Established in 1991, we employ twenty-four

people including brand and management

consultants, marketers, writers, behavioural
psychologists and designers. We work with
many well-known UK and international corporates,
charities and institutions, including 12 FTSE 100
and 11 Fortune 500 global companies.

We are recognised for stunning and effective

brand building that helps our clients to positively
influence and transform their businesses and,
in turn, their markets.
Glazer is much more than a branding agency.
Our consultancy work begins with a thorough
analysis of what your brand should stand
for, and considers how the structure of your
business and its operations will influence
brand implementation and communication.
We don’t deal with cosmetic solutions or
quick makeovers.
Consultancy.
How can you maximise
the value of your corporate
brand? Not just by changing
your logo, that’s for sure.
A brand is more than a pretty logo. It’s the sum of
the experience, attitudes, behaviours, competencies,
aspirations and perceptions of everyone in the
organisation.
It’s a promise to your customers that they will
consistently receive a certain quality of product or
service. If you want to grow real brand value – value
that delivers to the bottom line – you can’t impose
change from outside. It must be organic, and the will
to change must come from within. But that doesn’t
mean it can’t be stimulated. In fact, that’s exactly
where our expertise can pay dividends.
We start by helping you determine what makes your
organisation unique. The next stage is to create a
set of principles that define the brand to the internal
audience. Typically, this entails creating an ambition
statement that lays down precisely what your
organisation is trying to achieve. This is supported
by a set of behaviours which are characteristic of the
organisation. Everyone in the organisation should be
encouraged to incorporate these behaviours into their
working lives. The HR team can help to promote this,
by developing appropriate appraisals, reward and
recognition programmes and initiatives for staff, such
as leadership coaching and internal team briefings.
These behaviours define the ‘letter of the law’. The
next step is to communicate the spirit of the brand.
You can’t force people to buy into the behaviours. It
has to be voluntary. And it is up to senior management
to set an example that forcefully demonstrates their
own adherence to the behaviours. Only then can
they inspire their people to follow.
Even when you’ve built the brand into the fabric of
your organisation, it will dissipate if it is not actively
managed. So it is also essential to devise strategies
that keep people engaged and involved with the
brand as it develops.
Successful brand identities inspire fierce loyalty to
the group. You see it in tribes, sports teams, armies.
They’re united by shared traditions, history and
ownership of the identity, symbolised by a flag, an
emblem – or a logo. They know who they are, what
they stand for and where they’re going. They know
that, together, they can achieve more than they ever
could as individuals – and, in a corporate context,
that spells competitive edge.
Cromwell declared that his army won the Civil War
because “they knew what they were fighting for and
loved what they knew”: belief in their ambition made
them more motivated and so more effective. If you
can develop this kind of dynamic in your organisation,
your external audiences may not realise immediately
where it’s coming from. But they’ll feel the benefits –
in consistency of service, or quality, or attitude, or
professionalism.
In short, they will recognise that the brand promise is
being delivered.
As brand consultants, we measure brand effectiveness
and help clients to enhance this vital commercial asset
– particularly by supporting the brand inside the
company. Every client’s needs are different, so we
cover a range of disciplines and develop bespoke
programmes involving one or more of these elements.
Brand audit
A thorough audit of all manifestations of the brand,
across internal divisions, helps you improve brand
guardianship and plan any necessary change. We
assess:

• Consistency of brand presentation

• Coherence of brand message
• Communications effectiveness
• Cost-effectiveness.
Brand promise
How well do your people understand your brand
promise?

Our litmus test research measures their awareness

and understanding of the message, and checks the
consistency of understanding across different locations
or divisions. This allows you to set benchmarks and
identify areas for improving brand communication. It
is a cost-effective way to measure performance at
the start of an identity project or after a new identity
is launched.

Brand message
To get right to the essence of the company, we closely
observe daily business practice and behaviour – what
the company does, how it operates, its persona. We
track customers’ experience to see how the company
delivers its promise and identify the unique benefits it
offers. Then we can start to express what really makes
the company different and special.

Brand delivery
How effective is your company's brand? How
highly do your clients value it? Our in-depth research
compares internal and external perceptions of the
brand and the company.

We examine how you are currently perceived,

and how effectively you’re serving the needs and
motivations of internal and external stakeholders.
By comparing the experience inside and outside the
company, we measure how effectively the brand
promise is being delivered.
Brand strategy
Exactly how will you communicate the brand
promise, internally and externally? By identifying the
most appropriate systems and vehicles – through
paper, digital media or face-to-face communication.
And by helping you to manage the cascade inside
the company, organise training and seminars,
develop advertising and direct marketing
programmes, and measure the effectiveness of
internal and external communication.
Brand essence
Your brand should define what you do, how you do it,
who you are, and what you stand for. We express the
brand promise in just a few words and create a simple
mantra to inspire people throughout the company.

