Keep up to date on the latest projects and news from the studio.

Always learning

November 2019

One of Kino Design’s founders, Andy Stanfield, has recently returned from a photography workshop in Vietnam. He’s always had an interest in photography, Steve McCurry and Bruce Davidson are particular favourites, and decided to spend time trying to learn the actual craft himself. In November he took part in a workshop organised by ace photographer Anthony Epes, it was based in Hanoi and around Ha Giang in the north of Vietnam.

“It was an amazing experience”, says Andy. “It was very insightful, learning about light, composition and trying to relate to your subject. All will have an influence on my work at Kino. And, of course, Vietnam is an incredible country, it’s landscapes, food and above all its wonderful people. Being part of the photography workshop helped me see a side of Vietnam I would have otherwise missed, I will definitely be returning.”

Under starters orders.

September 2019

We’re excited to announce The Jockey Club as one of our latest clients.

Over the next few months we’ll be working with them to develop key brand assets and guidelines, ensuring clarity and consistency across a diverse range of communications.

We’re looking forward to working with such a historic and passionate brand. Our aim – to provide them with the tools they need to engage and inspire new and loyal audiences.

Watch this space to find out more.

A truly great film (poster).

August 2019

We spent an evening soaking up the sights and sounds of late 60’s Hollywood with a trip to The Barbican to see Quentin Tarantino’s latest film, ‘Once Upon A Time in Hollywood.’

Known for his obsessive detail, Tarantino manages to perfectly capture the faded glamour of the period and it’s great to see that detail extend into the marketing for the film.

Tarantino commissioned comic book artist Martin Duhovic, legendary film poster artists Steven Chornery (best known for his poster for 1986’s Labyrinth) and Renato Casaro (Conan the Barbarian, Octopussy, and Rambo: First Blood Part II) to create a set of posters of DiCaprio in character as Dalton.

Stylish and atmospheric, the posters cleverly pastiche and play homage to movies that hark of a bygone era.

It’s a welcome change from the overly CGI visuals we’ve become used to when visiting the cinema. A change that we would love to see a lot more of in the future!

Bringing sponsorship to the fore

July 2019

The Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open headed to The Renaissance Club in North Berwick this year, for the 37th staging of the event.

Many of the world’s best golfers, including Rickie Fowler, Matt Kuchar, Rory McIlroy and Justin Thomas, all descend on Scotland looking to end the week crowned ASI Scottish Open champion.

Bernd Wiesberger eventually won the title to secure a sixth European Tour title after beating Benjamin Hebert in a nail-biting play-off.

The strong and successful branding of events such as the Scottish Open is seen as key to building the global prominence of Aberdeen Standard Investments.

Preparing for the next generation

May 2019

The theme for this year’s Association of Investment Companies UK Conference was ‘Preparing for the next generation’. Moderated by Huw Edwards, the conference focused on looking forward – discussing the future in regards to the next generation of investor and ‘hot topics’ such as disruptive technologies, the economy and Brexit.

Kino Design created a dynamic graphic which was applied to a range of items from conference badges, programmes, signage, stage graphics and a mobile app.

Re-design of a classic font

April 2019

When a font as ubiquitous as Helvetica gets a facelift we take note. Originally created by Swiss designer Max Miedinger in 1957, Helvetica has just been updated by Monotype. The new font, Helvetica Now, has been re-designed for the digital age (about time, some might say), with three versions available – Display, Text and Micro. Helvetica Now Micro has been specifically created for its legibility on mobile devices.

Helvetica has been used by countless brands and signage systems, including First Direct, Panasonic, North Face, Jeep, Lufthansa and the New York subway system. To find out more about Helvetica there is a wonderful documentary about the font by Gary Hustwit which is available on Netflix.

Come on the Blues!

March 2019

We were fortunate to be invited to Stamford Bridge on Sunday to watch Chelsea vs Wolves. It was great to see the brand we have been working with come to life on a match day – from the supporters wearing the kit through to new signage implemented throughout the stadium.

Our seats were great – exactly on the half way line. With Chelsea trying to claim a top-four finish the atmosphere was tense. Wolves played well and scored early in the second half. Luckily for Chelsea, Eden Hazard equalised in the second minute of injury time to get Chelsea a point – everyone was on their feet. It was brilliant to see the team in action after seeing them so regularly on our computer screens over the past year.

Thanks to the team at Chelsea for a wonderful afternoon.

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An identity development

February 2019

With property developments popping up everywhere it has been great to see our recent work with Aberdeen Standard Investments Real Estate come to life nearby the studio.

Having completed the Aberdeen Standard Investments masterbrand guidelines, Kino were asked to develop guidelines for the Real Estate division of the business.

The guidelines needed to address the functionality of a number of endorsements and how these could be applied across multiple channels.

Hapshash and the Coloured Coat

January 2019

Michael English and Nigel Waymouth formed the wonderfully named Hapshash and the Coloured Coat artist collective in the 1960s to produce posters for the UFO Club in London. The club was home to early shows by Pink Floyd. Their designs brought an explosive vitality to the fly posters on London streets, they used gold and silver inks, super bright colours, fluid typography and beautiful illustration.

