Virgin Trains East Coast
Creating a brand new look...
When Virgin & Stagecoach won the East Coast franchise in 2015 it was deemed that a bright new look was needed, inside and out, to create a new Virgin Trains brand, something bold and different from its West Coast routes. And I jumped at the chance.
...for one of Britain's best loved brands
Externally, I worked with Ray Stenning & Best Impressions who created a red, retro look that was uniquely Virgin, and incredibly different to anything else on the rail network. Internally, the fine folks at Atlantic Design helped bring my visions to life.
Working with the best, inspired by the past, all eyes on the future
Creative directing the famed Ray Stenning and his Best Impressions team on the Virgin Trains East Coast exterior livery was as much of a joy as it was a challenge. Together, we needed to develop something that felt new and innovative, worked with the rolling stock we were inheriting on the route, and lived up to the expectations set by the Virgin name. Not an easy task, but as you'd expect from a team comprised of award-winning design experts, we created something that still today, looks fresh, bright and bold.
With red swooshes flowing from end to end, purple flashes picking out First Class, and metallic silver headlight 'lashes', the overall scheme was partly inspired by British Rail's award-winning livery for the Class 91 locomotive and by the grand American 'streamliner' trains of the 1950s.
The talented chaps at Atlantic Design also worked miracles to bring a new interior style to the rails - with sumptuous leather seats in First Class and bold three-tone red in Standard, it's a truly Virgin product that breathes new life into the somewhat-dated rolling stock it embellishes.
My vision was to bring the style and flow of Ray's exterior into the passenger environment of Atlantic Design's interior - managing these two design agencies together as one, creating a bold look and feel for the new, refurbished fleet and presenting something that marked a new era for Britain's best loved railway brand Virgin Trains. Mission... accomplished.
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