Situated in the heart of London’s West End, the world famous Piccadilly Lights has been entertaining (and most recently informing) viewers for over a century. The screen takes centre stage for the 100 million people who pass through Piccadilly Circus each year.
Working closely with the team at Landsec, we created the strategic positioning and BrandWorld for this London icon.
The objective of the brief was to position Piccadilly Lights as the first outdoor media consumer brand and reinforce the screen’s reputation as a powerful and meaningful broadcaster.
More than just a screen, Piccadilly Lights is a living canvas, a symbol of hope, pumping positivity throughout the capital, across the country and around the world. With this we developed the positioning of The Beating Heart of the Nation.
In addition to being one of the country’s most desirable commercial content platforms, the screen also provides a voice for many more meaningful endeavours. Charity, community, public service and art are all integral — all things great in Britain.
As a global landmark, it is the only element of ‘the Piccadilly experience’ that can instantly react and respond to the mood of the nation – and be a showcase to the wider world. This makes Piccadilly Lights unique.
Working with renowned visual FX specialists The Mill we created the pulse. A visual metaphor of the beating heart.
Not only is the pulse a bold and engaging piece of motion graphics, it’s been designed to react just like a living, beating heart. Slowing down and speeding up depending on the climate, content and context.
Radial, pulsing typography also reinforces the idea of a positive, living entity.
Paying homage to the screen of 1908, in the centre of the logo sits a glow, referencing the incandescent bulbs of past illuminated advertising hoardings.
By using the colour of the Piccadilly line and the glow from the original bulbs used to light the screen, SomeOne have created a brand that builds on the much loved aspects of the Lights while looking ahead to its future across consumer channels.
The landmark’s new identity leverages the bold and distinctive blue of the Piccadilly tube line, cementing the location of the screen.