London City Airport is the only true London airport in terms of location and provides one of the fastest entry and exit points too, and from, one of the world’s best and most vibrant cities. And it is changing fast. Traditionally perceived as a business flyer’s choice the passenger profile of the airport is swinging towards the leisure market as people demand more convenient travel options. There is also an on-going construction project, valued at £500 million, which will result in a new Terminal building and an improved passenger experience that will be one of the best in the world for speed, comfort and welcome. Our role in this transforming environment was to help the airport define their Purpose, Vision and Values and translate these into a compelling and motivating brand proposition, identity and communications platform for internal and external stakeholders. Our clear aim was to design a brand which would signpost London City Airport’s place in our capital city, their passion for their customers and their exciting future ahead.

Working with the leadership team at London City Airport we developed a research programme to understand the personality of the airport, its challenges and story of transformation. The conclusion of this, based on extensive 1-to-1 interviews and workshops with many of the 500 employees, was that the current image and personality of the Airport was rather cold and bland and did not reflect the pride, warmth and optimism for the future. The Airport staff, many from the local East End community, felt a genuine spirit of love for the airport and were rightly proud of the efficient and welcoming service they provided, often against a challenging backdrop of infrastructure, resource and regulatory constraints.

From this research we developed, in partnership with Storytellers, a new Vision and Purpose statement for the airport.

Vision: To be the airport everyone loves.

Purpose: To make London even better by delivering a brilliant experience with a heartfelt spirit.

These pointers, combined with the wish to convey the airport’s genuine warmth and can-do personality became the creative brief for the new brand identity and proposition.

THE SOLUTION
Working on the idea that London City Airport is ‘at the heart of London’ and is a gateway to great experiences in London and for Londoners to see the world, we developed a strong, graphic based brand identity which uses the ‘O’ in London as an interactive window to these amazing experiences. The bright, gradient colours reflect the energy and vibrancy of the airport and the warmth of its people.

Alongside the identity, The Allotment have developed extensive Brand Guidelines to help London City Airport deliver a differentiated and much loved experience.

“Along with the design of our new airport, this new brand identity will help us reflect everything that is great about London, celebrate its preeminent position as a truly international city, broaden our appeal to different types of passengers and make the experience of London even better for those visiting the capital, for business or leisure.”

ROBERT SINCLAIR, CEO OF LONDON CITY AIRPORT