West Midlands Bus
Giving the buses of Brum a new look
As part of the new 'Transport for West Midlands' look, and partly inspired by London, the powers-that-be in Birmingham made a call for one coherent, consistent livery on all buses across the city. That call, was to Sam Jessup Design.
One size (mostly) fits all
Continuing on from my work on the West Midlands Metro tram scheme, I developed a bold, adaptable look using the same 'faded diamond' motif, that could be adopted by bus companies across the region, regardless of the type of buses they operate.
Working with all to create one harmonious brand vision
The test roll out of the scheme was chosen to be the routes 42/43 and 31/32, both of which happened to be competed on by National Express West Midlands and Diamond buses. Through co-operation and collaboration, it was agreed both companies would operate the routes jointly, and therefore their buses would carry the same 'West Midlands Bus' scheme.
Route brand colours were chosen and extra external graphics designed to fit in with the newly developed look. Working closely with both operators to create something everyone felt comfortable and confident fitting to their fleets wasn't simple, but what you see here is the end result.
A range of buses were used on the routes, so the scheme had to be flexible enough to fit onto any fleet - so by keeping it simple yet effective, I created something that is inherently adaptable, but completely consistent.
The colour change may be subtle, but the style compliments the rich blue of the tram system, and gives the buses of the city of Birmingham, and the West Midlands region, a brand new look. Bringing together a multitude of operators under one look was a challenge, but it was the kind of challenge I simply relished - and the final designs speak for themselves.
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