Spirit of the brand

Once you have a new brand identity, how can you rally
people behind it? A ‘Spirit of the Brand’ handbook will
explain the brand promise – and the behaviour and
standards required to deliver that promise. It will help
to inspire and inform your people, engendering shared
ownership of the identity and commitment to making
it work.

Spirit of the brand workshop

Internal communication of the brand message needs
to be kick-started with a series of cross-company
workshops that generate a sense of pride and
genuine commitment. They are designed to establish
a deep and clear understanding of the brand
personality, empowering and enabling participants
to act as catalysts for change throughout the
organisation.
Brand management
Once the new brand is established, and
communications are in place to support it, the goal
becomes sustainability. We offer bespoke services
to ensure the brand is communicated consistently
and successfully. These include:
Leadership coaching
A diffuse corporate identity often reflects
fragmentation at board level – the behaviour of top
decision-makers inevitably affects the behaviour of
the brand. Corporate psychologists and high-level
performance coaches can help you tackle internal
issues arising from ‘fiefdoms’, and in the context of
mergers and acquisitions. Aligning the leaders’ vision
has been shown to have a profound effect on the
clarity of a company’s identity as it cascades through
the organisation.
Human Resource support
Working with the HR team, we can help you to
manage the difficult and sensitive task of changing
staff attitudes and behaviours to support the brand.
This may involve, for example, building personal
accountability for the brand into your appraisal,
reward and recognition schemes. It is a vital aspect
of implementing a new brand identity and creating
long-term value from the investment.
Internal communications: team briefings
A bespoke team briefing system and format for senior
or divisional managers will help to keep staff informed
of brand issues that have an impact on their daily work.
Internal communications: training workshops
Managers will need to cascade information and
make team briefings sharp and effective in order to
keep the brand ethos fresh in your people’s minds. We
will help them formulate a clear message, encourage
their teams to see its relevance to their work, and show
people how to act on it. Our practical and pragmatic
approach – addressing preparation, written and verbal
style and presentation – helps companies to apply
the principles we use in our own work: inform,
inspire, involve.
Internal communications: Forward Focus document
The Forward Focus document is an annual publication
illustrating to all members of staff where the company
is going, how it will get there, and what they are all
part of. We have found that it plays a valuable role in
informing and inspiring across all divisions and levels.
Internal communications: strategy update
Another powerful tool is a quarterly update to all
staff highlighting major successes, key figures and
local/regional/divisional heroes.
Brand healthcheck
You need to be sure that the brand and communications
programme is delivering the promise, motivating
audiences and delivering value. We will conduct annual
or bi-annual reviews of brand performance, alignment
of brand message, consistency of communication, and
style of presentation against competitors. We can also
audit all your company’s published output (divisionally
or internationally) to make sure that the brand is being
implemented correctly, addressing any new aspects
of branding, and action required to sustain the brand.
Measuring effectiveness
We will maintain regular or ongoing research to
check the effectiveness of brand communication,
with appropriate benchmarking, among internal
and external stakeholders.
Brand protection
We will ensure that brand names and marks are
registered internationally as trademarks, and that
relevant URL addresses are protected. We liaise
with the Patents Office and a specialist intellectual
copyright legal practice to make sure that clients’
rights are covered by both statutory law and act of
precedent against infringement or passing off. As
well as the brand mark, we ensure that imagery,
straplines and copy are similarly protected.
Consultancy
case
studies.
Mind.
Brand Strategy and Identity
The background
Mind is the leading mental health charity in England
and Wales in an increasingly crowded and
competitive sector. It has evolved into a large
organisation with a network of national branches and
departments, including Mind shops, Mindlink, Diverse
Minds, Rural Minds and Mind Cymru.
Over the years many of these various divisions had
modified Mind’s dove logo, or simply created their
own, diluting the organisation’s image and making it
appear disjointed, unprofessional and lacking focus.
There was also criticism from inside and outside
Mind, that the existing dove logo did not clearly
express what Mind stood for.
The challenge
Having convinced senior management that Mind
needed to be rebranded and revitalised, Glazer
needed to find an identity that was simple, strong and
sufficiently adaptable to work throughout the Mind
network.
The brand image had to win over the hearts and
minds not only of the public, health professionals,
government bodies and the media, but also of the
Mind staff. Many of them had strong and long-held
opinions on the status and direction of Mind.
Our approach
Glazer carried out in-depth surveys within Mind,
including the offshoot organisations such as Mindlink
and Rural Minds, and amongst their external
audiences – from ordinary users to health workers,
journalists and MPs. Some very strong and frequently
polarised opinions appeared, yet the common thread
was that the Mind branding was confused and a fresh
start was needed.
