Plan-B Studio Showcase

IF YOU’RE NOT PREPARED TO FAIL, YOU’LL NEVER CREATE ANYTHING ORIGINAL.

Sir Ken Robinson (5 Feb 2009). The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything. London: Allen Lane. Plan-B Studio Limited | Showcase | 2010

ANImIs OPIbUsqUE PARATI*
Established in 2000 by Steve Price, Plan-B Studio is a Every project is different and is approached with a plan-bstudio.com
creative agency with global experience, consisting of a blank page, a sharpened pencil and begins with steve@plan-bstudio.com
core studio team (Steve) and an extended network of a discussion. +44 (0)7971 207 276
talent. I have spent the last ten years building not just
Steve believes his job is not to preach to clients a design consultancy, but a network of passionate,
about what his role is but to learn as much as possible creative and innovative peers across all media. The
about you, your company and your business model. industry that we work in has evolved and very rarely do
That way the resulting creative work you pay me to do you find one agency that has all the relevant skills that is
is based on informed attributes rather than desires to so often required for most projects. Those that say they
make pretty shapes. do, are either lying, or not lying; mostly lying though.
There is no need for mystery, barriers or illusions Steve is a visiting lecturer at the Arts Academy
between designer and client. A project starts with Bergen, Hyper Island, Central Saint Martins, Cardiff
a discussion which, in theory, should never end. University, LCC, Nottingham Trent University,
Ultimately, for Steve, it is about working with people Winchester Art School and KBU in Kuala Lumpur. As
who are equally passionate, driven and brilliant at what well as recently awarded an Associate-Professorship
they do. from the Arts Academy in Bergen (KHiB).
Steve once said that ‘Just as behind every man Steve also used to be a chef and still relishes
there is a great woman, so too is a great idea behind cooking an baking: lilchef.posterous.com
every design.’ (he wasn’t drunk).

* Prepared in spirit and resources Plan-B Studio Limited | Presentation | Friday 19th March 2010
Plan-B Studio Limited | Showcase | 2010

ONLINE
www.theshopatbluebird.com
www.uppingyourelvis.com
www.reddotclothing.com
www.arisingartist.com
www.jobsgopublic.com


TsAb GOEs ON THE bLOG!
The fashion industry is constantly changing; twice a Client: Shop at Bluebird
year to be precise. The Shop at Bluebird is an amazing, www.theshopatbluebird.com
high-end fashion labyrinth of all things desirable.
What makes the store unique is not the informal, Project: Web site/CMS/marketing
relaxed, friendly staff and atmosphere, or the amazing Design & Art direction: Steve Price
array of clothes, accessories or even the fact that Build by: Nico Nuzzaci
everything you see in the store is for sale (chairs, lights,
tables, even the till; probably). No, what makes TSAB
so different is the layout. Adapted and changed weekly
to suit their mood, or the season, or just because!
So when I was tasked with the role of creating a new
web site all of this fed in to the conceptual approach.
Through my discussions with Paul Baptiste, operations
manager, we concluded that the site needed to feel
fresh, up-to-the-minute, and constantly changing; like
the store itself.
I brought Nico Nuzzaci on board to help realise
the new sites potential and together we have created
a content managed site using the free blog engine
Wordpress, marking a new era of how customising free
platforms can help stretch the possibilities, and budget.

Paul Baptiste, Operations Manager for The Shop at
Bluebird, said, “Prior to Steve [Plan-B Studio]
working with The Shop at Bluebird (TSAB)
we had what we thought was a very static
website; clean and simple but not very effective
or reflective of the changing moods of the store.
The new site is much more flexible and therefore
representative of the store as it is today. It is
informative, light-hearted and visually more
appealing, newspaper-style coverage our
happenings daily weekly and monthly.”
“What we love is that the new site provides us is
a platform with which we can really show our
personality both as a store and as the passionate
individuals who work here.”

