.
Our services.
Strategy, research, naming, identity design and development, guidelines creation, packaging design, tone of voice and art-direction.
Our collaborators.
Strategy with Hannah Kirkman and Sally Chucku.
Copywriting by us and Ideas by Cat.
Illustration and animations by Hungry Sandwich Club.
Pack and patch renders & retouching by Tight.
Logotype animation by Mike Ash.
Brand creation for Talio e-bikes.
Our brief.
Talio are an e-bike start up who recognised that there is a large percentage of the population who don’t engage with cycling but they do have a desire to be good physically and do good environmentally.
With Talio you are a world away from Lycra wearing, coffee shop posing and Strava bragging, with a wide range of bikes to buy or rent, through to expert advice and repairs they take care of everything, so everyone at every age and every ability can just enjoy the ride.
Our solution.
With enjoyment being front-of-mind, we created a simple identity built around a bike and a smile. A natural, joyful and human response to a simply brilliant experience.
We created the logo and visual identity principles which were then implemented by their in house team.
Our services.
Research, brand identity ideas and development, guidelines creation.
Our collaborators.
Brand strategy with Simon at Bigger and Better Things.
Brand activation for Moss & Moor.
Our brief.
We partnered with Moss & Moor to bring their new identity to life in a new retail space.
Our solution.
Taking their proposition of ‘a garden centre with a difference’ we deconstructed and adapted their identity throughout the different areas of the store, balancing the functional needs like way-finding and detailed category navigation with more inspirational moments including an artists gallery, a community space and instagram friendly areas.
Our services.
Ideas, design development and direction.
Our collaborators.
Production and fit out by Quarmby Colour.
Photography courtesy of Moss & Moor.
Re-brand for Human Relief Foundation.
Our brief.
We worked with the inspirational team at Human Relief Foundation to rebrand the international NGO. Their existing brand was suffering from a lack distinctiveness and was beginning to become a hinderance when fundraising and confusing when seen in the field.
Our solution.
Their inspirational humanitarian aid work is multifaceted and complex but it is unified by the intent to help people regardless of age, gender, political affiliations or religious beliefs.
To reflect this we created a simple brand idea - ‘seeing the humanity in every situation’ which we brought to life visually, by putting a human at the heart of their brand.
Our human icon is a distinct symbol to help quickly identify the organisation in some of the world's most disrupted environments.
It is also the basis for a a flexible and adaptable visual system, we can use it as a window to bring our proposition to life by allowing the viewer to see the people/situation for themselves or we canto create holding shapes for any other type of content.
When appropriate we can also use our human icon to replace the ‘R’ in certain words or phrases. These are used to draw attention to certain types of situations they are involved in and can help explain the organisations work in a simple, ownable and impactful way.
To help the different teams to easily create their own communications whenever and wherever they are in the world we created a comprehensive guidelines documents and bank of supporting assets.
Our services.
Identity ideas & development, tone of voice, writing, guidelines creation & art-direction.
Our collaborators.
Strategy with Hannah Kirkman.
Photography by Human Relief Foundation.
Brand refinement, expression and guardianship for Time to Change.
Our brief.
Time to Change was a anti-mental health stigma campaign brand run by two
leading charities Mind & Rethink Mental Illness.
They came to us as their brand was stuck in a rut. Due to a lack of brand assets and an inflexible set of guidelines it was becoming very disjointed and not cutting through either internally or externally...
…The only restriction to the development work was the logo couldn’t be touched…
Our solution.
The restriction around the logo drove our thinking - Instead of hiding it away, we decided to really celebrate it. After a little tidy up and optimisation we used the graphic holding shape as the starting point for a new, bold visual language.
We created a wide and flexible toolkit including illustrative, graphic and typographic assets as well as templates and a comprehensive set of guidelines and for over 6 years we worked together with their communication teams, in-house designers and developers, advertising agencies and passionate supporters to deliver a brand which would help to change the national conversation around mental health.
Our services.