Glazer was concerned not only with the visual identity,
but also with Mind’s positioning statement: the mental
health charity. Research showed this was considered
too dry, and was not engaging, as it simply described
what the charity is, not what it does.
The researchers worked with several levels of Mind’s
organisation to define the charity’s purpose, vision
and values. This provided valuable feedback, which
helped to determine how a new logo and strapline
could encapsulate Mind’s values and distinguish it
from other mental health charities.
The solution
Mental health covers a wide range of issues of varying
severity. Mind’s new brand image had to be appropriate
for all uses and messages, and at the same time, be
dynamic, intriguing and emotionally engaging.
It had to meet difficult criteria, needing to be pan-
cultural and non-discriminatory, but at the same time
powerful and memorable, to put Mind in the forefront
of government bodies, MPs and health professionals.
The new Mind logo is a visual metaphor reflecting the
organisation’s mission to help people find solutions to
difficult, often emotionally challenging problems.
The ‘scribble’ leading to the lower case word
‘mind’ represents a sense of order out of chaos,
of informality, calmness and friendliness. It is open
and inclusive, and has passion and humanity. It
acknowledges people face mental health problems,
which Mind can understand and help resolve.
The brand now clearly has equal relevance to all
people affected by mental health problems – from the
person looking for an escape from manic depression,
to the employer having to deal with stressed
employees.
The logo works effectively across a range of
communications and media, ensuring it will build unity
across the organisation. Having created a new logo,
Glazer developed guidelines to help Mind’s central
and local management adhere to the brand identity,
eliminating the disparate brand messages of the past.
In addition to the new logo, the brand message is
reinforced by a new strapline, which simply and
powerfully states the aims and purpose of Mind:
For better mental health.
Welsh Development Agency.
Brand strategy and identity
The background
The Welsh Development Agency (WDA) was formed
in 1976 to regenerate the prosperity of Wales after
heavy industry decline in the 70’s. Since then, it has
played a pivotal role in Wales’ successful economic
development to the tune of more than £12 billion of
investment. It’s mission: to help existing businesses
expand and thrive and to encourage inward
investment, the relocation of industry, and to create
jobs. Headquartered in Cardiff, the Agency also has
numerous offices throughout Wales, Asia, Europe and
North America.
After a 5-way credentials pitch, Glazer was
commissioned to undertake a full analysis of the WDA
brand and sub branding, as well as a comprehensive
review of its current values, visual identity and style
guidelines.
The challenge
As part of our initial stage of work to define the scope
of the project, Glazer conducted internal and external
research which highlighted the following:
• Only 47% of staff felt part of the ‘WDA’ rather than
their region or department/programme
• 82% of staff suggested that the WDA’s many
identities cause confusion in the market and that
customers didn’t know what it had a hand in
• 72% of businesses/customers approached the
WDA rather than being approached by the WDA.
These issues were further exacerbated by the fact
that visually, there was no clear, unifying visual style.
The rapid growth of the WDA created dozens of niche
functions across the organisation covering the entire
range of economic activities. This led to numerous
sub-brands which unsurprisingly, obscured the WDA’s
brand and made it difficult for staff, clients, business
partners and the public to recognise the Agency’s
central position in effecting economic development.
The damage was extensive. Over 25 years, the WDA
had spawned an astonishing 90 sub-brands, each
with its own visual language. Furthermore, with so
many uncoordinated brochures and marketing
collateral, printing costs had skyrocketed. Enter
Glazer.
Our approach
To fully understand the issues facing the WDA brand,
we conducted in-depth research and analysis both
inside and outside the organisation. This involved
brand awareness days, internal and external
telephone research, and face-to-face interviews with
directors, staff and clients. The feedback was pretty
clear – while everyone knew who the WDA was, there
was confusion and complexity surrounding exactly
what it did and the services it offered.
Comments such as “We can’t be consistent while
we have so many faces” and “We can’t live WDA
values until we can agree on what they are” were
commonplace internally, while perceptions outside
the organisation ranged from, “I get confused about
who’s running the programme”, and “I had no idea
what was there, it was all so complicated.”
We also carried out a detailed assessment of how
the brand was being used across the organisation,
mapping the numerous sub-brands to determine who
owned what. A Visual Audit of all the stationery and
corporate, sub-brand and partner brochure-ware
followed. We also focused on WDA environments
such as reception areas, meet & greet areas, offices
and notice boards.
The solution
In response to the findings, Glazer developed a series
of proposals to re-establish a strong, focused identity.
Working closely with the Agency we redefined the
WDA’s purpose, vision and core values, rationalised
the sub-brands and developed a corporate identity
with its own visual language, including detailed
templates for all on-line and off-line collateral.
Branding tasks undertaken by Glazer:
• Visual audit
• Rationalised sub-brands
• Vision, mission & value statements
• Brand environment
• Organisational re-structuring
• Refreshed logo
• Communications collateral