I am currently working with TSAB on their off/online
marketing and strategy, including HTML emails, printed
literature and a new bi-annual ‘trendbook’


UP YOUR ELVIs, I DARE YOU!
“Steve is the dogs bollocks!! I have used Client: Chris Baréz-Brown
numerous designers and no one has come close www.uppingyourelvis.com
to him in his ability to nail the brief and make
the creative birthing process enjoyable. Project: Logo/Stationery/Web site
He is pragmatic and yet creative, he knows what Design & Art direction: Steve Price
works and is not shy in telling me, professional Built by: Steve Price
yet bloody funny. I am looking forward to my
next idea that needs his help!”
Chris Baréz-Brown

When Chris came to me he had already begun the of
having his identity and web site for Upping Your Elvis
(UYE) designed. He asked for my opinion. I told him
what I thought and based on that advise, he binned
what he had, tripled his spend and hired me.
Chris is in the business of motivated people, and
sometimes large numbers of people for sustained
periods of time. He’s a character and brilliantly open to
ideas and input.
His identity, for me, needed to echo this personality,
whilst also playing more on the phonetic emphasis
of each word. So ‘Upping’ became the tallest and
loudest. ‘Your’ the same but slightly smaller, and ‘Elvis’
bold, and punchy. I introduced an endless banner than
seemingly and steadily moves upwards to the right.
Growth, and hope. Or just a great orange banner that,
with the black (or white) background, creates a great
big slice across the screen, page, powerpoint, business
card.
The web site needed no complex functionality. I
recommended that since this new venture is all about
Chris, so rather than use lots of words, we should use
him, literally. Recorded on his own HD Flip camera in
various places around his house we posted a video
for each section. This helps Chris deliver his message
personally, whilst cross-fertilising other platforms with
his content.
This fed in to his email communications, his
business cards and soon his blog and twitter page.


REDDOT CLOTHING
Client: RedDot Clothing
www.reddotclothing.com

Project: ‘Interim’ Web site
Design & Art direction: Steve Price
Front/backend build by: Matt Booth

“We have found it very difficult to find people
to work with on Red Dot. As a general rule they
either don’t get it at all, get it but can’t take it
forward, or get it, could maybe take it forward
but can’t get it together. Our experiences with
Steve have been that he got it, moved it forward
and all without any drama ... I’m not sure what
this says about him but it’s been very good for
us.”

This ‘interim’ web site is the third web site I have
designed and produced for RedDot Clothing (RD).
Sounds like a lot in five years? Well, the first was a
‘holding site’, the second the ‘actual’ site (still live, and
this one represents an ‘interim’ site.
As the name suggests this is a temporary web site
that will be going live soon. RD are in the process of
working with me on the scope for a new web site that
will include a full e-commerce solution. In the meantime
rather that update the current website, which we all
feel needs to be replaced, I’ve come up with a better
solution and thankfully RD agree.
Matt Booth is a flash guru and knowing he has a
ready-built engine which calls images from a Flickr
account I enlisted him to tweak it for RD; who wanted a
solution that (if possible) they could update.
So all RD will have to do is upload new images to
their Flickr account, adding a title, description and tag
each image with a link to their shopify page and this
will update their web site. Providing the user with a
catalogue of images to look through and/or buy.


ARIsING ARTIsT
A project to re-design the web site for Arising Artist. Client: Arising Artist
Their old site was a mish-mash of heavy colours, too www.arisingartist.com
much text an tired repetitive layout and design.
I stepped in a stripped the whole site back. I Project: Web site re-design
minimised the use of colour, but made the colours Design & Art direction: Steve Price
much flatter and brighter. Build by: In-house
I encourage more space and less text. Simple and
easy navigation. Concise and clear copy that was
easier on the eye.
Creating a clear, but strict grid enables a much
easier level of consistency and usability, along with a
restricted colour palette and easier to read copy.


