Posh Nosh

 The Great Eastern Market in Stratford has a great atmosphere with it's quirky mix of more independent style food outlets that all have their own unique style and food offer. The layout of the market encourages customers to weave in and out of the small units and browse away to their hearts content.

Always with a steady flow of customers is Noshers, a smoked salmon and champagne bar with a great traditional feel. A family business running for over 40 years, it's first store is based in Edgware but coming to Stratford it has taken on a whole new look... thanks to the team of course..!

 

Each of the projects we took on at Stratford developed a different style and this is no exception. It uses props like the Fisherman lights by TAF, minnow buckets and crayfish cages in a subtle way to promote the origin of the food. Overall it feels honest, fresh and welcoming.

It must say something about it the fact that on the opening day the big bosses of Westfield spent a good time perched on the Tractor stools celebrating by sampling the delicious fish..whilst we sipped on a well deserved glass of champers! Great day!

Emily De La Haye
Designer

A Tap East toast!

Celebrating the opening of Westfield Stratford City 

We made the journey up to Westfield from Clapham Junction with great anticipation of seeing all our clients stores open for the first time. Upon entering the shopping centre we were greeted by hoards of people - much more than expected, it was so packed we could not move at one point! After weaving our way through the crowds we entered Tap East which is at the far end of the Great Eastern Market for a celebratory toast. 

This was the last of 6 projects we started for Westfield and was turned around in record time (aprox 3 weeks) for the opening. Although not completely finished, as the pumps, vessels and pipes are being fitted for the Microbrewery it was fantastic to sit and enjoy a pint of ale with the team. It was especially exciting to see the logo we’d just designed on the pint glasses! The Microbrewery will be complete in a few weeks time with an official launch and we’ll make sure we are there to test the brew... so we can blog about it of course! 

Carolyne Hill

Graphic Design Director

Wimbledon viewing at Selfridges

Nike Sportswear “Live for the Game” in the Ultralounge Selfridges

A few of us from the office were invited to join John McEnroe and George Lamb in conversation at the Ultralounge in Selfridges this week. Nike Sportswear (NSW) have created an alternative viewing space to watch Wimbledon. With a range of viewing screens which you can view from pretty much any angle and chill out within a very cool auditorium surrounded by NSW Summer 2011 performance inspired and casual clothing. 

What surprised me was that it was not the usual tennis inspired theme with its dark interior comprised of different wooden textures, silvery tennis balls and retro accessories - including taxidermy! John McEnroe has been with Nike since 1978 when he signed one of the first professional endorsement deals in Tennis. The space and its design seemed to link this long history with tennis and sports with attention to detail, modern graphic touches and quality and bespoke clothing design. You are able to purchase individually numbered polo shirts which you can personalise with embroidery and a choice of tennis inspired icons. 

With the rain in London at the moment it is a great alternative to queuing with umbrellas! The John McEnroe discussion was interesting, along with the canapes and wine it was a great night in London’s luxe department store!

Pop-up marmite marketing

Pop-up stores, like the new Marmite one, are the new marketing tool for brands to spread the word in a new and exciting way. They spring up without much warning, cause a media storm and then vanish before they have a chance to go out of fashion. The well timed Marmite pop-up store on Regent Street opened on 3rd of November and will be around for 1o weeks over the Christmas period, stocking over 100 Marmite inspired products (100?...how?).

This new type of pop-up store (another recent one being the Central Perk coffee shop) comes across more like a quirky exhibition than a money making scheme. In fact it's a very clever way of luring people in with the excitement of 'an experience' or a giggle with their friends rather than 'a purchase' but once inside they find it hard to resist buying a souvenir.

Now is the perfect time to be popping-up too, with low rents and vacant retail outlets, landlords are more open to taking short-term leases. Well worth a try too as they're an amazing marketing tool, none pass by without causing a media stir which is great publicity for any brand.

These new temporary stores are also a great way for brands to 'test the water' either in terms of popularity in a certain area or for an online brand to try a more face-to-face approach with it's customers, or simply to get a brand in the public eye in a fresh, exciting way.

The Marmite store has taken their pop-up as an opportunity to show itself off as a lighthearted fun brand.