You can claim your own piece of this history – as we recently have for our studio – by getting down to the Bamalama poster shop on Leather Lane market where they have limited runs of a number of these posters.

In for a Penny

December 2018

We’ve been working with the Association of Investment Companies on their latest campaign to create awareness around the importance of saving for children.

To encourage parents to discover the benefits of saving for their children’s future each enquiry to the association was rewarded with a unique piggy bank (called Penny, naturally). To accompany Penny were a set of stickers to decorate her, chocolate coins to pop in and, crucially, educational information for parents on investing for their children.

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Creating the rulebook

November 2018

We have recently been working with Chelsea Football Club, creating brand guidelines and implementing their look and feel across both print and digital marketing communications.

Their crest is a highly recognisable symbol. Less known is what sits behind it – the qualities and characteristics that make them different to any other football club or brand.

As a result, we have found ourselves tweaking, refining and crafting assets that make up the brand identity, and providing users with a complete and in-depth overview of the Chelsea Football Club brand.

Learn more

Kerning the Gap

October 2018

Recent research has found that despite 70% of graphic design students in the UK being women, only 11% made it to creative director level.

Kerning The Gap is a collective of like-minded people who want to see more women in design leadership roles, hear their voices and be inspired to create change. By shedding light on the issues women face in the industry they hope to encourage design businesses across the UK to channel gender equality in the workplace.

One way the group do this is by running an annual mentor programme which Kino is currently taking part in. We really recommend the Kerning the Gap podcasts – a selection of focussed and inspirational discussions filled with insights and tips – and not just for women.

Pop Art meets Lego

September 2018

This is what happens when you take a Roy Lichtenstein painting and reimagine it with Lego. Members of the studio have been busy with the little coloured bricks and created their own piece of Pop Art history.

For inspiration they took Lichtenstein’s painting, Ohhh…Alright…, once owned by the actor Steve Martin and sold at auction in 2005 for £26 million. Our version is a little cheaper and uses over 3,000 bricks and measures 120x120cm. Feel free to come and see it in our studio, it is currently taking pride of place at the top of our spiral staircase.

Big shoes to fill

August 2018

For leading wealth managers James Hay Partnership, reinforcing relationships with over 58,000 individual clients who trust them with more than £26 billion worth of pension and investment savings is critical.

To help encourage this loyalty we developed an internal campaign that literally puts James Hay employees in their investors’ shoes.

Through a series of installations based on investor profiles placed throughout their offices we helped ensure that staff could empathise with clients to encourage their trust for the long-term.

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The sky’s the limit

July 2018

We stepped outside at lunchtime to watch 100 RAF planes fly over London in a historic display to mark the Royal Air Force’s 100th birthday celebrations

An estimated 70,000 people lined the streets of London to watch the spectacular display.

It was 100 years ago on 1 April, 1918 that the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service merged to create the RAF – the world’s first independent air service.

Helping investment companies celebrate 150 years

June 2018

For 150 years, investment companies have adapted to the world around them with one simple vision: to help investors meet their financial needs.

To celebrate this anniversary we were asked by the Association of Investment Companies to create a logo that could work alongside their own identity, as well as help promote their involvement in – and endorsement of – this remarkable celebration.

What is in a name?

May 2018

People often ask how we decided on Kino as our name. Although it translates into cinema in most east European countries we actually chose the name because of where those countries took the word from. Kino derives from the word kinetics in Greek and we liked the idea that kinetics is about setting things in motion. This is what we thought our agency is all about – kick starting projects of shapes and sizes.

Obviously whenever we are in Europe we get a photo opportunity with our name. This photo is from the wonderful Museum of Neon in Warsaw that Suzanne Buckle, our Design Director, recently visited.

The Sandman – Robert Wilson

April 2018

A few of us were lucky enough to be in Düsseldorf when Robert Wilson’s latest theatre production, The Sandman, was showing. His shows are an amazing tour-de-force, very graphic with strong expressionistic acting and lighting. Anna Calvi had written a number of songs specifically for the production.

The Sandman is a 18th century German gothic story. The protagonist visits children who will not go to sleep and throws sand into their eyes so they will pop from their heads. He then takes the eyes to feed to his own children. Nice.

If you do not know him, Robert Wilson has worked with some truly great artists, including William S. Burroughs, Philip Glass, Lou Reed, Tom Waits, David Byrne and Lady Gaga.

Change for the better?

March 2018

Change for the better? was the theme for the AIC’s UK conference 2018. With the ever-changing financial landscape, we wanted a graphic that would convey all the ups and downs that investors can face. The graphic was applied to a range of items from conference badges, programmes, signage, stage graphics and a mobile app.

Thinking big

February 2018

When Aberdeen Asset Management and Standard Life Investments merged they became the largest active manager in the UK and second largest in Europe.

Offering ‘truly global asset management’, we created a typographic and message driven campaign providing audiences with headlines highlighting the benefits of their joint offer.

Learn more

A bit of Network(ing)

January 2018

A couple of us went to see the new stage adaption of Network at the National Theatre, based on the Oscar-winning movie from 1976.