jObs GO PUbLIC
“Our web site was in dire need of a refreshment Client: Arising Artist
to bring us in to 2008 and beyond. www.jobsgopublic.com
As part of a long-term strategy we brought Steve
[Plan-B Studio] in to art direct and design the Project: Web site re-design
look and feel for our new site; with an attention Design & Art direction: Steve Price
to the UI experience. Build by: In-house
This resulted in Steve presenting not one, but
two directions that we loved. The designs were
fresh, and gave a much more human feel; which
being a public sector recruitment company, was
brilliant.
In September (one month after launch) our
unique visitors soared to over 400,000, our
biggest leap ever. “
Eben Halford
Technical Director, JGP

jobsgopublic (JGP) is a public sector recruitment web
site who were in dire need of a refreshed user-interface
design for their site.
They wanted an emphasis on getting more people to
register, but also to enhance the whole user experience.
From their current site (scroll right to see the site
before I worked on it) I worked with JGP to restructure
the general layout, moving all advertising to the same
place (right) and below the branding/navigation. I
introduced a more impactful use of photography
with ‘feature’ panels. Making the whole site much
more attractive, whilst not being ‘too heavy’.Using a
mixture of serif fonts for headings and navigation (set
in lowercase) also helps to create a much less informal
environment.


IDENT/LOGOs
Entity Partnerships
MorMor
Viking Ninja Cowboy
PokerTrillion
Hvitbryggen Nyksund
LD Communications
Various


“We were delighted with how Steve was able to
successfully interpret our
Initial brief and work patiently with us to
refine it. The final logo design and brand
is modern, timeless and sophisticated. It is
consciously understated and achieves impact
through innovative print technologies which
create a tactile and memorable stationary set.
More than a year later and I’m still delighted
by the positive reaction I get when I hand out
a business card. Recently someone commented
on how expensive it felt – in reality it isn’t, just
very cleverly designed and well produced.”
Karl-Heinz Richter, Entity Partnerships

The project was introduced to me by Concept Client: Entity Partnerships
Guardian, an architectural consultant with a difference - Project: Logo
he’s actually very good at his job! Design & Art direction: Steve Price
The brief was quite simple – to develop a
new identity, and brand for Entity Partnerships, a
regeneration development company with strong beliefs
in sustainable regeneration through partnerships in the
industry.
The result was an identity that doesn’t SHOUT, or
scream off the page. It doesn’t need to do this because
the company has very strong foundations from the
people who run it. It was designed to have a warmer,
softer more human feel to it.
But a brand is more than just this, and you can read
more about how this design was developed by clicking
here.


I’m a man that likes a challenge. I am also a former chef Client: -
and I do like to cook and bake. Project: Logo
MorMor, meaning Grandmother in Norwegian, is the Design & Art direction: Steve Price
start of a new venture I am planning in Norway. I cannot
say too much but needless to say that I hope the logo
suggests what the beginnings of this venture might
entail.


v

I’m not a comic fan. I don’t buy them. Haven’t done Client: Andy Lieberman/DC Comics
since I was a child, but no man worth his masculine Project: Logo ident
DNA make-up could have gone through his life without Design & Art direction: Steve Price
knowing of, hearing about and buying at least one
of the comics, books, merchandise produced by DC
Comics. Probably one of, if not the biggest name in
comic superheroes.
I got a call from a guy who was pitching an idea for
a new character called, you guessed it, Viking Ninja
Cowboy.
A lot of fun, and excitement making a logo ident
for a new comic. Unfortunately I don’t know that DC
Comic’s felt the same about the story, but I loved the
identity I created.


