Remeha (a client of Connect Group) is a commercial branch of a business that sells boilers in various shapes and sizes. The problem is is that to many a boiler is a boiler. And crucially for me, a boiler ad tends to be a boiler ad.

Remeha's business model stands out in the industry as it has a strong and committed environmental stance, using renewables and low carbon solutions across the range.

When asked to create a new look and feel for this brand, we committed to creating simple, single-minded illustrations that would perfectly match the compelling headlines and inviting copy. I coloured them with rolled ink and sat them on a recycled texture - a constant reminder of Remeha's different way of doing things. 

And not a white-boxed boiler in sight. Refreshing.

Foster Care Associates asked us to design some inspirational posters that didn't involve cute kittens or sunsets. The finished pieces did however include icebergs and tree roots. The client were after a fresh style that was detached from the brand look and feel, so it would grab the eye of staff who frequent the offices. Here's the finished result.

HiQ approached us at Connect to create a family of monsters, following on from a successful 'MONSTER TYRE SALE' poster campaign the year before. Using the starting point that every monster must have tyres for eyes, I imagined a varied freaky looking bunch. We were aware that each character would be both animated online, and used for a number of 3D applications (including the lovely USB sticks that are pictured here). Therefore, my starting point was to create each one from blu-tak first. This gave me some valuable insight into what would and wouldn't work - you can see from the photo that the finished creations are different from the models.

This bunch have turned out really well, both on screen and in model form, and their popularity is shown across HIQ's various social media platforms. The USB sticks are now hotly sought after. Result.

An internal periodical for McCann Erickson.
Each publication would change it's look and feel to suit the gold dust within.

FYI 4 gave me the opportunity use the 'Black Swan' theme and take the readers back to a time where classic stories were wrapped in near uniform covers, with simple but poignant illustrations.

After creating the title, I asked the writers of each thought piece to imagine that they were Aesop, or Blyton, or Dahl. To convey industry trends and insight as a story or a lesson for life. They obliged. 

I brought these adventures to life with bright blocks of colour, traditionally formatted copy, and textured illustrations that blended new thinking with a classic feel. I love how it turned out.

BAXI Boilers gave us a great opportunity to create 3 10 second TV Idents for them. These would bookend a variety of home improvement programmes across a number of channels, giving BAXI some great exposure to new markets.

The brief was easy.
Literally.

The key word was 'EASY'. How could we show a variety of home improvement tasks made to look easy? 

A quick tug on the wallpaper and it all comes off in one go. - EASY.
Pulling a cloud away so solar panels are warmed by the sun - EASY.
Lifting the hinged roof of your house to lay new insulation - EASY.

I brought in the expertise of the people at WONKY FILMS to bring the ideas to life. We had a tight budget (as always), an even tighter deadline, an established visual style, and many hoops to jump through to get them up and running.
 

As a finishing touch I composed and recorded the music score for the ads.

EASY, really.

Birmingham Airport, as a client of Connect Group, invited me to be part of a very exciting and innovative project: SkySide. It aimed to engage and entertain children (and therefore help families) in the busy departure lounge.

I was asked to create an identifiable character and visual identity that could be used at a number of touch points across the airport, through social media and wider advertising outlets. These would all focus on the SkyZone - a fully interactive area exclusively for children.

The character had to appeal to a wide age range of children from every corner of the globe, be approachable (as an oversized character suit would be made and worn around the airport) and aspirational. So, I created the concept of a Sky Cadet called Zoom, who invites children to also become a Sky Cadet by solving puzzles and playing games in the Sky Zone.

Zoom was first sketched in pencil, then digitally drawn and developed in Illustrator and finally 3D rendered so the character suit could be made. The visual identity was applied to the Sky Zone, various printed documents, and signage across the airport.

The feedback after the first season was overwhelming, winning awards within the industry for innovation and winning hearts of many young travellers. 

Sometimes a fast response is needed.
Here is one example. We at Connect Group were contacted by Chiltern Railways after Virgin Railways had bought advertising space all the way up the escalator to and from London Marylebone Station - Chiltern turf!

We needed to respond in a way that regular Chiltern customers would notice.

In this case we used the humble flip chart board - a method of communication that a commuter will never ignore, lest they get stuck halfway down a closed line or are delayed in their journey.