• Visual language
Monsoon.
Strategy and Identity graphics
The background
Monsoon is a design-led retailer operating two highly
successful chains – Monsoon and Accessorize –
selling a wide range of women’s clothing, men’s
clothing, children’s wear and home accessories. It
combines modern design expertise and beautiful
fabrics with traditional materials and techniques, and
is both people and product focused.
Monsoon was seen as a very distinctive brand and a
highly individual place to shop. Its heritage, attitude,
product range and the experience customers enjoy,
all set it apart from its competitors.
The challenge
Despite its success, the Monsoon brand had lost its
sense of differentiation, as other fashion brands
copied its look and feel. The brand structure had
become diluted and brand communications were
inconsistent.
Our task was to develop an image and visual
language for Monsoon that would instantly convey
how different and special Monsoon is from any other
design-led retailer.
Our approach
We started by actively involving Monsoon staff.
We did not simply want to conduct cold research
and then hand a report to the company and our
designers. Nor did we want to commit to designs,
without understanding the truth and passion behind
the company.
So we set about understanding what makes
Monsoon live and breathe. We talked to the people
who shape the company, to see what motivates them
and discover what makes Monsoon such an inspiring
brand.
We ran a series of workshops with key stakeholders,
using images and interviews to help us define what
Monsoon is and what it is not. Although there were
strongly held and very definite opinions about
Monsoon’s image, the overall conclusion about the
brand’s strength is that its essence is indefinable!
We concluded that being indefinable and individual
were benefits – women feel confident they can make
Monsoon’s style their own, creating a look that will
always feel personal, not off the peg or ‘another
fashion clone’.
The solution
Throughout our workshops and interviews, certain
words were consistently associated with Monsoon:
• Feminine
• Sensual
• Beautiful
• Chi
• Individual
• Bohemian
Using these key words as our inspiration and
checklist, we created a new image for Monsoon,
based around a fresh brand icon that conveyed all
these desirable and distinctive qualities.
This gave us the freedom to develop designs instantly
recognisable as belonging to Monsoon, yet not
restrictive or prescriptive.
The new icon is used across a range of brand
architecture, to create ‘sub-brands’ which help
shoppers (women, children and men) easily find the
types and styles of clothes they are looking for. It also
forms the basis for new shop interiors, changing room
decor and signage.
Portman.
Brand Strategy and Identity
The background
The business travel management industry has been
undergoing a sea-change as airlines cut or abolish
commission on ticket sales. In this new era, travel has
become a commodity, where the market price is
determined by demand and availability, rather than
the underlying cost.
The challenge
With travel consultancies adopting new and more
aggressive marketing tactics, the need to differentiate
Portman – the largest independent business travel
management company in the UK – from its rivals was
more urgent than ever. Moreover, Portman needed to
establish an instantly recognisable yet campaignable
brand identity, as the brand image presented by its
disparate group communications was at risk of
becoming diluted and confused.
Our approach
Glazer worked closely with Portman’s marketing team
to undertake a comprehensive review of their
corporate identity and communications, and develop
a coherent and powerful brand development strategy.
The project involved one-to-one discussions with
Board Directors as well as workshops with over 10%
of Portmans 580 staff across 27 branches – and
auditing all the communications material, both internal
and external.
The solution
Our solution drew on Portman’s feisty maverick nature
– a characteristic already recognised in the
marketplace – and used it to establish a clear and
positive identity, by highlighting Portman’s ‘different
and better’ approach. The solution was based around
the word ‘Smart’ – a simple but apt description of the
Portman ethos. Smart accurately describes the way
Portman consultants approach their job, and provides
the evidence that Portman delivers a service worth
paying for.
With Smart, Portman does not have
to attempt to be the largest or the cheapest in the
travel management market. Instead, it can be
outstanding as the Smartest.
For Portman, Smart applies to their thinking, their
people and their business approach, with the promise
they will help their customers ‘buy Smart’ too. Where
travel management communications tend to be rather
cold and impersonal, Glazer’s Smart approach has
created a persona that’s confident, clear, distinctive
and approachable.
Bluewater.
Corporate and Consumer Identity
The background
Bluewater is a regional shopping and leisure
destination in Kent, created by international property
developers Lend Lease of Australia. It features an
attractive triangular mall with a major anchor
department store in each corner, and houses over
300 other shops, plus three leisure villages hosting
restaurants, cafes and a multiplex cinema.
Bluewater is the largest centre of its kind in the UK,
and is surrounded by parkland, boating lakes, walking
and cycle paths. Ten million people live within an
hour's drive, with a further seven million within what is
considered its total catchment area.
The challenge
As Lend Lease's flagship project in Europe, and the
primary development for the Thames Gateway region,
the scheme was distinctly high profile. There was the
small matter of the £460 million investment in building
costs to be recouped also.
The challenge for Glazer, called in before a brick was
