Our approach and final solution was to create a campaign that shone a spotlight on the diverse people of Croydon, especially those who have made a significant and positive contribution to the ‘CR’ community and society as a whole. Whether through the leadership they have shown, the positive influence they have had or the example they have set through their actions and how they conduct themselves, they make a difference.
If you scratch under the surface, Croydon is full of inspirational people. Passionate people who make a difference. We are proud to have shone a light on some of the people who generally go unnoticed and give them the recognition they deserve.Kevin Cox, Creative Director, tothepoint
The Concept
‘CR’ covers all the postcodes of Croydon, is inclusive and not just specific to the centre of Croydon (CR0). It was important that the campaign reflected the diversity and personality of the people of Croydon both culturally, physically and individually. We wanted it to lift the spirits, be inspirational, informative and fun.
Shown here are some of our concept mood boards, showing diversity and ideas for the core linking device:
We commissioned portrait, black and white photographs of hand-picked inspirational Croydon people taken by Phillip Waterman and art directed by Kevin Cox, our Creative Director. These images were accompanied by minimal copy that highlighted the difference these people have made to Croydon’s community.
We created a ‘CR’ (Croydon) logo device to build up instant recognition of the campaign and this device interacts with the photography connecting the two. The concept includes various straplines such as: CRoydon born and bred, Made in CRoydon, Inspiring CRoydon, that demonstrate the flexibility of the idea.
Photography
Photography plays an important role in the campaign and we wanted the images to be artistic in nature and full of character. Following an introduction by the BID’s new marketing manager, Natasha Gray, we commissioned Phillip Waterman, a specialist portrait photographer, to capture the essence of the individuals and their area of influence.
It was important that their attire encapsulated their personality and skill sets, whether sports, music, cultural, educational or creative based. We chose black and white photography to give an arthouse feel as opposed to a corporate one. It also allowed the viewer to fully focus on the personalities without being distracted by colour. This brings a cohesiveness to the images as a set.
Before and after
The first iteration of the campaign is through a series of window graphics that covers up some of the empty shop units peppered around the city. The before and after shots show the amazing transformation that has taken place and they are already receiving some great accolades on social media.
Wayfinding
In conjunction with the window graphics, the concept needed to contain wayfinding elements that Croydon Council had commissioned to help direct visitors to the town to key landmarks and travel destination hubs. This will be part of a much larger Wayfinding project during major development work and guidelines for this have been drawn up by Maynards for Croydon Council. Installation of all the window graphics for phase one was complete at the end of August 2019, with the hope that it will appear on other vacant shops and hoardings in Croydon.
It has been great working with Croydon Bid and the Council on this community focussed campaign. Not only does it reflect the passion and commitment of real local ‘unsung’ champions of Croydon, it was a chance for us to look at testing and developing a campaign brand to promote what is great about Croydon as it enters the next exciting stage of its evolution.Simon Hutton, MD tothepoint
This campaign has a great potential to motivate those living, working and visiting the centre of Croydon, while also acting as a useful tool to help people make their way from place to place.Councillor Paul Scott, Cabinet Lead for Planning and Regeneration, Croydon Council
High quality print and finishing are essential to bring work like this to life. So thanks also go to our longterm supplier for great service and work over the last 20 years – Kam Chana and his team at ETC.
