Battling in the bay

This week sees the start of Falmouth Week, lots of sea and shore based activities and one of the highlights will be the Pendennis Cup. The largest sailing yachts on the water will be competing for prestige and a chance to hold the trophy. The yachts are an amazing sight, the largest of the entrants is Adela, over 55 metres with her masts visible over the height of the National Maritime Museum's tower. The last event in 2008 saw some dramatic racing with broken yachts and bones. As well as creating the branding and exhibition materials for this year's event we have a competitor too - Danielle our Finance Manager will be crewing for Tomohawk so we wish them the best of luck. The yachts are all moored close to our studio in Events Square and the racing is happening across the bay, for more info: www.thependenniscup.co.uk

Truro uncovered

Last weekend saw the conclusion of a three-day exhibition on Lemon Quay that revealed Truro's rich and varied past. Our brief was to create an engaging and unusual display that would help to uncover the wealth of stories hidden in Cornwall's archives. Truro's success was built around trade and the port,

did you know ships used to moor outside the Hall for Cornwall? 

We took the theme of trade and gave it a modern twist using palettes as our modular structures, these provided a cost-effective, recycled framework and provided a textural contrast to the smooth graphic panels. Eye-catching colours dominated – a refreshing change from the usual Farrow & Ball tones associated with heritage exhibitions. The bright colours were mirrored in the audio chairs that captured first-hand stories of mischief and intrigue from Truro's older residents. The smells of the quay in the 1900's were brought back to life and children were given the opportunity to steer a ship through the Carrick Roads. It made for a packed marquee which drew large crowds and really successful and innovative use of HLF funding. The exhibition now moves to Royal Cornwall Museum so if you missed it it opens there from mid-July.www.trurouncovered.co.uk

A simple recipe

Cornwall is a real foodie destination with a reputation for great local produce and fine dining,  and our latest client, George Thomas of Coswarth Farm, Newquay has struck upon a golden opportunity. You are likely to be familiar with the bright yellow fields that populate the countryside but may be unaware that Rapeseed can produce a culinary oil that boasts half the saturated fat of olive oil, high levels of Omega 3 and 6 and has a great taste. George's Oil has a fabulous golden colour and a mild, nutty flavour that is produced using no artificial anything.

Our challenge was to name, brand and produce shelf-ready packaging in time to launch at this year's Royal Cornwall Show. Working closely with George we established a strong set of values that would help shape the brand and produce a contemporary Cornish product with a powerful shelf presence. 'Simply' reflects the oils honest production methods and allows scope for future product ranges,  punchy typography and a bold colour scheme transferred straight over to the marketing material to create a vibrant backdrop at the show. It was a pleasure be involved in such an original idea that has been so well received by both the public and trade and we look forward to working on more Simply products.

Lighthouses: Life on the Rocks shortlisted for National Lottery Awards 2010

'Lighthouses: Life on the Rocks' the major new exhibition currently running at the National Maritime Museum has been shortlisted to the semi-finals in the National Lottery Awards 2010. The hard work and late nights back in November and December of last year are a distant memory now as 25,000 museum visitors have so far immersed themselves in the story of Lighthouses and their keepers; from the tall tales of the lighthouse keepers themselves, to the massive scale of these triumphs of engineering. We created the branding and graphic interpretation and worked alongside NMMC and Concept Shed to design and produce the interactive features. A rich and dramatic subject has been delivered in an engaging and emotive design scheme that brings the subject to life.

The voting is now closed for The National Lottery Awards 2010 so fingers crossed 'Lighthouses: Life on the Rocks get's the recognition it deserves.

Click here to see images from the exhibition on Flickr.