IDENTITY PARADE What if FirstBus had never happened in 1995 and Grampian Transport survived today with its traditional colours and local name? Creative agency The MHD Partnership offers its ideas for a 2016 makeover, which takes its inspiration from the mountainous landscape that lies close to the city of Aberdeen. GREEN AGAIN

rampian Regional Transport was two-tone blue at Midland Bluebird; two-tone ‘The ‘m’ graphic the company that gave birth to green at SMT and Lowland; two-tone red at within the brand today’s First Bus. The company Leicester and Northampton; red and orange at name is depicted G created in 1986 to operate Eastern Counties. as a straight Aberdeen’s municipal buses at arm’s length Then GRT merged with Badgerline to create edged mountain from Grampian Regional Council was sold to First in 1995 and two years later the magenta, shape in the a management/employee buyout in January pink and off-white ‘Barbie’ livery began to centre of the new 1989. create a uniform identity across all fleets, identity, which It wanted to protect itself from the emerging including those in the group’s headquarters has also been big groups and instead turned itself into city of Aberdeen. The Grampian name gave incorporated what for a time was the biggest group of all, way to First Aberdeen. in the design of FirstGroup, with operations across the UK, So how might things have looked had the livery. The North America and toeholds in Europe. Grampian have stayed Grampian and kept mountain scape Until First adopted a uniform UK bus livery its buses green? The MHD Partnership has has been formed at the turn of the 21st century, Aberdeen’s had a go and account director Mike Fletcher by carefully buses (and trams before them) were green and explains why it let its imagination flow the layering subtle cream. Grampian added a stripe of orange way it has. shades of green when local government transferred them ‘It is hard to separate Grampian from the and grey/ from the city corporation in May 1975, but striking landscape from which it was named,’ blue, giving the design depth with an they became green and cream again in the he says. ‘Therefore, it was an obvious choice overall sleek soothing result. The lines 1980s and the arm’s length GRT adopted a to develop an identity and livery with the and patterns have been made slightly two-tone green version with a kick-stripe imposing grace and beauty that is associated irregular, producing the varying spaces towards the rear. with the geography. The challenge was to and shapes that would be seen in the This became the corporate style as the simplify such a mountainous landscape into natural landscape.’ privatised company expanded south, but in a friendly graphic that could form the basis of He says the background has been lined different colours to respect local traditions: future marketing communication. up symmetrically from the centre of the ‘The logo identity to make a focal point on the is a simple bus’s body, meaning it can be painted uppercase, in a single base colour and vinyls used bold font with to display the graphics. ‘As the vinyl is exaggerated very slightly opaque, limited contravision spacing, has been used, which although loathed reassuring the by some, adds a nice continuation in the customer that tonal shades of the horizon. Grampian ‘The finished livery design is quietly is a reliable, majestic with echoes of the landscape dependable it is based upon, yet maintains a company. contemporary feel derived from the The colours geometric approach. The identity is used are sturdy and strong and makes for a step similar to the in the right direction for this company’s original livery, re-branded future.’ ■ providing that vital link ■ To see all of the other rebranding projects between old by The MHD Partnership, visit www. Grampian 131 (E131 DRS), a 1988 Leyland Olympian with Alexander RH body, is preserved in its original livery. and new. mhdpartnership.co.uk.

56 www.busesmag.com April 2016