Research, brand identity refinement, visual language development and implementation,
guidelines creation, brand guardianship, copywriting, tone of voice and art-direction.
Our collaborators.
Guidelines Animation by Hungry Sandwich Club.
Brand photography by Isy & Leigh Anderson.
Re-brand for WeSeal
Our brief.
We worked with the passionate team at WeSeal on the consolidation and re-brand of two organisations ProSpool and Select Bag Sealers, with the aim of providing their worldwide customers a simple and distinct offering. WeSeal are responsible for a small but indispensable product - a recyclable and re-sealable adhesive bread bag tape which is used by almost all the major UK bread manufacturers responsible for 95% of the UK’s bagged bread.
Our solution.
We created an immediately recognisable brand mark that reflected the new name and shows literally what the product does.
We extended the tape idea to include product benefit messages for use as a key secondary brand element forming part of the overall brand toolkit.
We worked with Isy & Leigh Anderson to shoot a bank of photography to help tell the brands story and show how this unique product is manufactured.
The new brand concept was then rolled out, starting with a look and feel for the website, then vehicle livery and their premises.
Our services.
Brand identity ideas, design development, art direction, copywriting and tone of voice.
Our collaborators.
Photography by Isy & Leigh Anderson.
Brand animation by This is Tight.
Brand creation for Mount House Whitby.
Our brief.
The owners of Mount House Whitby were transforming their family home into a boutique guest house. They approached us to create an identity and website to help them stand apart from the many traditional seaside guest houses and hotels in Whitby.
Our solution.
Inspired by the architectural features of the house itself and the shapes of some of the towns iconic landmarks we created a contemporary monogram using the M, H and W from Mount House Whitby.
The individual decorative letters were then used headlines to talk about the experience of staying at the house and
discovering Whitby.
Our services.
Identity creation and development, tone of voice, writing and website design.
Our collaborators.
Web development by Mike Ash.
Photograph by Ceri Oakes.
Re-brand for Brown & Blond.
Our brief.
With their 10th anniversary coming up we were invited by Brown & Blond to help reposition and re-brand the business to better reflect the owners personalities and help them stand apart in an increasingly crowded market.
Our solution.
Looking at their competition it became clear that doing one thing well was their main point of difference and something that should be celebrated, so we positioned them with a simple, no-nonsense idea.
No Battenberg, no French Fancies and certainly no Cupcakes. Brown & Blond make brownies full stop.
Our brand idea was brought to life with bold but friendly typography and a customised enlarged full stop to reflect their famous brownies which becomes a key part of the visual language for use on packaging, van livery and social media.
Our services.
Research, brand identity ideas & design development,
copywriting and tone of voice.
Art direction for Brown & Blond.
Our brief.
To support the new brand identity, Brown & Blond needed a new suite of product images for use on a new website and also on social media.
Our solution.
We created 4 hero images featuring some of the best selling brownies and blondies hinting at the ingredients and hand made process in a playful and contemporary way.
For the product images we placed the brownies and blondies front and centre celebrating the products in a way which reflects the new brand.
Our services.
Ideas, art direction & taste testing.
Our collaborators.
Photography by Angus McDonald.
Promotional Material for The Common Room.
Our brief.
We needed a way to tell our clients, suppliers and friends that we were moving studios.
Our solution.
As a small, flexible studio we are often different things to different people. To demonstrate this diversity in perception we took a very tongue in cheek look at how other agencies of all sizes refer to themselves and the idea came from there.
Our services.
Idea and development, copywriting.
Our collaborators.
Studio photography by Mike Feather
Our recognition.
Silver winner in writing for design at the Fresh awards.
Re-brand for CH Lindsey.
Our brief.
We worked with the passionate team at CH Lindsey on the strategy and re-brand, with the aim of providing their global customer base a brand that reflected their skill and craftsmanship. Their name was synonymous with excellence and they are well recognised as building climate control specialists, whether that be in cutting edge new built architecture or listed historic properties.