laid, was to position Bluewater as much more than a
new shopping centre - Bluewater was to be a major
retail, leisure and entertainment destination
guaranteeing a great day out for discerning
consumers. It was also to be a real alternative to
shopping in London's West End.
The Bluewater brand had to create and support
commercial success by:
• stimulating demand among high quality,
mainstream retailers
• creating a preference for Bluewater among
consumers, and thereby establishing brand loyalty
• generating positive local community relationships
as a precursor to future local regeneration projects
• creating an asset which would be recognised and
could be used successfully across merchandise
and customer communications
• establishing trust and confidence in the project
and its customer offerings.
Our approach
In response to this brief, we set out to present
Bluewater as a tranquil, modern, cool and orderly
environment. Our brand audit identified four core
attributes - that Bluewater was a totally new concept;
it was to be a special destination with its own
personality; its parking and access, and safe, clean
amenities would offer a real guest service culture; and
its offer would be unique in terms of the size and
variety of experiences available.
The solution
These core differentiating attributes are represented
by the now familiar Bluewater brand – one that
reflects the uniqueness and prestigious nature of the
UK’s largest shopping and leisure destination. To
ensure its consistent application, we also created a
comprehensive brand manual to explain the thinking
behind the brand, and show clearly how to implement
it successfully.
Recognising that staff at Bluewater would be the
human representation of the brand, the HR team
decided to publish a grooming guide, and we worked
with them on the booklet. We used a photographic
approach to get across what could sometimes be
sensitive messages about standards of dress and
hygiene in a light hearted manner.
Branding tasks undertaken by Glazer:
• name generation
• new logo
• communications collateral
• vision, mission & value statements
• visual language
• brand environment
• brand management.
Taymouth Scotland.
Building a unique brand
The background
Located on the banks of Scotland’s River Tay,
Taymouth Castle was once the baronial seat of the
Campbells of Breadalbane. At its height their estate
extended to 437,696 acres over 100 miles, and the
grandeur of the Castle, largely dating from the 19th
century, reflects that extraordinary affluence.
Taymouth’s opulent public rooms, cloistered
colonnade and corner towers were created by the
leading architects and craftsmen of the early 19th
century, including Francis Bernasconi, regarded as
the greatest fine plasterwork designer of his era. His
work features in the central tower, where a
magnificent and literally breathtaking staircase rises
100 feet through all four storeys.
Today Taymouth Castle, together with its rather more
manageable 450-acre estate, is being developed as a
unique lifestyle destination. Due to open in spring
2008, the 16th Century, A-listed castle is to become a
highly prestigious hotel.
The multi-million pound development will also include
an extensive upgrade to the 18-hole golf course
designed by James Braid, exceptionally fine river and
loch fishing, spa, and an Activity Centre.
The challenge
Taymouth Castle is acknowledged as the most
important Scottish castle remaining in private
ownership, and it became imperative to save it with a
project that had sufficient funds to properly preserve
its unique fabric and architectural features, while
providing a secure future.
Glazer was asked to create and establish a distinctive
and prestigious brand and brand proposition for
Taymouth Scotland, to attract a luxury hotel operator
and investors to the scheme.
Our approach
Glazer researched the positioning of the Taymouth
development amongst the principal parties involved,
and produced a convincing recommendation based
on the development’s unique location and history.
Rather than confuse or dilute the communication with
suffixes such as ‘castle’, ‘estate’ or ‘resort’, Glazer
suggested that the entire development should be
referred to simply as Taymouth, Scotland – taking
advantage of the fact that understatement is often
synonymous with confidence and perceived quality.
Glazer identified the brand values that were desirable
from both the investors’ and guests’ point of view.
These values led to an overall brand vision which
steers the development of the entire project, and
provides a checklist to ensure standards and
aspirations are being met.
The solution
Having established the brand essence and vocabulary
for all communication and associated materials,
Glazer created a new logo based on existing historic
imagery, and designed and wrote the investor
brochure.
The logo, inspired by a painting of four knights on the
ceiling of the Castle’s Chinese Room, shows a single
knight on a charger, reflecting Taymouth’s heritage
and exemplary standards.
Branding tasks undertaken by Glazer:
• Vision, mission & value statements
• Name generation
• New logo
• Brand environment
• Communications collateral
• Visual & verbal language
Design.
The way your company presents itself,
and the way it communicates itself to the
world at large is an integral part of your
brand. The physical process of conveying
these characteristics is a matter of
careful and thoughtful design.
We have developed a reputation for creative
design work that not only supports and enhances
the strength of your brand, but also contributes
to your company’s competitive advantage. It is no
coincidence that we have won awards for design
effectiveness every year for over 10 years –
including the Grand Prix. That is a prestigious
independent endorsement that our work ‘had
a measurable effect on business performance’.