The store's dotted with quirky, tongue-in-cheek props like a Marmite jar in a bird cage, a Marmite pyramid and a Marmite styled couple eating, yep you guessed it...Marmite, at a breakfast table. So once the shop window display has tempted customers off the street to get a closer look inside they can go upstairs to the 1950's style tearoom where you can buy Marmite on toast and a cup of tea! A perfect finish to the customer experience and a great way to get people spreading the word to their friends and colleagues, whether they're lovers or haters.

Real Eco super model

To rival Steve's blog on the low-carbon lorries... here's the Scorpion, a hydrogen fuel injected sports car.



Basically 'it generates water from from the inbuilt tank, turns it into hydrogen and then injects it into the cars system'. It's carbon emissions are reduced by 75% and fuel millage is increased by between 20-40%!! Plus the design looks super slick, proving eco-friendly doesn't have to mean unattractive design. The Scorpion's just had it's European debut at Top Marques in Monaco so hopefully we might see it in over here soon...

Don't play with your food!

On a mid-week field trip through the capital, Inamo restaurant on Wardour Street was the top of the must see list! The concept behind it came from the owners own frustration with not being able to get a waiters attention, something I'm sure we've all experienced at some time.... The basic idea is that the menu is projected on to the tables and you interact and order from it via a small pad in one corner.



The idea that you can order anything on the menu at the touch of a button is obviously very efficient but also a very clever form of relaxed ordering that makes it very easy to stack up quite a bill.



Many psychological studies have proved that the key to raising sales is to encourage your consumers to "linger for longer'. The longer they're in a store or restaurant, generally, the more money they will spend.

So another little trick Inamo has up it's sleeve (whether it knows it or not!) is that it's very entertaining projection technology can keep you busy for a fair time, playing games, checking the chief doesn't drop your food on the floor with 'chief-cam' and changing your table cloth 30 times over.. all whilst ordering another round of cocktails.



So the fact that this restaurant is so unique and currently the only one of it's kind in the world certainly makes it a destination and something unique to talk about so the young, trendy crowds of Soho are no doubt spreading the word as we speak!

Midnight bakery

On an early evening stroll around the West End last night in search of food I was surprised by how many places had shut up for the day. We decided to head towards Basaba on Wardour street as a safe option but just before reaching it passed a place a normally missed from blind hunger, Princi. Bearing in mind the streets were fairly quiet this place was buzzing! So much so I was a bit intimidated to go in. Nothing was hidden from the outside with the full height glass shop front. With my face pressed up against the glass the first thing that stood out was the simple metre deep counter neatly displaying rows of pastries, pizzas, meats and salads.



The interior was clean and bright and the bread was framed in lit recesses in the back wall. All the surfaces were chunky and and made up of simple, clean plains. This all day bakery is open 7am till 12 at night! and doesn't even need to flex through out the day because the food is so versatile and the displays are so extensive but so simple. Next time I eat out I'll definitely be going there for a closer look and some sneaky photos!

Washed ashore

The south coast is gradually getting a face lift. New design creations are popping up along the shores of the English channel, a perfect example is the East Beach Cafe. A steel cocoon solidly rooted on Littlehamptons' shingle coastline. It has been designed to withstand whatever the elements throw at it and will weather accordingly only adding further to its organic appeal.

It is hopefully the beginning of a new era for our coastal towns and villages. Living on the Kent coast myself I am very aware of the shabby state the strong winds and salty air have left our seaside buildings in over the years, not to mention the cheesy arcades and kiss-me-quick tat which unfortunately can not be excused by the weather!

Thomas Heatherwick the designer describes his shell-like building as 'a place of prospect and refuge'. There have also been 'chatterings' amongst the locals that the cafe could have the same effect on Littlehampton that The Guggenheim had on Bilbao. Perhaps a little optimistic, but if it wasn't for the potent media coverage only the odd brave dog walker would ever be likely to stumble across this raw creation on a windy summers day, so anything is possible.

I do appreciate the white-washed look of our conventional seaside abodes but this new cafe is such a refreshing contrast and will hopefully bring new life and more new interest to a seaside town which has definitely seen better days. So bring on more design like this and we could be saying goodbye St.Tropez hello Bognor Regis....maybe..?