Inter-Stella Blue

With the London 2012 Olympics a mere 126 days away, yesterday saw the unveiling of the Great Britain Olympic team kit. Designed by Stella McCartney in collaboration with Adidas, the predominantly blue kit comprising of clothing for the Olympic and Paralympic competitions, medal ceremonies, training and relaxation time, has stirred up some mixed reviews.

Cited as combining style, performance and a contemporary take on the union flag, McCartney felt it was: “Something that was very important to me was to try and use that very iconic image but to dismantle it and try to soften it, break it down and make it more fashionable in a sense.”

Fashion statement

Branding Team GB as another great British icon wasn’t the only key consideration for McCartney and the Adidas team. The clothing needed to give our superstar athletes the competitive edge and empowerment to achieve great results, while not sacrificing style over technical performance. German-owned Adidas felt the by making the outfits breathable and footwear lighter and form streamlined, complimented McCartney’s modern interpretation of the Union Jack flag – an instantly recognisable international icon for Great Briton.

The kit comprises of subtle blue colour palette which is complimented by touches of red to the neckline, socks and shoes of the outfits. Criticised by some as being “too blue” and “too Scottish,” McCartney fought back by saying: “I wanted to start with the union flag, but I’m really aware the reds, whites and blues are in other nations’ flags and sometimes you can feel quite confused when you are watching the Games… is that American, is that French?”

United Colours

Has McCartney achieved the difficult task of taking a flag known for it’s military prowess and strength, and subtlety translated that message into sportswear that our army of athletes would be proud to show upon their chest? Team GB seem to think so as Olympic gold medal-winning cyclist Sir Chris Hoy points out: “You want to step out there looking the same as a unit. If you’re all wearing exactly the same kit, you all look smart and you all look together, it’s quite intimidating to other countries. The kit looks fantastic and a bit of a twist to have the union flag incorporated in it but not in an obvious way.”

At Underscore we feel McCartney has excelled in answering a tough brief. Softening our iconic flag which is often used for rather garish purposes, uniting our athletes while still keeping the British air of sophistication, was no easy task. Well done Stella Bella!

So, asking yourself honestly…. how far would you go to protect your favourite brand? There is a growing tented village outside Niketown in London’s Oxford Circus (right on underscore’s doorstep) where some of the most dedicated followers of fashion have been camping out for over four days now – and with three more to go – all for the love of the Nike brand and a very select promotional footwear offer.

The lucky few will be aiming to pick up one of only 150 pairs of Nike Air Foamposite One Galaxy basketball shoes that will be released for sale in Europe. At around £150 per pair these are not cheap, but far cheaper than the reputed $70,000 that someone paid on ebay for a pair!

Interestingly, it appears that saving cash is not the motive of ‘the true culture’ of Nike devotees that are currently camped out in W1. Our investigations have discovered that these guys (and girls) are Nike brand guardians on a deep level and their overriding goal is to stop these treasured items being ‘resold’ online for a profit to those that may not value – as they do – the lasting value of this historic opportunity.

One devoted Nike enthusiast was a really great guy named John who equated his intended purchase to ‘owning an antique’ and told us that Americans are offering “other shoes and money” on Facebook to anyone in the London queue willing to trade. He also said that when a similar promotion was released Stateside in Orlando there were riots – which is one thing we don’t need any more of so lets hope when it comes to showing a civilised way to bag a brand classic then these guys Just Do It.

Hats off from us to Nike for creating the buzz and the brand pull that makes guys like John so committed to the cause, and here’s hoping they each get a pair that perfectly fits their feet or their trophy cabinet. We wish them all the best.
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The International Sport Security Conference is now in full swing over in Doha. Day one has been a great success with speakers from many highly admired specialists in their field such as Leonard McCarthy (Integrity Vice President at the World Bank) Dr. Danny Jordaan (Chief Executive Officer for the 2010 FIFA World Cup) and Dmitry Mosin (Director of Strategic Planning, 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia) amongst many others.

The conference has been buzzing and we have been keeping a close eye on proceedings on the Live Streaming functionality on the website that we built for ICSS earlier on this year.

Day two is set to be even more interesting and informative with Lord John Stevens (Former Commissioner, Metropolitan Police) and David Dein (Former Vice Chairman of the FA, founding architect of the English Premier League) covering the London 2012 Olympics and addressing Hooliganism and Violence in Football.

Since designing all of their websites, we have been working with the ICSS to make sure the conference is a success with all media content and information updating on the website in real time from the photography, press releases, news stories and videos along side the live streaming.

If you are interested to tune in tomorrow then view live streaming at The ICSS website.
Or follow the discussion on twitter @The_ICSS #sportsecurity12

You would have to be living under a rock not to have heard about this one.

Hometown girl made very, very good Florence Welch commanded three sold out performances at north London venue Alexandra Palace last week. Touring her latest album Ceremonials, pop’s favourite redhead appeared on a spectacular art deco stage in one of her trademark elaborate costumes, but it was her voice that was unquestionably the star of the show.

By all accounts it was an extraordinary performance, with the Victorian architecture of the palace providing the perfect backdrop to her dramatic, epic performance.

Underscore worked on online promotion and VIP invites for the show, and it was great to see our branding all over the event in the form of signage, merchandise and promotional items. Some of our team also attended and really enjoyed the gig – in a strictly professional context of course!

Were you there too? Tell us all about it below!

Any rebrand of a large company is big news these days, with the internet allowing bloggers and tweeters to have their say and leaving those on both sides of the designer-client relationship open to comment and criticism.

One of the biggest targets for such criticism is the shift in business ethics and customer communications to a more environmentally aware position, and specifically whether the motives behind this are genuine.

British Gas is the latest in a long line of corporate organisations to be accused of jumping on the “green” bandwagon. The rebrand isn’t a huge departure from their previous identity, but the introduction of a little green and a change to the logo’s shape has found them lumped into the same category as other high-profile brands such as BP and McDonald’s. These are companies that have come under intense pressure over their business practices, and then been derided for what some see as cynical attempts to change their image.

It certainly seems that the British Gas image has been softened, and when any rebrand introduces green eyebrows will be raise. Perhaps even more telling is the transition of the flame to a more leaf-like shape. Whether these are the tell-tale signs of greenwashing is up for debate, but there is no doubt that with environmental issues at the forefront of the public consciousness, this trend isn’t going away any time soon.

What do you think?

Green issues aside, feedback so far in the design community seems to be one of disappointment. A lot of designers are saying that it looks too chunky or that it will date very quickly. If you have yet to see the new rebrand in action, then its live on the British Gas website and you will of course see it on the back of British Gas vans – go take a look and let us know what you think.

As featured on Design Week today – Our design for Chelsea in Bloom, Chelsea’s alternative floral art show is today featured in the prestigious Design Week. It’s our second year working on this fantastic show, and we’ve created the brand identity and supporting website.

Now in its seventh year, Chelsea in Bloom sees competition heat up every year as local retailers compete for the coveted floral crown with a display of breathtaking floral displays. This year’s Chelsea in Bloom theme is the Queen’s Jubilee, drawing on the Best of British to create a timeless, classic  floral style.

The judging panel will comprise of RHS (Royal Horticultural Society) judges and with the area’s most acclaimed retailers attempting to outshine previous winners such as Cartier, Paule Ka and Jo Malone, this years floral art show is sure to be the most exciting and competitive yet. Come back to their website in May to see all the entries and cast your vote for your favourite display and ‘The People’s Champion’ award.