Put simply, our designs actually do a job of work

and contribute to your bottom line.

Our design team can deliver a broad range

of solutions, from implementing your brand identity,
developing your visual style, creating a web site,
designing a brochure or annual report, devising a
campaign or simply working with you to produce
effective on-line or off-line communications.
Brand identity
Our brand consultancy work frequently results in
design projects that aim to realize new strategic
concepts in a graphic form. The team is also skilled
at refining existing brand or visual identity, moving it
forwards without losing the essence that made it
valuable in the first place.
Internal communications
Internal communications have an important role to
play in the development and maintenance of your
brand. Whether it’s a quarterly newsletter, an annual
focus document or an intranet-based forum, each
of these communication channels represents a
proven tool for informing and inspiring across
divisions and levels.
With both print and web knowledge available
in-house, we can create effective communications
rapidly and economically.
External communications
External communications literature, such as
corporate brochures and annual reports, represents
an opportunity to remind external audiences of the
strategies and values that define your organisation.
Our knowledge of brand identity, combined with
outstanding visual flair, can help to display those
qualities to best effect. In the online arena, our
specialist New Media team is equipped to develop
websites that accurately reflect your brand values
within a medium rich in functionality.
Corporate guidelines
To maintain the strength and purity of your brand, it
is essential that your people teams consistently apply
the behaviours and styles that are characteristic of
your organisation.
We can develop and produce comprehensive,
detailed and foolproof guide to the company’s
corporate style, from letterheads to dress code, so
that everyone in the company knows what is expected
of them in their behaviour and style of communication.
These guidelines will help to ensure consistency
of visual communications and widespread internal
communication of the company’s ambitions and values.
Interior design
A company’s visual style should go beyond its printed
or web-based publications. It should also extend into
the office environment. Our designers can adapt the
essence of the style so that the same qualities and
values are evoked throughout the company’s offices
and operations.
Design
case
studies.
GE SeaCo.
Brand Strategy and Identity

GE SeaCo is one of the world’s leading container

leasing companies, operating a fleet of approximately
one million TEU for customers in over 80 countries.

Formed in 1998 by Sea Containers Ltd and the

General Electric Capital Corporation, GE SeaCo
is now entirely independent, with headquarters
in Barbados, and 24 sales and support offices
worldwide. Their UK subsidiary, GE SeaCo Services
Ltd, provides administrative and other services to
the GE SeaCo group.

GE SeaCo asked us to conduct a brand audit

and produce a positioning statement that would be
meaningful and help unite all their stakeholders, both
internal and external. They also asked us to help them
establish a set of behaviours for all their staff across
the world. These guidelines were not intended to be
rules, but simply inspiring advice, to help staff be
confident and consistent in the way they met their
business objectives.

Having helped GE SeaCo anchor their organisation,

they then appointed us to roll out their branding
globally.

PLEASE KEEP
CONTAINER
UPRIGHT
Mind.
Brand Strategy and Identity
In an increasingly competitive sector, Mind (the leading
mental health charity in England and Wales) recognised
that it needed to project a strong and focused identity
in order to communicate its messages effectively to
external and internal audiences. They asked us to help.

Our initial research revealed that many of Mind’s own

local branches were adapting the existing Mind logo
to suit their own purposes, and diluting the brand
promise in the process. Far from being a united,
dependable body with shared vision and values,
the organisation as a whole appeared disjointed
and unprofessional.

We worked with Mind’s own team to define the

charity’s purpose, vision and values, and implement
a powerful new brand identity. At its heart was a
new Mind logo, a visual metaphor reflecting the
organisation’s mission to help its users create answers
and solutions to complex problems. We subsequently
developed formal brand identity guidelines and helped
Mind to communicate the new identity, both centrally
and to its local branches.

Donations increased from £8m - £17m per annum,

Mind became the media’s ‘spokes people’ of choice
on mental health issues and our logo won a
prestigious D&AD award.
Welsh Development Agency.
Brand strategy and identity What if?
We connect you
The Welsh Development Agency (WDA) has been with 2 million
highly successful in stimulating economic growth in potential customers
Wales. A by-product of that success had been the
growth of the WDA itself, which had spawned dozens
of niche functions covering the entire gamut of
economic activity. The resulting welter of sub-brands
obscured the WDA’s own brand, making it difficult for
clients and business partners to recognise the
Agency’s central position, as well as creating over-
complex relationships and duplication within the
Agency.

WALES (International)
At the WDA’s invitation, we analysed the current status
of the brand and developed a series of proposals to What if?
Wales helped you connect with Europe
re-establish a strong, focused identity. Through careful
research and two-way dialogue, we defined the COMMUNITIES

Agency’s purpose, vision and core values. We

rationalised the sub-brands and developed a corporate
What if?
Communities are given a new lease of life
identity with its own visual language, including detailed
templates for all on-line and off-line collateral BUSINESS

What if?
The results of our work were improved brand Your business is given a head start
awareness, excellent buy-in across the organisation –
and savings of £700,000 a year on print alone. INDIVIDUALS

What if?
You’re given a chance

OTHER

What if?
Your community were given a helping hand

What if?
We help you make
your mark

The Welsh Development Agency

is a sponsored body of the
Welsh Assembly Government.
St John Ambulance.
Corporate Identity

St John Ambulance, who’s origins date back over 900

years to the Knights Hospitaller, is a modern, vigorous
pre-hospital healthcare organisation and the UK’s
leading first aid charity, with over 44,000 volunteers
and a local group in most towns.

St John Ambulance had made significant investments

over the last five years to enhance its charitable work,
and needed a new visual style so people could easily
identify the organisation.

