Cross Colours: A VISUAL LANGAUGE

Credits & Description:

Category: Consumer Services

Advertiser: CROSS COLOURS

Product/Service: ADVERTISING AGENCY

Agency: CROSS COLOURS

Date of First Appearance: Jan 3 2011

Entrant Company: CROSS COLOURS, Johannesburg, SOUTH AFRICA

Entry URL: http://crosscoloursimpressions.blogspot.com/

Creative Director: Joanina Pastoll (Cross Colours)

Designer: Shona Danckwerts (Cross Colours)

Designer: Jan-Hendrik Labuschagne (Cross Colours)

Designer: Nicola Iuculano (Cross Colours)

Designer: Johann Rabie (Cross Colours)

Copywriter: Jacques Shalom (Cross Colours)

Copywriter: Shane Geffen (Cross Colours)

Media placement: Business Cards - Given To Clients - Jan 2011

Media placement: Letterhead - Given To Clients - Jan 2011

Media placement: Calendar - Given To Clients - Jan 2011

Media placement: Comp Slip - Given To Clients - Jan 2011

Media placement: Wrapping Paper - Given To Clients - Jan 2011

Media placement: Blog - Web - Jan 2011

Media placement: Logo - All Corporate Stationery - Jan 2011

Media placement: Reception Area - Reception - Jan 2011



Describe the brief from the client

Create a new corporate identity for Cross Colours that reflects the agency.



Describe the challenges and key objectives

As an advertising agency, we take ideas and translate them into beautiful work.

Every person working at Cross Colours adds their own colour and personality to the work we produce.

Our challenge was to translate this diverse company culture into a striking and unique visual system.



Describe how you arrived at the final design



Because of Cross Colours’ strong people ethos, we created a visual mark for each person.

Individuals selected sounds and colours to express themselves. We then constructed an installation that housed a speaker system. The selected sounds were played through this system causing vibrations, which in turn affected the selected colours on top of the speaker to create distinctive marks for everyone.



For our logo, we played the sound of employees collectively saying “Cross Colours” and added

various colours.



As a through the line agency, this mix of platforms represents our philosophy - that every piece of communication should leave its own unique mark.



Give some indication of how successful the outcome was in the market

Since the launch, the new CI has been well received by our clients and suppliers.

Internally our people have loved handing it out, and potential clients have commented on its unique approach and how different and appropriate it is for an advertising agency.

It also serves as an excellent ice breaker when making new contacts.