It has often seemed odd that the bus industry’s favourite marketing & branding specialist, responsible for so many web design improvements, has never had much of a web presence of its own. Till now. We’re talking, of course, of Ray Stenning’s Best Impressions.
Perhaps Best Impressions hasn’t needed a website. Perhaps its bus-side handiwork is enough to market itself. Yet, The Very Best Impressions Company Ltd (as it is officially known) sells itself in other, traditional ways, with a suite of well turned out booklets that demonstrate its abilities, stands at bus shows, the occasional advertisement and so on.
Best Impressions has now remedied this web omission. From November, it has its own website and in spite of owning its domain for a number of years, it still needs to rely on a hyphen between “best” and “impressions”, something of a black mark in internet marketing terms, Yet, most other related domains are already bagged.
With a front page and two items of news, the site is minimal but oh-so-gorgeous. The main feature, though, is a small portfolio of the best of the Best.
Latterly, even this holding page had vanished, leaving nothing. Otherwise, it has been in place from around 2004
I’ve said before that you either like or hate Marmite. You either like or you hate school chemistry. While there are those who find Best Impressions both pricey and samey, with Stenning, Marmite & chemistry is never this black & white. No matter your view, you have to admit that it has impact, that it leaves a lasting Impression.I’d hire them for this weblog if only I could afford them...
i Best Impressions
11 comments:
Yes, Mr Stenning has come up with some good (perhaps even stunning) liveries over the years, just a shame he has a habit of re-using his work rather than coming up with something fresh each time. That would explain why Transdev Blazefield buses are now running around in what is basically Cambridge "thebusway" livery (which was itself a re-hash of Cambs P&R livery, which was based on Stagecoach "swoops"!) with different vinyls.
Plymouth CityBus used to have an original logo but now it has a generic Ray Stenning one, very similar to Stagecoach’s Cambridge Citi. Personally I feel a bit of individuality is refreshing!
But is there really anything totally new in terms of design - I'd say that most ideas are rehashes based on what we all see day to day as we go about our lives. Ray was well known for pinstripes on his liveries, but truth be told they worked and whilst they became known as a Stenning trademark they were used to enhance a design, not just for show (e.g. the 2008 refresh of the Samantha Beasley designed 2004 Wilts & Dorset livery).
I personally don't see the problem with using a design which has been successful in East Anglia as the basis for a revamp miles away in Yorkshire/Lancashire, especially if the client is happy with it.
Hate marmite.loved beetox.any one else remember it?like previous comment Mr stenning seems to be resting on his laurels.
"Plymouth CityBus used to have an original logo but now it has a generic Ray Stenning one, very similar to Stagecoach’s Cambridge Citi. Personally I feel a bit of individuality is refreshing!"
Some blind burk also wrote about this on another blog. Honestly! Totally different font. Totally different feel. So they both use non-capitals and they both use red. Hardly surprising since PCB's livery is RED.
The old PCB logo was designed by a third former at school.
“The old PCB logo was designed by a third former at school.”
I don’t agree as I rather liked their last logo, before being purchased by Go-Ahead. But this just proves the point I guess that some people will like it, others won’t. Things can’t stay the same forever and it was inevitable a new logo and livery would come along at some stage.
How far in innovation can one go?
Buses generally have similar shapes as do houses, so doesn't that simple fact put a limit in what would look right?
IMHO it is therefore likely that one design will raise memories of another.
Branding, logo's, design and the like, rather like fashion, tend to follow a style during a given era. This is why it appears that there is a lot of similarity, and also why we as consumers can generally place adverts or packaging in their correct era. It works the same way in business and in industry in general. Personally my view is that it's a good thing that the bus industry has caught up - 25 years ago it was a very different story, where liveries either were bland, had hideous and often clashing colour schemes, or were an attempt to recapture the past. Anyone wish to nominate their least favourite?
Michael Bennett said...
"Anyone wish to nominate their least favourite?"
1. Allover white (whether of the 'dealer white' or 'National white' variety)
2. (Close behind) Unrelieved NBC poppy red.
http://leytr.blogspot.com/2010/11/lookalikes.html
Has been referred to. They're not identical, but irrefutably similar. Plymouth is a long way from Cambridge, so this is probably why BI can be so cheeky. Plus PCB has to agree to all work so if they don't check the similarities elsewhere they can hardly complain after the event.
does anyone seriously need to use "designers"? - get your own staff involved in livery design with a prize for the one which is adopted and maybe an equal amount to their chosen charity. get the local press involved = happy staff, good PR and money in your pocket rather than stenning and his ilk who are expensive impractical and keep you waiting until their "inspiration" kicks in
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