Poker Trillion had already had a website designed for Client: PokerTrillion
them, but not to their liking. When I was invited to come Project: Logo/Web site
in and ‘help’ I agreed with one request - that I redesign Design & Art direction: Steve Price
their brand as well as the entire site.
The want to target their brand/product at the more
discerning, more sophisticated poker player.
Without being too obvious I wanted something very
bold, but not too masculine. Something that had a
touch of detail, without screaming ‘CARDS!’, ‘POKER’
or ‘GAMBLING’. Almost every online poker games
branding and livery is green.
This ident and the branding that is rolling out across
the on/offline launch campaign is about being strong,
bold but with taste and subtly.


This is a project that has been on-going for us for a Client: (self)
while now, but I have decided to make it one of my Project: Logo/Web site/Architectural
Project10’s because it deserves to be. It is a 3,000sq Design & Art direction: Steve Price
ft fishing wharf building located on a beautiful, small,
remote island in North of Norway; the Norwegian Arctic
Circle no less.

Our plan is simple. Convert it in to two beautiful
apartments to rent creative space to creative minds,
with a gallery/space on the ground floor plus a
recording studio.

We are currently working on organising this years
Nyksund/Ti ‘Near and Far’ festival – a music, arts, and
culture festival.


Colour was a major part of the re-design with LD Client: LD Communications
Comms. From their previous red and grey I wanted to Project: Logo/CMS Web site/Print
inject a bit more life in to the treatment. Design & Art direction: Steve Price
The final shape itself came about from a design
Site Built by: Unwrong
developed during the scoping phase. A more bulbous,
rounded shape, which I’d originally designed to look
like a guitar plectrum.
The Business card have a clear foil applied to the
logo to give it a bit more richness.
The bottom-right-hand corner of the business cards,
stickers and compliment slips all echoed the curve of
the new LD logo.


LOGO IDENTs / VARIOUs
Wall of Sound Friends of the Earth DC Comics
Vicon Property owl Universal Music
Mercury Records Wall of Sound British Phonographic Industry
Rockport Friends of the Earth Bunch
Publishing TZ 23rd Union Records
Friends of the PPA Breast Friends
Earth Rotovision WhatIf Innovation
Plan-B Studio Critical Sales


PRINT
Festival Annual
Friend
The Cooperative Bank
Diesel-U-Music
The Big Ask
Project10


FEsTIVAL ANNUAL09
“The brief to Steve [Plan-B Studio] was to create something which
wasn’t “over-designed” as we wanted the photos to be the real
stars of each page. But at the same time it was really important
for the book to have an identity of its own. Steve came up with
a design that managed to take these two directions and find a
happy place for them to meet. The concept for the whole project
was bold, distinctive and fun, and the published book really has
that feel - which, I guess, is the definition of good design.”
Frank Lampen
Independents United

Independents United (IU) wanted to celebrate the Client: Independents United
summer voyage, en-masse that attracts millions to www.festivalannual.com
venture off to wet, boggy fields to get wet and/or
sunburnt whilst listening to music outdoors or in a big Published by: Independents United
sweaty tent. In funny outfits. Art direction: Steve Price
They set about finding a publisher to produce and Design: Nicolo Dante
distribute their Festivals Annual. But, as with other
industries, the Publishing sector has it’s own way
of doing things and deterred by their overly-lengthy
development timings UI decided to take matters in to
their own hands and design, publish and distribute the
book themselves; which in itself is highly commendable.
You only had to see the first few photographs to
know that this was going to be a vibrant, exciting
book; full of character - literally! This was a great
project to work on. There were non of the typical
publishing-company-chains-of-command, editors, or
(more invitingly) months of corrections. We started the
design in June and completed the whole book by mid-
September. The key was being able to work closely
with UI in setting up a rigid grid and typographical
style that would make it easy for us to produce as we
got nearer to the deadline - seven days after the final
festival!