Our solution.
We created an identity based around values the family business has lived for over 75 years. A brand anchored in the past but one that could lead in the future – adapting to their customers changing needs. This was rooted with a word mark utilising a contemporary serif typeface reflects our heritage and craft while the custom stencil adds individuality. This was supported with a visual sign-off of the brand promise: Craft. Quality & Innovation with three dots set above. A series of supporting brand patterns were created, connecting back to the visual sign-off and their three core values. A substantial guidelines document was also created prior to client handover for implementation by other third parties.
Our services.
Research, brand identity ideas, design development, art direction, copywriting, naming and tone of voice.
Our collaborators.
Strategy with Tamsin Valentino.
Custom stencil typography by Charles Stewart.
Brand creation for Fourfolk Gin Co.
Our brief.
Scott, Sophie, Lauren and Craig are four folks on a mission. They want to create the best tasting Gin possible using ingredients found locally in Haworth.
We worked with them to create a brand which reflects their down-to-earth attitude and helps them stand-out in an extremely competitive and saturated market.
Our solution.
Stand out through simplicity.
With a gift of a name, we created a logo that works with the two stages of pouring a drink when seen upright on shelf the logo resembles a Four, and when tipped it transforms into a F.
Our services.
Research, brand identity ideas & design development.
Our collaborators.
Logo animation - Mike Ash.
Our recognition.
Nominated for a Roses Award in the brand identity category.
Packaging for Fourfolk Gin Co.
Our brief.
To apply our new brand across a range of packaging for Four Folk Gin Co.
Our solution.
Using our core idea of 'standing out through simplicity' we used our new brand mark in a proud unapologetic way on a clear label to allow the vibrancy of the different Gins colour code the range.
The clear label also allowed us to use the reverse inside of each flavour to tell the story of the folk behind the Gin, as well as some serving suggestions and specific ingredient cues.
Our services.
Research, ideas, design, art direction and development.
Our collaborators.
Illustration by Mark Howe.
3-D Renders by Mark O’Donnell.
Brand guardianship for The Hepworth Wakefield.
Our brief.
We have been fortunate enough to work with The Hepworth Wakefield on wide ranging projects from; exhibition campaign advertising, seasonal window installations, limited edition books, Annual Reviews, to their quarterly What’s On visitor guides and everything in between to ensure that the brand is applied consistently and creatively across multiple channels over a five year period.
Our services.
Design, ideas, art direction and brand guardianship.
Our collaborators.
I Collect illustrations by Mark Howe.
I Collect animation by Hungry Sandwich Club.
Christmas campaign illustrations by Lucy Ketchin.
Re-brand for Bluebird Bakery.
Our brief.
Bluebird Bakery came to us at a exciting time for their business. With a well established shop in York, they were looking to expand into the newly revitalised food quarter in the historical Kirkgate Market, Leeds
and needed new look and attitude to help them appeal to a new audience.
Our solution.
We stared by creating a marque which subtly combines the idea of a Bluebird and the core ingredient of their produce.
This was complimented by an overarching ethos and attitude of ‘Good Baked Goods’.
By purposefully staying away from the overused language of ‘hand-crafted’ and ‘artisan’ we gave the bakery a refreshed brand as simple and honest as the ingredients they use.
Our services.
Research, brand identity ideas, design development and implementation
copywriting, tone of voice and art-direction.
Our collaborators.
Brand photography by Angus McDonald.
Food photography by Heidi Coppock- Beard.
Re-brand for The Manor.
Our brief.
A new brand for The Manor, a Yorkshire venue that offers the perfect setting for Weddings, Dining and Events as well as a Championship Golf course. The venue was being re-launched by the founders two sons. We worked with them to deliver a new brand to help set the business up for future growth.
Our solution.