We knew that this tool, accompanied with an apologetic message would do the trick. And the notice pretty much wrote itself. Simple.

The piece generated a warm response across social media, evidence that we hit the right tone for the brand.

Bentley enthusiasts are a varied bunch. From all walks of life.
But there is a rare and exclusive flavour to their love. As rare and as exclusive as the machines themselves.

We at Connect Group were asked to think about how we could promote the value of Bentley Genuine parts and the experts who manufacture and fit them. We knew that the engineers at Crewe Genuine Parts were as exacting and committed to perfection as our audience. We also knew that not a single screw would go missing without one of Bentley's experts noticing.

So this is the story we told.
 

Everything about Kyra is different.
She is bright, fresh, bubbly and humourous.

I was excited when Kyra asked my to design her EP cover.

A friend of hers had drawn Kyra as a mermaid, and Kyra used this as the inspiration for the artwork. The fact that Kyra was totally cool with her association with a mythical sea creature told me all I needed to know. 

Her lyrics paint a picture of a fanciful world of colour and mystery.
So I went there. I'm glad I did.

To hear her music go to reverbnation.com/kyraburrows

Mr Trotters make the finest quality accompaniment to an evening beverage. Scratchings and crisps, but not as you know them.

I was asked to create an ink illustration of a brilliant painting that sits on the current packaging while working at Connect. The illustration would then become a part of other packaging solutions such as multi-pack boxes and seasonal gift sets. 

I loved my job on this day!

The task was simple - help the brand talk about their all weather tyre.

But surely all tyres are suitable for all weather? Apparently not. 

This speculative brief in Connect Group for an awareness campaign was a real challenge, but as is often the case, the solution seemed so simple once it had formed in my head. The tyre was special because it's material and design was able to perform well in any weather. So why not just visualise that? Why not.
 

Goodyear are a family brand. As as Summer ends, their attention is turned toward the concern families have over driving safety in cold, wet and icy weather. 

For Connect Group, I found a solution that would appeal to families and assure them that the brand is on their wavelength. The Scary Months took visual cues from children's book illustrations and the accompanying copy took tonal cues from popular folk poems like 'Remember, remember...'

I loved creating these rich compositions and writing the poems was a real joy.

Chiltern Railways is a client of Connect Group.
Chiltern Railways' commuter-focused service - Mainline, has the strap line 'Nice & Fast'. These two traits coat the way in which the sub-brand speaks.

So, when they booked ad space outside a large supermarket I jumped on the opportunity to create a tongue-in-cheek retail piece.

It's not often you get to use cliches and be thanked for it.

While working for McCann Erickson, I was asked to create a set of sophisticated illustrations for Liverpool Hope University's under-graduate prospectus. 

The finished images needed to inspire and provoke thought. 

This particular piece was for an integrated Stagecraft course. The copy informed each applicant that they would be required to perform 3 short pieces as part of the interview process. 

The spread was therefore entitled 'Take The Stage'.

Taking on a logo brief for a new brand is exciting. A blank page can also be scary. But when I was approached to create a logo for a wake park the page didn't stay blank for long. 

Airwake is a 'cool', young business. It's where you want to be seen. And the Airwake identity is something that will be seen everywhere around the park. On boards, wetsuits, ramps, online and offline. 

I started by playing around with wave like shapes with smooth curves. But the Airwake brand needed to be edgier (literally). It needed to be sharper.

It also needed to look good upside down. Why?

Because wake boarders spend a lot of time upside down. They flare their boards up at crazy angles and as their mates snap a shot to put up online, the logo needs to look great from every angle.

Thankfully, the letter shapes were kind to me and locked together as a unit. The word-mark was created to reflect the journey of a waker, compliment the icon and look great on t-shirts, hoodies, caps and stickers.

Gareth had a clear visual concept for this album - that there were two sides to him. One was emotional, irrational, and human. The other more calculated, fixed and perhaps a little cold.

To create this piece I took dozens of photos of Gareth from every angle and then went to work. I illustrated the chosen shots, adding mechanical elements and also the colour. The typography was a fairly quick but welcomed addition at the end of the process.

Sometimes I draw on shoes.
Sometimes I draw on other people' shoes.
Here are some of the results.