FRIEND,
“The reason why Friends of the Earth wanted to work with Steve, especially with
our Big Ask campaign and our magazine Friend, is because Steve has an extremely
sharp and contemporary design that is helping to communicate better to our
targeted audiences. In the last two years Steve, has always been extremely helpful,
delivering on sometimes pretty intense deadlines.
He always brings his personality to projects, taking a very thoughtful approach to
the briefs, with very sharp delivery.”
Bastien Hibon
(former Creative Director, Friends of the Earth - now Marketing Director, Mercedez GP F1 team)

Friends of the Earth invited me to pitch to help them Client: Friends of the Earth
develop their self-described ‘conservative’ image. Project: Friend, (quarterly magazine)
The brief was to develop a new magazine targeting Art direction+design: Steve Price
a cosmopolitan, urban audience aged 25-35 - slightly
younger than Friends of the Earth’s [FoE] general
supporter profile – and is specifically targeting new
supporters.
I began with an idea that starts with the FoE
campaigners on the street. Rather than stand armed
with clipboards ready to ask fifty questions to strangers
I devised an idea to hand out cards. Each card simple
aimed to start a dialogue, challenging the recipient to
question whether they are a ‘Friend or foe’ of the earth
- by highlighting specific issues that are relative to their
everyday life.
This became shortened to simply ‘Friend,’. I left the
comma in on purpose because that way it felt like the
start of a letter a personal note.


THE COOPERATIVE bANk
A 16pp report for both the Cooperative Bank and Client: The Cooperative Bank /
Friends of the Earth on the Climate on how we can Friends of the Earth
tackle the challenge/change. Project: Climate Report
The objective was making the whole report feel and Art direction+design: Steve Price
look very easy - easy to read, and easy to understand.
The primary focus was on the ‘roadmap’ designed to
look like just that on the opening spread the roadmap
illustrates the path to combating climate change.


DIEsEL/DIEsEL-U-mUsIC
For two years running I was the art director and Client: Diesel
designer for Diesel’s unsigned artist competition; Project: Diesel-U-Music
Diesel-U-Music. This included the art direction for the Art direction+design: Steve Price
whole nine month campaign, printed literature, adverts, Copywriting/Editing: Josh Jones
marketing, planning, TV documentary titles, stage-set
design, stage screen awards visuals and everything
else you can think of. I did it.


THE bIG Ask
The Big Ask’ is the most successful campaign for Client: Friends of the Earth
Friends of the Earth (FoE). It is about asking the biggest Project: The Big Ask
question that any one of us can ask today; ‘what is my Art direction+design: Steve Price
governement doing about climate change?’
The project began as a simple manifesto design, but
I was then asked to produce the identity, promotional
pieces including a six panelled concertina flyer, a DM
insert and a calendar accompanied with stickers!
All this work produced in three weeks.


PROjECT10/NEwsPAPER
To celebrate my tenth year of running Plan-B Studio I newspaper is themed on the subject of collaboration and the Client: self
decided that for the first ten months of 2010 I would work promotion of projects, people and places that are in some way Project: Project10
with/on ten projects with ten different NGO/NFP (Not For connected to that theme. Art direction+design: Steve Price
profit) projects, or projects that I deemed as being fun. March’s issue see’s articles by Matthew Knight, Daljit Singh, Edited by: Claire Selby
To promote these projects and the people I come in to Shane RJ Walter, Simon White, and responses to my ‘5 x
contact with I’ve decided to produce a monthly newspaper. I Questions/4 x Pioneers’ from the likes of Nik Roope, Chantelle
realised I didn’t and couldn’t fill twelve pages with Project10 Fiddy. Not to mention kind donations of illustrations from Mr
work. There just isn’t enough to talk about yet. Bingo and Alec Strang.
So I approached friends, peers, people that inspire me, I am going to be publishing this once a month. If you would
some of which I am lucky enough to be working on projects like a copy, and if there are some left (I am only printing one
with for Project10. copy) you can email me, but these are for promotional use only
Project10 is not about me, it is about me + others. It so you will need to blog about it. Not trying to twist your arm,
is about collaborating with like-minded people. So the just being honest. Plan-B Studio Limited | Showcase | 2010

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