Background

Total Media is a very successful independent media planning company based in London. In fact their success has led to such rapid growth over the last few years that their brand has not been applied as consistently as it could have been.

The time was right for a rebrand. Before even looking at the identity we took the opportunity to clarify what made this company special and what their real point of difference was. The personality of the company came through loud and clear when talking to them, so early on in the process I wanted to try and capture this visually. I use ‘moodboards’ to help at this stage as they are a great tool for getting this initial thinking translated into visuals (see above left).

The logo

Using the moodboards as a starting point, I worked up some initial concepts for the logo. In the end, the chosen design was a radical evolution of their existing identity - more modern, more dynamic but keeping some of the recognition from the past. While designing the logo I had to bear in mind its need to work across Total Media's eight subdivisions.

The new look and feel

A unique look and feel had to be developed for Total Media's collateral - stationery, website (www.totalmedia.co.uk), Powerpoint etc. Back to the moodboards again, which had now become our benchmark. Using some of the ideas from these, combined with some distinctive graphics, produced a look that was not only a great fit with Total Media but was also unique to them.

Brand guidelines

The final task was to create a set of guidelines for the new identity so that Total Media could run with the new look themselves.

“We had been thinking about rebranding for some time - but it's a matter of finding the right person. Getting a really professional job from a London trained designer but at a Kiwi price was a great result. Plus, while we were sleeping he was working!”
Mike Sell, Chief Executive