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All posts in: Art Direction

Le Col Creative Direction & Brand Strategy

Our work with Le Col covers strategic consulting and creative direction, as well as full delivery of large scale campaigns for digital, eCommerce, paid social, marketing and eCRM. In more recent years we have played a more pro-active role in rooting out key issues within the business and putting systems in place to reduce strain on resource, improve the quality, and reduce spend. Our focus has always been to do more, for less, by using our years of expertise to streamline the areas that are being over-serviced, but not at the expense of the bigger creative and conceptual wins.

We’re not usually ones to boast about what we do, but when we started this journey, Le Col was an unknown entity, from an unknown bike rider. In the past decade we have built a brand that has secured over £15m+ in funding, has worked with the highest calibre of Tour winning riders, Giro winning teams and a host of enviable partnerships. From the logo to the TV commercials, we can proudly say we’ve had our hand in most of it.
We’re always striving to build on the brand – for higher quality assets, more consistently, with a premium brand offering. But, more than that, we want the passion that most of us riders feel to be handled with care, it’s not just a commodity, and those working on it should enjoy the journey. This passion and drive culminates in more functional deliverables like our over-arching concept development for 2024 below.

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Our strategic approach has led to a number of key improvements across the business – an overhaul of email marketing; including new guidelines, a new hierarchy and photography approach, flexible templates, as well as implementing automated batching and scripting processes across the bulk of its products. Having seen first hand the internal issues as the business scaled, we could resolve repetition, as well as specifics like global pricing, gender splits, slow turnaround times and high volumes of assets. Delivering a 60% reduction in design and marketing resource, with more control being put back into the eCRM team to focus on performance.

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We’ve audited and recommended better solutions for photography and videography across the board, looking to elevate the offering at all opportunities from a customer perspective. We’ve introduced some immensely talented creatives from photographers, videographers, 3D/designers, animators, production companies and directors along the way, who continue to deliver the vision. This enthusiasm has most noticeable improved the digital and eCommerce proposition with a much more forward focussed approach to improvements and nimble, data-driven, iterations.

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AW & SS/23 Brand Identity

Having audited the brand development from previous seasons, we created a flexible identity system that would streamline internal resource without impacting on the quality of the output. By producing an over-arching design system, we were able to build an identity that was dynamic enough to deliver simpler, more templated, solutions when the deadlines are tight, whilst having the ability to be flexible on larger campaigns. We also delivered a large proportion of the output and art direction across all platforms.

The forward slash solution and frame device allowed room for creativity, maintaining a consistent look and feel across multiple products and ranges. The key was to find a solution that enabled typography, a key brand pillar, to work effectively as well as leave room to be playful without stringent rules that would stifle exploration.

As part of the brand audit, we also gave recommendations on shoot direction and photography approaches for social media and all digital platforms. As well as creating a new set of brand guidelines across eCrm, to again, pull back valuable time that was being lost, but also to raise the bar on the quality of output. We overhauled the teams approach to studio & model photography that considers UI and UX work that is in progress.

Our unique position allows us to really understand where the internal team can make better use of resources, driving competitive edge and deliver across multiple channels effectively. A future-proofed approach that can be built on for the next season.

 

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Adapted and applied to the Le Col x Wiggins launch:

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Ascii style approach for Le Col x McLaren

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Dorian Restaurant branding

Dorian has all the hallmarks of a classic French bistro, marble bar tops, wood panelling and leather banquettes, but as the name implies, there is a slight undertone of something different. This latest addition to the Notting Hill restaurant scene is being referred to as a ‘anti-Notting Hill bistro’. Dorian boasts an exquisite menu of beautiful seasonal British produce and an enviable wine list.

The identity is derived from iconic French bistro mosaic tiles. It takes a more playful and modern approach, in line with the restaurants’ ethos, with a slight nod to Parisian street art.