Glazer was given a wide remit to assess and overhaul

St John Ambulance’s visual identity. The task was to
create a new logo, strapline and visual language, ready
for St John Ambulance volunteers to work alongside
the London Ambulance Service, providing medical
cover at the London 2012 Olympics.
Glazer worked with the in-house St John Ambulance
team for 12 months, reviewing the use of the logotype
(colours, typefaces and images) as applied to
stationery, literature, website, uniforms, signage and
ambulances.

The new identity brings a fresher, livelier look to the

organisation, better reflecting its place in modern
society and its mission: to provide an effective and
efficient charitable first aid service to local
communities.
taymouth is transformational A different world. A world of breathtaking

landscapes, historic ambience, exceptional facilities and the highest possible

standards of service. Taymouth not only relaxes, it replenishes the soul.

Taymouth Scotland.
Building a unique brand
Glazer have created the brand and are developing the
identity for Taymouth Scotland.

Located in the Scottish Highlands on the banks of the

River Tay, Taymouth Castle, together with its 450-acre
estate, is being developed as a unique lifestyle
destination, due to open in the spring of 2008. The
16th Century, A-listed castle is being developed into a
highly prestigious hotel, while outdoor activities will
include a James Braid designed 18-hole golf course,
exceptionally fine river and loch fishing, and an Activity
Centre.

The logo, a mounted knight, has been developed from

a painting depicting four knights, on the ceiling of the
Castle’s Chinese Room. A brochure to support
competitive tendering has been produced, using the
very best of materials, print and binding techniques, to
reflect the uniquely prestigious quality of the project.
Glazer has also designed a website, and a bi-monthly
newsletter for the local community.

Mike Holl, Director at Taymouth Group said:

“On completion, Taymouth will be a brand apart –
offering guests an outstanding combination of
luxurious accommodation, fine cuisine and activities,
amid some of the most romantic scenery in the world.”
Heathrow Express.
Corporate Identity
Heathrow Express is the high-speed rail link between
Heathrow airport and London Paddington. The client
approached us to implement a wide- ranging
corporate identity programme.

The extent and complexity of this programme displays

our considerable ability and knowledge in managing an
identity project of this scale. We handled all corporate
applications and promotional communications for the
brand, including train livery, directional signage,
brochures, stationery and marketing material.

The sub-brands we created for the First Class service,

Quiet Zone, Baggage Express, Hotel Express and
Express TV ensured consistency and coherence within
the brand as a whole.

In recognition of our contribution to the success of

Heathrow Express, we were awarded the Grand Prix at
the Design Business Association’s Design Effectiveness
Awards.
Monsoon.
Strategy and Identity graphics
Monsoon is a design-led fashion retailer operating two
highly successful chains – Monsoon and Accessorize.
Despite its success, the Monsoon brand had lost its
sense of differentiation, as other fashion brands
colonised its look and feel. The brand structure had
become diluted and brand communications had
become inconsistent. Our efforts to restore both vigour
and rigour to the brand began with a series of
interviews with people from throughout the Monsoon
business, from the directors to customer contact staff,
to develop a broad perspective.

Armed with this information, our designers developed

a new campaignable style for the Monsoon brand. It is
an evolution from the former style, not a revolution,
since the company’s fundamental ethos has remained
largely the same. Our work included the development
of ad campaigns, a signature bag, rationalised sub-
brands and a new brand icon – the orchid – and
environmental graphics. With the new brand structure
in position, Monsoon is now expanding smoothly into
other areas such as Menswear. And following launch,
Monsson saw an increase in sales of 15% at a time
when competitors were averaging 1.5%
Portman.
Brand Strategy and Identity
The business travel management industry has been
undergoing a sea-change as airlines cut or abolish
commission on ticket sales. In this new era, travel has
become a commodity, where the market price is
determined by demand and availability, rather than the
underlying cost. This has forced travel consultancies to
adopt new marketing tactics.

Portman Travel, the largest independent business

travel management consultancy in the UK, has always
positioned itself as something of a maverick – very
efficient, very knowledgeable, very personable, yet
slightly quirky in its customer communications. Looking
to evolve this brand characteristic for the new era, we
came up with the word ‘Smart’ – a simple but apt
description of the Portman ethos. It accurately
describes the way that Portman consultants approach
their job, and answers the external demand for
evidence that a service is worth paying for. It is also
campaignable: it can be used for naming Portman’s
sub-brands, and as a running element in the
company’s ad campaigns.

Following implementation Portman has seen its

turnover increase from £179m to £210m per annum.

The world is a
SMART CHOICE

If you look like

Portman Hotels

book, and those your passport

who do not travel photo, you aren’t
read only a page. well enough
to travel.

Sir Vivian Fuchs

85% of New
York City taxi
drivers can’t read
road signs.
Smart people.

Stuck 23º16’N/1º43’E
24 hour expert helpline for emergency
travel assistance.