Featuring Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad), Network tells the story of a US news anchor on the edge of a breakdown who tells his TV audience, “I’m mad as hell, and I’m not going to take this anymore!” But when the ratings go through the roof, the network seize on their new-found prophet, and he becomes the biggest thing on television.

It is an intense and immersive multimedia production where it is possible to eat at the ‘onstage’ restaurant and become part of the action.

Exciting new work

December 2017

We are currently working on an exciting new identity project at Kino. It has been fun to step away from our Macs, pick up the charcoal and get our hands dirty. Watch this space for updates.

Truly different

November 2017

Aberdeen Asset Management have always liked to stand out in a crowded market place and the latest multi-asset campaign we created for their Asian market helps them do just that.

With a range of funds that are ‘Truly diverse – Genuinely different’, we created a campaign featuring a multitude of butterflies. The creative was showcased across transport throughout Singapore and was met with great feedback.

Hey! Ho! Let’s Go!

October 2017

We, of course, also love branding and the Ramones took the look of a band to another level. When other bands have constantly reinvented themselves, the Ramones stayed true to their ultimate Rock‘n’Roll look.

When we came across a photograph of them by the great Jill Furmanovsky on Rockarchive, playing at the Roundhouse back in 1976, we had to get a copy. It’s now on our wall acting as an inspiration to all interns that pass through the studio.

Smart(er) thinking

September 2017

SMARTER Beta™ from Aberdeen Asset Management combines the benefits of active and passive management in a new ‘third approach’ to investing. Smart beta techniques aim to achieve returns above that of the market, or risk levels below that of the market. Aberdeen retain the numerous benefits of conventional indexing such as simplicity, objectivity, transparency and relatively low costs, achieving both higher returns and lower risk.

It’s like Smart Beta, but Smarter.

California Dreamin’

August 2017

Recently, a group of us went to the Design Museum for an after-hours talk by designers Brian Studak and Jon Abbott on the design and curation of the current exhibition, California – Designing Freedom.

The talk was really insightful and afterwards, we had a chance to explore the exhibition – from Emory Douglas’ Black Panther posters to a replica of the Captain America chopper seen in Easy Rider. It is on until October so get yourself down to see it.

Hands-on financial management

July 2017

Aberdeen Asset Management love getting to grips with how the different companies they invest in operate. Meeting companies face-to-face means fund managers ensure any company they invest in aspires to best practice in every aspect of its activities. With that in mind we created a concept for their latest equities campaign that showcases how Aberdeen fund managers always insist on first-hand research and are happy to walk the shop floor when looking for companies to invest in.

ABTA – I value tourism

June 2017

We recently worked with ABTA to create their ‘I value tourism’ campaign. A suite of communication materials and assets were used to support ABTA in lobbying parliamentary candidates ahead of the General Election. The aim was to inform the candidates of the importance of tourism to the UK economy.

The materials were used across email, online and via ABTA’s social media channels (predominately twitter). Content included regional engagement and social assets.

Some home truths

May 2017

We were recently asked by Aberdeen to create another informative booklet to sit alongside their range of award-winning guides and animations. This one is called ‘Home truths of property investing’. Celebrating Aberdeen’s 30 years in property markets, the guide gives advice to investors through a number of ‘home truths’.

The guide teaches that when investing in the property markets, you can learn the importance of informed, independent thought and that doing the research and acquiring the right knowledge sometimes allows you to go against conventional wisdom.

Spot the logo

April 2017

We have been lucky enough to spot our work in all sorts of unexpected places. Most recently one of our clients spotted Keanu Reeves arriving at Zurich airport with an Aberdeen Asset Management branded trolley.

You might also have seen our work in Dr Who featuring a London 2012 bid logo or a Visa pulse POS on Coronation Street. We have even spotted Rod Stewart in front of a CitySprint van. If you see any of our work out there let us know.

Partnering Performance

March 2017

Aberdeen Asset Management are the Official Performance Partner of Landrover BAR (Ben Ainslie Racing) – a commercial sporting team with a number of individual private investors alongside corporate partners. The team is made up of some of the best British and international sailors, designers, builders and racing support.

We have been helping Aberdeen to create a number of pieces of sponsorship material and key collateral.

Fables from Sir Michael Gambon

February 2017

This month sees Aberdeen Asset Management release the latest in a series of fun and informative guides and animations, produced by Kino, called ‘The Fables of Fixed Income’.

For the animation we recruited Sir Michael Gambon to lend his instantly recognisable voice to a series of six fables, sharing a little wisdom about the potential pitfalls of bond investing. Once again we would like to thank John Devolle and Animade for bringing their artistic talents to this project.

Become the best version of yourself

January 2017

Kino are proud to announce that we have been working with Become, the charity for children in care and young care leavers. Our rebrand for the charity, formerly known as The Who Cares? Trust, uses powerful messaging at the heart of its confident and positive positioning.

We recently hosted the launch party, which was an inspiring event with a thought-provoking presentation from care leavers looking at how to dispel stereotypes and challenge stigma. There was also an encouraging speech from Edward Timpson, Minister of State for Vulnerable Children and Families. Many thanks to Illya Latifi for supplying his photos from the event.

Learn more