To mark the international day of peace – also known as Peace One Day– The Drum working with Phil Jones of Podge Lunch fame, launched what has become known as its Truce Commission.
They initially invited 12 rival design firms to put their rivalry aside and create posters for each others agencies. In terms of the big picture, Peace One Day is all about persuading those engaged in hot wars a across the world to agree to some form of ceasefire, to help the wounded get out, the medics get in and perhaps get some dialogue going.
But it is important we too lead by example. If the design profession can’t put aside its petty rivalry, what hope is there for persuading those with more fundamental differences? So the idea for the Truce Commission was born.
However, the exercise also gives fascinating insights on another level. It serves as a reminder of why the industry exists in the first place; to provide objective advice to clients, who are often too close to their own companies to see the wood for the trees.
Taking that idea to its logical conclusion means that martketing agencies, should routinely commission other marketing agencies to do their marketing. As the poet Robert Burns rightly commented: ‘O would some power the giftie gie us to see ouselves as otheres see us.’
Drum invited each agency to write a (very brief) brief, which was then sent to the consultancy with which they were then randomly paired.
The Drum decided to extend the project, for an agency to take on the Baxter and Bailey brief. This would then spread from agency to agency and so on and so forth. Cue Puur…
This all happened back at the beginning of October, this was when we got involved. The Drum decided to extend the project, for an agency to take on the Baxter and Bailey brief. This would then spread from agency to agency and so on and so forth.
Cue Colchester’s Puur…
We took on the brief from Baxter and Bailey a great agency, like Puur pretty new, but also hugely experienced.
This was their brief:
Agency background:
Baxter and Bailey is a London based communication design studio founded by Matt Baxter and Dom Bailey. The studio will have a strong focus on the architecture, design, technology and arts sectors. It’s where these sectors converge that Baxter and Bailey see exciting potential for creativity and collaboration between ambitious clients, creative agencies and their respective networks.
What would you like your poster to say?
That we are We are new, we are experienced and we are focused on architecture, design, technology and the arts.
Who should it be aimed at?
Commissioners from the world of architecture, design, technology and the arts.
What do they currently think of your agency?
Let’s see what Baxter and Bailey will do.
What would you like them to think after seeing the poster?
Let’s meet up with Matt and Dom.
Any mandatories? E.g. website, office address, company logo.
Our email contact details
Within a week The Drum had our solution, which was a simple one (after many hours of developing not so simple ones!), saying pretty much ‘what it does on the tin’…
Design Rationale: Something that struck a chord with us from the Baxter and Bailey brief was the phrase ‘…It’s where these sectors converge that Baxter and Bailey see exciting potential for creativity…’. This became the cornerstone of our simple and bold solution. Take the areas of focus (architecture, design, technology and the arts) and graphically link them. Make Baxter and Bailey the point where ‘great ideas converge’. Job done… hopefully…
The feedback from Baxter and Bailey was brilliant, ‘nice work, Colchester! We love a bit of eclectic typography’. We are now waiting to see who takes on our brief and what the solution is like, there is an element of apprehension as time goes on!