Get Smart 0800 731 1627

www.portmantravel.com
Investors in People.
Brand Strategy and Visual Identity
Investors in People UK is the non-departmental
government body responsible for developing and
delivering the Investors in People Standard, the
UK’s leading business improvement tool for people
management.

Following the changes in the assessment process

Investors in People wanted to signal change and re-
position the organisations proposition. The aim was to
align the many accreditations that Investors in People
offer, rationalise the brand hierarchy and product
offering and strengthen the brand mark to create more
clarity for customers and stakeholders. Working closely
with the Investors in People senior management team.

We developed the Investors in People brand mark

ensuring that the ‘laurel’ would work both small and
large with maximum impact and created a new visual
language adopting fresh and bold colours and new
photography. We also implemented the identity
across a range of applications including the website,
online tools, graphics for print and online, brochures
and publications, leaflets and flyers, exhibition
stands and accreditation awards including plaques
and certificates.
Bluewater.
Corporate and Consumer Identity
Since it opened in 1999, Bluewater, Kent’s retail leisure
destination, has changed the pattern and dynamics of
retailing in the South East of England. Our involvement
with Bluewater began when Lend Lease, the
developers, were trying to persuade ‘high quality’
retailers to lease space in the development. Lend
Lease wanted to position Bluewater as a real
alternative to shopping in London’s West End.

It did not want to be positioned as ‘just another

shopping centre’. Responding to the Bluewater Brand
Brief, we would present Bluewater as a tranquil,
modern, cool and orderly environment, a leisure
destination that would attract upmarket mainstream
retailers and a broad spectrum of customers
throughout the catchment area. With this in mind, we
worked with Lend Lease to develop a credible,
differentiated identity based on brand values such as
innovation, excellence, integrity and customer focus.

The launch package is regarded in the industry as a

‘classic’, the project is now valued at £1.6 billion (build
cost £460m) and our work won 14 Marketing and
Design awards.
red roses by Bluewater
Contact us

Ian Glazer
ian.glazer@glazer.co.uk
T +44 (0)20 7221 2595

Glazer Consulting Ltd.

The People’s Hall
2 Olaf Street
London W11 4BE.
T +44 (0)20 7221 2595
F +44 (0)20 7221 2667
www.glazer.co.uk
British Gas

TM
Financial & Professional
Altro, Aon, Axa, B&H Liquid, Beaumont & Son, Boots
Company PLC, Bossard, British Car Contracts, City
Showcase, Close Finsbury, Diners Club, Dresdner
Bank, EPCglobal, Fortis, Friends Ivory & Sime, FT
Interactive, GE Capital, Granville Baird, Hymans
Robertson, IBR, ICAP, JP Morgan, Laing Plc, Lawrence
Graham, Lazard Brothers & Co, Lease Plan, Mercantile
& General, PRICOA, PWC, Sony, GE SeaCo
Travel
Arriva, BAA, First Choice Holidays, Sovereign Holidays,
Heathrow Express, London Underground, Network
Rail, Metronet, Portman Travel Group, Radius (USA),
Virgin Atlantic
Museums & Galleries
The National Portrait Gallery, The Natural History
Museum

Associations & Institutions Public Sector

The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, Welsh Development Agency, Energy Saving Trust,
British Standards Institute, The Design Council, I&DeA, Home Office, Transport for London, Welsh Assembly
IEE, Local Government Association, London Central Government
Skills Council, Scotch Whisky Association
Manufacturing
Building & Construction Avon Rubber, Black & Decker, Danisco, David S Smith,
Benoy, Bovis Lend Lease, Lend Lease, Marley HuntGraphics (USA), Remington (USA), Seal Inc.(USA),
Extrusions, Marley Floors & Waterproofing, SGB Winsor & Newton
Youngman, Taylor Woodrow Homes
Retail
Charities Bluewater, Chapelfield,Crystal Peaks, Granada,
The British Heart Foundation, Barts and The London Hermes, House of Fraser, Jaeger, Monsoon, Moss
Charity, Comic Relief, Hospital of St John & St. Chemists
Elizabeth, St John Ambulance, Mind, Macmillan,
NSPCC, The Children’s Society Telecommunications
AT&T, BT, Vodafone
Healthcare
GlaxoSmithKline, International SOS, Novo Nordisk, FMCG
Pathlab, Smith & Nephew, Thameside Community NHS Allied Domecq, Häagen–Dazs, L’Oreal,
Trust, Barts and the London NHS Trust Reckitt & Colman, Sainsbury’s

Leisure General
Camel Trophy, Wisley Golf Club, Dene Golf club, The Blackfords, Harvey Nash plc, PET, Premier Rugby,
Royal Albert Hall, Taymouth, Walt Disney Resorts, Royal Mail, Terra Eco, Haymarket Events
Premier Rugby
Utilities
British Gas, Thames Water
Glazer Consulting.
2 Olaf Street, London W11 4BE.
T +44 (0)20 7221 2595. F +44 (0)20 7221 2667. www.glazer.co.uk © Glazer 2010