A simple concept based around the idea of using the TM initials to trademark the amazing experiences The Manor provides. The TM is also used as a sign off for all the different areas of the business. The print collateral utilised various hand finishing techniques to reflect the quality of experience at The Manor. Pin badges were produced for Staff and Members and a distinctive and updatable brochure pack was created for Weddings. The new brand was then rolled out, starting with a look and feel for the website, then on-site signage and golf wayfinding.
Our services.
Research, Brand Identity ideas and design development, copywriting and tone of voice.
Campaign brand for Thackray Medical Museum.
Our brief.
Thackray Medical Museum was closing to begin a major refurbishment project.
Although they were closed there was still a need to continue to engage and inspire, so they decided to take the museum on the road, in what else but a converted ambulance.
Our solution.
Using the visual language of the emergency services we came up with a simple and memorable graphic idea to brand the ambulance and supporting collateral.
Our services.
Ideas, design development and implementation.
Campaign brand for Rethink Mental Illness.
Our brief.
Rethink Mental Illness were re-positioning their membership scheme called We Think. Rather than joining an organisation they wanted members to feel like they were a part of a social movement.
We worked with the team to help deliver a new brand and graphic system which would sit with the Rethink Mental Illness identity but still have a unique personality.
Our solution.
Inspired by the ‘think’ in we think, we used the idea of thought bubbles and gave them a simple graphic twist so they become speech bubbles with the ‘i’ acting as the person speaking creating a visual metaphor of members thinking, acting and having a voice.
The speech bubbles were then used in various members communications including leaflets, membership packs, direct mail and merchandise.
Our services.
Ideas, design development and implementation.
Promotional material for The Common Room.
Our brief.
As a new studio we needed a way to show potential clients a selection of our work in a memorable and engaging way.
Our solution.
Using our name as a starting point we developed the idea of a key hole shape which would allow the viewer to get a ‘peep’ into our studio and our work. By using a simple postcard format we could easily make sure each pack was different and relevant.
Our services.
Idea, development and production.
Our recognition.
Our mailer was shortlisted in both
The Drum and Fresh Design Awards.
Campaign brand for Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership.
Our brief.
Our challenge was to create a fun and vibrant campaign identity for the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP). The campaign was aimed at helping improve digital teaching, enriching the digital curriculum and increasing the number of digital employer interactions in schools.
Our solution.
We were given the name of #techgoals so we took the idea of the hashtag being a portal to an exciting world. A world where pupils can explore, have fun and grow their skills, where teachers can be exposed to new technologies and ways of working and employers can develop the freshest talent for their organisations. This was rolled out across a series of campaign posters supplied to schools and also online.
Our services.
Research, campaign identity, ideas, design development, art direction, copywriting and tone of voice.
Our collaborators.
Hashtag Illustrations by Ed Grace.
Hashtag Animation by Hungry Sandwich Club.
Campaign brand creation for London Sport.
Our brief.
London sport were part of the ambitious initiative to make London the world’s most active city.
In order for people to lead a more active life, they needed easy access to information and inspiration about activities which were happening near them.
We worked with the team to re-brand their online activity finder, ‘Get Active’.
Our solution.
We delivered a refreshed brand with movement at its heart which is friendly, fun and engaging for all age groups and ability levels.
Our services.
Ideas, design development, guidelines and art direction.
Our collaborators.
Retouching: Tight.
Logo & Guidelines Animation: Hungry Sandwich Club.
Campaign identity for the Hepworth Wakefield.
Our brief.
To support the kaleidoscope concept of the 2017 Christmas campaign we created a supporting animation for use on social media.
Our services.
Design, ideas, art direction and brand guardianship.
Our collaborators.
Animation by Hungry Sandwich Club.
Campaign identity for The Hepworth Wakefield.
Our brief.
As part of the 2015 Christmas campaign Wakefield Council allowed us to create a window illustration in the town centre. Lee from this is tight filmed the window scene being created over a two day period by Lucy Ketchin.
Our services.
Design, ideas, art direction and brand guardianship.
Our collaborators.
Illustrations by Lucy Ketchin.
Film by Tight.
