Launched in 2015 as a clothing brand for the snow and surf market. We produced contemporary men's streetwear as a fusion of Alpes, Sea and Concrete, for a UK-centric sports-lifestyle customer. This was designed in tandem with its sister company Stupid Clothing which catered for the louder, younger more sporting customer base established 4 years earlier. Founded amongst the bold, wear-you-heart-on-your-sleeve community of riders in the French ski-resorts.
Strategy: - Brand creative direction, brand positioning, tone of voice and visual language. Event organisation, manufacturing & logistics, timelines & pricing.
Art Direction: - Seasonal concepts, photography styling, location & studio shoots, all printed matter - (lookbooks & stationary), fabric and colour forecasting, ecommerce design direction, marketing materials and social content.
Design: - Branding, apparel design, product development, garment graphics, web content and all printed output.
In house consultancy
Over several years I co-designed each season's apparel graphics. Working with the department heads and team; we wrote each brief by analysing sales figures, predicting trends and identifying gaps in the market to set a tiered range plan. The design period combined communicating the brand heritage through logo creation and hand executed techniques in the aesthetic of each fresh seasonal concept.
In order to capitalise on an evolving market in the youth sector I worked on the inception of a new splinter of the brand. Focussing on active-wear it was named eponymously SLS (Sports Lifestyle).
SLS: - Formulation of identity, slogan, reference points, and branding elements. Design and implementation of graphics, trim & prints. Now in it’s fourth highly successful season, adopted globally.
Concept creation: - 'Winter Stealth' An urban outdoors; visually represented with codes, data, secondary messages, reflective prints, industrial camos styled with a 1990's fashion trend influence. Logos appear cropped, oversized and abstracted. During this project I was keen to continue the creative momentum from the design team into digital and retail to ensure the message and concepts were delivered to the consumer.
Hang Tag Identities: - Set of swing-tickets outlining unique eco manufacturing processes and brand collaborations.
The great guys at Mellor & Smith asked me in to take the creative lead to pitch for the re-brand of Bankside; the unsung cultural hub of South London.
The rich history of Bankside is steeped in illicit entertainment. Outside of Tudor London's boundaries it was a haven for prohibited activities, such as bear-baiting, prostitution (home to the crossbones graveyard), tippling (gin bootlegging), and unlicensed acting. At a vital crossroads of roads, wharves and rail; trade and industry boomed with breweries, hatters, taverns, fairs and markets. Thus cementing it as a melting pot of underground activity, culture and creativity; attracting the rebellious and harbouring the misfits. Even in the modern age , the area teems with arts theatres, young agency start-ups, micro-festivals and under arch raves.
As the foundation of the identity, Bankside’s diverse typography is the ideal vehicle to tell it's chaotic story. All other city branding marks are conventionally applied on top of the location. However, every application of Bankside's mark is exposed from underneath the subject matter, just as the rebellious nature of the are runs beneath the surface waiting to be discovered. To emphasise this jarring, contrary nature - all graphics are skewed off centre and harshly cropped to show the mark beneath with header copy overly extruded by 200%.
The vibrant colour palette fuses the vermilion of the red-lights, stage curtains and blood sports with shocking pink of lazers and neon lights. Used as an overlay to imagery, this immediately creates a recognisable identity that summons up a punk attitude.
As touch points for the tourists and public, we rolled this concept out into street signage and guerrilla building branding, onto products to ‘own’ the area and strengthen identity with local businesses and cultural festivals, into digital with AR tours and navigation, and a concierge script for hotels. Oh, and a bonus The sound of.. Bankside thrown in!
“I’ve worked with Harvey for over 15 years, freelancing into Mellor&Smith too many times to count. He’s one of the best designers in London - no doubt. Shaping strategy, raw creative, an insatiable appetite for type and leadership qualities abound but ultimately it’s all about ideas, ideas, ideas. And he’s got fucking loads of them!”
- PAUL MELLOR Creative Director
The Task:
To convey three distinct routes that explore the theme 'Joy of the Unknown' for the new season's Civic model launch.
Illustrated with a key visual, these concepts would be developed into larger ideas to be realised in printed matter such as pop-up invites, posters, digital and exhibition interiors.
Research & Concept:-
Presentation exploring visual direction and conceptual avenues to feed into the visuals,
Design: -
#1 - Clean-cut Bizarre - masked and obscured image clash
#2 - Ephemeral Reveal - mystery and deep knowledge
#3 - Crafted Characters - friendly childlike discovery
In house agency contracts with RPM
-Concepts, scamping, mock-ups, print campagins, instore and event comms, event planning, guerrilla campaign.
ADIDAS: Art Direction for experiential marketing event to be rolled out in store and into a customer focussed show based in East London. Plus Logos, Key Art and visual language guide.
I created the action fashion brand Stupid Clothing whilst living in the mountains, to voice the same unifying attitude that runs through like-minded idiots around the planet, typified in the extreme sports of snow, surf, & skate.
At it’s core the brand lives by never taking life too seriously, wearing your heart on your sleeve; with a bold, confident lack of fear, to go headlong 100% into everything.
As well brokering a deal with ASOS, I designed the ecommerce site to maximise global reach as the brand’s success grew by word of mouth, in addition to cementing retailers in France and the UK.
To promote the brand on the ground in ski-resorts and surf comps we threw events and parties combined with pop-up stores. As a part of this promotion we also supported a young snow team and a crew of promising surfers, and female downhill mountain biker - all achieving podium, no doubt due to the burning essence of Stupid inside them each one always sporting a huge grin.
Strategy: - Brand creative direction, brand positioning, tone of voice and visual language. Event organisation, manufacturing & logistics, timelines & pricing.
Art Direction: - Seasonal concepts, photography styling, location & studio shoots, all printed matter - (lookbooks & stationary), fabric and colour forecasting, ecommerce design direction, marketing materials and social content.
Design: - Branding, apparel design, product development, garment graphics, web content and all printed output.