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Strykk rebrand and packaging

New brand identity and packaging work for Strykk, building on the original foundations we developed for them in 2018. Whilst our underlying strategy remains the same, a number of external factors have led to the need to reinvigorate the brand and re-align the growing portfolio.

Starting with refinements to the logo, we opted for a holding shape that become the central block device that runs through the whole identity. Extrapolated from the three overlapping oblongs that created the original Strykk asterisk, it builds as the common thread for packaging, and is both exaggerated or subtly implemented as a consistent graphic device across all channel executions.

We’ve built on the strong colour palette, bringing in a wider set of bold and complementary tones to increase standout and build better differentiation between products. Typography opts for a more refined sans serif and a slight coming of age, moving from the unruly uppercase Futura Condensed used previously, to a more conversational approach. As before our focus on tone of voice remains confident and unapologetic, a key pillar of the brand.

The original strategy and positioning remains, inspired by the idea of enjoying a night out without compromise. A love of going out, being part of the story and not missing out. Removing the stigma of ‘not’ drinking, by delivering a product with the taste and complexity to build a proper drink with 0% Abv Distilled Spirit.

At the heart Strykk remains disruptive and steadfast in its unwillingness to just fit a mould. A bold approach that needed a bold brand, unapologetic and full of energy. We’re not about kooky craft, forced aspiration or self-importance. Uniquely summed up as; All the spirit. None of the alcohol.

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“Limited Edition Design has been at the forefront of Strykk’s brand and visual identity since its inception in 2018. When tasked to overhaul and update the packaging and identity, a clear, comprehensive, and succinct sprint process was followed from start to finish – and at the highest standard. What has resulted, we feel, is a truly world class brand and visual identity, all packaged up neatly in a set of bullet-proof Brand Guidelines to mark the next stage of our business growth.”

Tom Glover, Brand Manager, Strykk

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Agency: Limited Edition Design
Creative Director: Paul Greeno
3D & Motion: Sergio Beggiato
Photography: Jeremy Baile

Le Col x McLaren Project Aero

Le Col is focussed on creating the best performance cycling kit on the market, so to have a collaboration with a brand as iconic as McLaren was an opportunity to really push the limits. Meet Project Aero.

We’ve always looked outside of cycling and beyond what others in the sport are doing, and what this collaboration, and the technology allows us to do is to create an environment that shows the combination of performance and engineering in a unique way. Muybridge meets Tron, from building a bespoke set in the studio for our stills campaign, to using some of the most innovative virtual production technology using Unreal Engine to shoot the commercials, this project has been about pushing the boundaries at every level.

The concept for this shoot was about creating a hyper-real set that that reflects the hours of development, but without the obvious cliche of using a wind tunnel. Instead, we focussed on creating a cinematic experience that brings to life and stylises that process of capturing data. Project Aero – Engineered for Speed.

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Concept & Creative Direction: Limited Edition Design

Client Le Col / McLaren
Production: Squire
Director: Jay Creagh
Dop: James Medcraft
Model: Adam Macrae
Photography: Michael Blann
3d/Animation: Greg Walker

Le Col SS21 – F*ck it, Fake it

Cycling has always put emphasis on place – From the Alpine climbs of Galibier, Croix de Fer and Stelvio, to the steep streets of Siena – where you ride holds weight. In testing times with restrictions on travel and hopes of winter sun abroad, hopes of our Spring Summer photoshoots evaporated with each announcement. Like everyone, dreams of switchbacks and short sleeves were dashed.

Having explored options to shoot in Tenerife, and then Mallorca, and then turning our own frustrations into an opportunity to go back to the drawing board and be more creative. It became clear from the process, that actually, do we want to be seeing images of other people riding those iconic and sunny roads? Social influencers were flouting the rules, and our patience, time for Plan C – F*ck it, Fake it… time to be more playful, embrace our home roads and put a bit of fun back into cycling, like so many have found in lockdown. Own it.

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Concept & Execution: Limited Edition Design
Client: Le Col
Photography: Michael Blann
Retouch: Phil Borg
Production: Squire & Thom Green