After months of hard work and a competitive pitch process the long-awaited new British Steel brand has been unveiled at a high-profile launch event at the company’s Scunthorpe steelworks.

Brand and design agency Ruddocks, based in Lincoln, was appointed to create the new brand, along with comprehensive guidelines, while creative agency Moirae, based in Doncaster, was awarded the contract to develop the company’s online and digital presence.

According to the two agencies the key to getting the launch right was working in close collaboration to meet tight deadlines whilst ensuring the online and offline marketing complemented each other in every way.

The simple yet distinctive design features an icon, which combines the B and S letterforms, and is made up of three parts to represent the company’s core values of pride, passion and performance.

The brand has been created to symbolise progression and evolution, using 45-degree angles to reinforce positivity to all its stakeholders both internally and externally.

The colours are derived from the elements of the steel-making process: molten orange signifies the start of something vibrant and exciting and the cool navy is intended to represent the quality of the organisation – professional and committed.

The website is modern, in depth and although content heavy, uses key vibrant imagery complemented by dynamic angled lines and clear areas of white space, to break up information into sections and make it easy to understand and a pleasure to access.

Tata Steel confirmed its intention to sell its Long Products Europe business to Greybull Capital back in April, after which the family investment office announced its plans to resurrect the iconic British Steel name which disappeared when the organisation merged with Koninklijke Hoogovens to form Corus Group in 1999.

Both agencies had to go through an official tender and competitive pitch process before being appointed.

Ruddocks’ Managing Director Paul Banton said seeing the brand being unveiled was a very proud moment for the firm.

“To win the contract to rebrand the division of Tata Steel, which includes the Scunthorpe works as well as 17 other locations across the UK and Ireland along with two sites in France, is a major achievement for us. Like British Steel Ruddocks has a long heritage dating back to 1884 so there is synergy between our business and theirs.

“Despite our historic roots we are an innovative, forward-thinking agency with a national client base. We have built up a team of extremely talented designers who have seized the opportunity to work on such a high profile project and created something we are all extremely proud of.

“The old British Steel logo was iconic so it’s been an exciting challenge to come up with a new brand that we hope will be just as successful. In the run up to today’s unveiling we’ve held focus groups with the employees at the Scunthorpe site and so far the feedback has all been positive. We’re now looking forward to hearing what the rest of the world thinks!

“This is a momentous occasion in the country’s steel industry and we are delighted to be part of it. British Steel is strong, both as a product and as an organisation and the new brand has been designed to reflect this.”

Moirae’s Managing Director David Plant added: “We were delighted to be appointed by British Steel to design and develop the online presence for their new business, which included their website and intranet as well as social media consultancy.

“It was imperative to work closely with the team at British Steel and Ruddocks to ensure the branding was translated correctly online.  In addition to this, in the advent of the launch of the new brand it was a challenge to ‘hold back’ the logo until the official unveiling.”

The agency looks forward to continuing its relationship with British Steel as the company expands its online marketing strategy.

British Steel Commercial Director Peter Hogg said: “This is a landmark day for our new business and we are incredibly proud of our new brand.

“It captures everything we stand for – pride, passion and performance – and we believe it will not only inspire our employees but make us stand out in the market place where British Steel’s name will be known as a world leader in steel production.

“To see it come to life has been a fantastic experience for our team.

“Throughout the design process it has been a privilege to work with two local agencies in Ruddocks and Moirae. They have worked in partnership with us to, deliver a premium service – showing huge flair, creativity and professionalsm.”

Ends

Notes to Editors

About British Steel

The new British Steel Brand, which signifies a fresh start for the business, was revealed in front of an audience of national news media, MPs, dignitaries and British Steel employees who had been consulted throughout the design process.

Tata Steel confirmed the sale of its Long Products Europe Division to Greybull Capital back in April, after which the family investment office announced its plans to resurrect the iconic British Steel name which disappeared when the organisation merged with Koninklijke Hoogovens to form Corus Group in 1999.

About Ruddocks
• Ruddock’s is a full-service design and print agency based in Lincoln.
• The agency has worked for local clients including Lincoln Cathedral and the University of Lincoln as well as national names such as Macdonald’s Hotels and Resorts, England Golf and NHS England.
• As well as an experienced and talented team of designers, Ruddocks has an in-house print and production facility, including litho, digital and large format equipment.
• For more information about Ruddocks please visit www.ruddocksdesign.co.uk

About Moirae
Moirae is a full service agency based in Doncaster. The business was established in 2009 and has purposefully chosen to work with clients spanning a wide range of sectors and markets to avoid being pigeonholed. Earlier this year the agency picked up a prestigious award in the Transform Europe award, which celebrates the best in international design. The award was for excellent branding, design for local business BJS Storage & Distribution.

For further information about this news release please contact:

Kerri Saxby
Shooting Star
01522 528540
kerri@weareshootingstar.co.uk