Southeastern is part of the Go-Ahead Group, one of the UK’s leading public transport operators and runs train services in South East London, Kent and parts of East Sussex. It serves 550,000 customers every day on more than 2,000 train services.
The existing brand identity for Southeastern was developed in 2006, but with the advent of a new franchise extension award and significant investment being undertaken across all of the franchisea, it was felt that the identity needed to reflect these new investments.
But what needed to be looked at? A whole new identity? All change?
Well, no – what it needed was a relevant brand world. One that was designed to communicate and connect with it’s audience in the right ways.
The main challenge to Southeastern was the inflexibility of it’s current identity. The fact that it struggled with the varying communication requirements – from mandatory information like timetables and improvement work, to promotional and campaign messages to travellers.
Southeastern needed a discernible and appropriate tone of voice – one that is able to be a little bit formal when needed, but also built to live in a digital and social media world. One that is flexible, and familiar.
As such, the Southeastern brand has be brought up to date, and made relevant. This needed to be done in a way that didn’t require significant change to the core identity, as this was present on all of the trains and stations, and would require considerable and unnecessary budget to change.
So! Enter stage left — the adaptive SomeOne ‘Brand World’ thinking. Where the idea of a tonal property — overlaid onto a subtly refined and optimised wordmark — could deliver benefit to the communications and brand needs of Southeastern.
There was a clear opportunity to improve communications, to show passenger benefit from increased investment, to have greater impact and engagement and to create better promotions and campaigns – all in a tonally coherent way.
A way which gave us the chance to show how Southeastern thinks, what it has to say, and the advantages it can offer.
‘Say hello to the Southeastern helping hand’ says Gary Holt – Executive Creative Director at SomeOne. ‘The embodiment of what Southeastern stands for, the benefit it can bring. From a key communication presenter, right through to being just a little helping hand’
‘It’s all about helping out in any way we can on trains and on platforms.
More ticket machines over there? Let us show you. Bike storage? Right this way. We’ve put together a huge number of easy to use assets to allow Southeastern to cut through with a fun and useful voice.’ says SomeOne’s lead designer Tom Myers.
‘By introducing a variety of sleeves and objects, each representing a different customer, member of staff or action, the hand can constantly adapt to any communication. It allows every piece of information to be presented uniquely, tailored according to the subject, whilst sitting in a distinctly Southeastern brand world.’ says SomeOne’s designer Paul Ransom.
This has been a great example of how an extremely creative idea and application can completely transform a brand without the need to undertake an expensive rebranding exercise. We have a very well recognised brand but what this concept allows us to do is to build on that and make our communications and investment around our franchise achieve much greater standout.
The Southeastern hand is completely adaptable. From renovation and update communications, all the way through to digital and social information – in a seamless, related and tonally welcoming way. Overlaid onto a revised brand identity, with a richer colour palette, simplified logo, and new type style.
Paul adds “A huge kit of parts has been designed for Southeastern to use. Hundreds of different combinations can be created, allowing almost every scenario imaginable to be represented. The hands can be dialled up and down, from being the main focus of a communication, to a small sign-off adding an additional nugget of information”.