A Ransome Rebrand: From the Mammoth Bookshelves to the Norfolk Broads
The Mammoth Bookshelves is a social media series where we share the books that are influencing our ideas and shaping our approach to our work.
There are a few reasons why we do this, including:
1. To share great books and interesting information.
2. To provide another window into the personalities behind the creative output at Mammoth HQ.
3. To keep records – we look back at these regular series during our annual review meeting at the end of each year, and it is an interesting and useful source to track our creative journey.
4. The never-ending quest for content familiar to all creative agencies and marketeers.
But what does your bookshelf really say about you? Can what you’re reading ever actually influence your design projects?
The answer, as shown in one of our recent projects, is an emphatic YES! And this installment of the Mammoth Monthly blog will tell the story…
It all began in Woodbridge...We were there to watch The French Dispatch at the Riverside Cinema – for fans of Wes Anderson, or the film’s wonderful use of graphic design and animation, it is a must-see!
As I gazed out over the River Deben, with the old Tide Mill to the left, Kyson Hill to the right, and Sutton Hoo across the water, this beautiful corner of coastal Suffolk reminded me of some books I’d read as a child – Arthur Ransome’s Swallows and Amazons. The series narrates the outdoor adventures of a group of children, sailing, camping, fishing, and generally exploring the local area. I’d been meaning to revisit them ever since I’d moved to Suffolk, and resolved to search for a copy in a charity shop…
Meanwhile, we’d just started work on an exciting new rebranding project for a café and bistro called Staithe ‘n’ Willow in Horning, Norfolk. During the briefing meeting with the venue’s new owners, their descriptions of the place once again brought to mind my recollections of Swallows and Amazons. The 400-year-old thatched cottage sits right on the waterfront, and is a popular destination for the boating community. Just the type of place that Ransome’s fictional adventurers might have visited…
We were tasked with creating a modern brand in touch with its heritage. A brand that would appeal to its varied customers, particularly the boating community. Distinctive, sophisticated, and visually engaging – ideal for social media campaigns and online booking platforms.
During our next brainstorming session I shared my inchoate ideas about the Ransome books. We decided to explore them further. Had Ransome ever been to Horning?
I thought my literary research days were over, but all those hours of archival research for my PhD finally came in handy. Not only had Ransome been to Horning, but he’d set two books in the area.
Locating the relevant passage, we were shocked to find that Ransome had written directly about the “Staithe”, the Staithe ‘n’ Willow mooring.
We turned the page to find the most exciting discovery… Ransome had sketched the building! (Well, half of it!)
Thankfully, our enthusiasm was matched by our clients, who immediately purchased first editions of the books, and gave us the green light to let this classic adventure series shape the branding project.
Inspired by Ransome’s rudimentary sketch of Staithe ‘n’ Willow, Chris illustrated a new side profile of the building in the same style, forming a key design asset for the new brand. Stewart took the lead on typography, and drew out the key lines from the books to serve as illustrative quotations for use on menus and other print material.
Our reading had indeed inspired our rebrand. From the Mammoth Bookshelves to the Norfolk Broads!
Stay tuned for more from this project ahead of the launch of the Staithe ‘n’ Willow rebrand over the next few weeks.
