Turning the Table: Richard Colbourne
A look at amazing work by our 2021 judges
July 16, 2021
A bold typographic shorthand for Brookfield Place.
Richard Colbourne is the executive creative director at Addison, New York. His design work is housed in the permanent collection at the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, and has been exhibited at the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum in New York, as well as in Germany, Switzerland, Singapore, and Hong Kong. Moreover, his awards include the D&AD Awards, the Type Directors Club, Graphis Design, Graphis Annual Report, The Black Book AR100, and the New York Festivals, amongst many others. We greatly appreciated having Colbourne as a judge for the 2021 Design Awards, and asked him to pick a project he is particularly proud of to share with our readers (surely a difficult task considering his accolades). Here is what he chose.
A brand that signals a place where one can discover what’s happening in global and local culture, from food and shopping to public art and events.
One of my favourite recent projects is the repositioning and branding of Brookfield Place.
Brookfield Places around the world provide lively live/work/play environments but they were perceived as high-end retail malls and foot traffic wasn’t reaching its full potential. In short, they weren’t getting their due. Brookfield asked Addison to develop a global brand identity for these landmark developments.
Addison’s brand strategy was to establish Brookfield Place as “the new urban centre” in any city; a cultural centre where one can discover what’s happening in global and local culture, from food and shopping to public art and events. Creating a global consumer brand also attracts the world’s most prestigious names as tenants, thus driving financial success.
Behind the scenes.
First, Addison created a bold typographic shorthand—BFPL. Then supported that mark with a look and feel that telegraphed visual cues aligned with global cultural institutions. More like MoMA than a luxury shopping mall.
Addison launched an award-winning print, digital and out-of-home advertising campaign in New York, aimed at the culturally curious, with bold, colourful graphics promoting the wide range of activities at Brookfield Place. The campaign linked to bfplny.com which Addison designed to help visitors find what they need and promote activities.
An award-winning brand launch campaign in print, digital and out-of-home advertising which included subway station take-overs, taxi tops and bus shelters around New York City.
The campaign increased awareness of BFPL by almost 20%, and increased return visits by 10%. Online visits and foot traffic also spiked during the campaign.
Click here to watch the campaign highlights.
Addison is a creative agency that advances brands and enhances reputations through strategic guidance and award-winning design.