brandopus

We've scooped three trophies at tonight's Design Effectiveness Awards, hosted by the Design Business Association in London. 

The creation of the Buckwud brand for client Wellness Foods was awarded a prestigious Gold, our redesign work with Pipers Crisp Co. won a Silver award, while our work with leading independent brewer Hall & Woodhouse on the redesign of the Badger Ales brand achieved a bronze in the branded packaging design category. We have also made a massive jump forward in the league tables, and are now among the three most financially effective agencies in the UK.

The DBA's annual Design Effectiveness Awards are the most prestigious accolade in design, being the only award scheme that uses commercial data as a key judging criteria.  As the design industry's equivalent of an IPA award in advertising, all winners having undergone two stages of rigorous judging, by two separate panels of business leaders, including senior marketers from brands such as Santander, TFL, John Lewis, Magner's, Oxfam and British Airways.

Year after year, winning case studies like Buckwud, Pipers Crisp Co. and Badger demonstrate the excellent value for money and return on investment that a coherent, well-thought-out and professionally executed design strategy can achieve. 

On a chilly January morning at just about elevenses time, a parcel arrived from Twinings. This was no ordinary box: not a sample for colour review or a tea caddy for sizing reference, but a small flat box delicately tied up in bubble wrap. Inside was a little card of thanks, to the BrandOpus team for all our hard work on the redesign of The Everyday Tea range, "It's glorious and we are delighted!" they wrote. And below the card was a bespoke teapot biscuit, a replica of the new pack design. 

The perfect accompaniment to a glorious cup of Twinings Everyday Tea!

We have undertaken a major overhaul of the UK's number one chip brand, McCain across the entire portfolio. The redesign sees the introduction of a new logo for the brand, the first change for over 50 years. 

The new identity encapsulates the natural landscape from the previous brand design and establishes the brand logo as the sunshine, bringing warmth to theMcCain brand. The design also sees the removal of the 'black box' logo, which had previously remained unchanged since the 1950s.

The new brand identity is part of McCain Foods GB strategy to drive brand and category growth, and continues the partnership between McCain and BrandOpus which saw the introduction of a masterbrand strategy in March 2011.

Mark Hodge, McCain head of brand, said: "The new visual identity by BrandOpus will help to segment, sign-post and simplify the McCain potato products range, and reflects our move towards a portfolio encompassing more potato meal solutions, such as McCain Ready Baked Jackets, which were launched with huge success last year. The packaging has real stand out and the consumer response in research was very impressive''.   

Hodge added:  "GB is the first market to launch the new packs, and depending on consumer response other markets may follow." 

The new packaging is appearing in-store from this month. 

...Ice-skating on frozen lakes with long frocks and top hats, brass bands on winter's nights, A Christmas Carol with its beautiful, traditional theme.  When it came to having a Christmas party with a Twist (Oliver?), there could truly only ever be one theme. 

And so it was, we at BrandOpus donned decadent dresses and our most gentlemanly garms to celebrate Christmas in time-honoured style. As we pulled up at the (hitherto top-secret) Tate Britain, we knew we were in for a treat - and were certainly not disappointed: a grand drinks reception in an opulent gallery surrounded by paintings, a private tour of the fascinating Pre-Raphaelite exhibition (what better way to rebel against your parent's generation than becoming more conservative!?), and then a 3-course meal with secret Santa presents, including a Byron Burger ketchup survival kit, Royal Baby and BrandOpus Hunks Calendar 2013 - with one very notable exception (hint: it's me).

As the night continued, we were thoroughly enjoying the company and environs, but there was another surprise in store.  Back into the carriages we went, carolling merrily in the night.

In the depths of Fitzrovia we descended a staircase to our last calling point of the evening: The Lucky Pig cocktail bar - readily replete with Victorian furnishing as an illicit gin palace beneath the street.

With drink stations strategically positioned across the lounge, booths as well as waiting bar staff and a DJ, we threw off the oppressive shackles of Victorian society and danced to a rather more modern beat until the lark's dawn chorus...  

We've been working with Badger Ales to create the packaging strategy for the first of its ultimate collector's ales series. Designed to be the perfect gift for the discerning ale lover, the launch of this limited edition premium ale follows on from our award winning redesign of the Badger brand which rolled out onto the shelves in February.

Brewed using the special Boadicea, Bramling Cross and Goldings hops and matured in a Somerset Cider Brandy Company oak cask, the ale comes in a 750cl champagne bottle housed in a beautiful wooden presentation box.  The 10.7% ale is one of the first ales produced in the UK to undergo three fermentations as well as full riddling and disgorging, which is normally only carried out by the finest Champagne houses, and can be drunk immediately or can be laid down for many years to mature. Inspired by this we created an all-naturally sourced packaging design, which reflects the hibernation of countryside animals: the champagne bottle is cocooned in an oak presentation case, embellished with fragments of the Badger identity, reflective of the yesteryear crates that Badger was once delivered in.

To celebrate the number of years Hall & Woodhouse has been brewing, 235 bottles of the Collector's Edition 2012 will be released, each bottle hand-numbered and signed by Chairman Mark Woodhouse upon a leaf-like swing tag which picks up on the countryside equities of the Badger brand, and which is attached to the neck of the bottle with twine.

Anna Corbett, brand marketing manager at Hall & Woodhouse, comments on the project, "A beautiful and considered design that delivers a rustic yet distinctive sense of occasion to be savoured, much like this very special beer."

The Collector's Edition 2012 is the first in the series which will be released annually, it will be exclusively available from www.badgerdirect.com and will retail at £50.00 plus postage and packaging.