Trent
barton
Every journey an adventure
The most successful project I have ever worked on is probably the complete rebranding of Trentbarton bus company, which no one even asked me to do, and yet it is still in place a decade later!
I was merely asked to do a bit of artworking for a decidedly unloved side-project. When I looked at the assets I was given I thought they were dull and counterproductive, but I did my best with them. The client was understandably not swept off their feet, so rather than continuing to rearrange a turd, I suggested a completely different approach, that I considered far more appropriate for the context.
This went down well and was approved immediately, but the unforeseen consequence is that the marketing team decided this was a better approach for everything they did, and almost overnight I was tasked with applying this creative direction to their entire company.
Even though I no longer work for Trentbarton, the brand lives on to this day, faithful to the idea I once had of creating an infinite illustrated world, in which every journey is an adventure.
Project involved
Brand & campaign strategy
Design of vehicle livery, interior branding and copywriting
Illustration
Design assets for internal rollout of the brand across digital & print
Livery & interior branding
I started it all by visualising “Trentbarton land” – how the client referred to the places you can go to on their buses – and so one by one each of their routes has inspired an illustrated landscape, populated by the Bods, little characters made of the coloured circles from their Robin Hood-inspired bow & arrow logo.
Trentbarton is a bus company that has been known to give out gin & tonics on Friday evenings. Their drivers are the friendliest you’ll ever meet. Every one of their routes is individually branded with clear, concise information to help people confidently find their way.
Nothing in the bus industry looked anything like this when I started working for Trentbarton, more than a decade ago. Other bus companies have already started to copy them, sometimes with almost identical endeavours. There aren't many bus companies loved by their customers (this is based on them talking to their customers rather than me speculating!), nor are there many proud bus drivers who happen to have voluntarily colour-coded their sunglasses to match their bus on the random day the designer turns up to take photos...
Interior branding
Student Freshers’ Week campaign
Print materials
Promoting free WiFi and device charging on ‘The Threes’ routes
Some customer feedback…
…and client feedback
From: Alex Hornby
Date: Friday, 9 June 2017 at 10:31
To: James Hall
Subject: Thank you - and good luck
Hi James
I just wanted to wish you the very best of luck as you leave Best Impressions and move on to new adventures!
You are an inspiring source of creativity and I know our work will be the poorer without your influence and design work. You should be so proud – I know we are!
It’s been a real pleasure seeing you turn (and enhance) our ideas to an exciting reality, often beating my expectations – both at Transdev and at trentbarton. I remember the day we spent on rainbow one in Nottingham, where it was so good watching you seeing your designs out there and in the field!
Thanks for all you’ve done for our companies and me.
All the very best in the future,
Alex – and all of us at Transdev Blazefield
Alex Hornby
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
TRANSDEV BLAZEFIELD
An e-mail from the former Marketing Manager of Trentbarton, subsequently CEO of Transdev UK