News in brief round-up

Studio RHE is designing Alphabeta, a new creative workspace due to open in Shoreditch, east London, in 2014. The development will be set over nine storeys, and features will include a  ‘ride-in’ cycle ramp, communal space featuring an Art Wall and digital works, a recreational space for yoga, basketball and other activities and The Deck, a communal roof-top terrace.

Portland has designed the The Montreux Jazz Café for Harrods, a hybrid café and retail concept that will act as the flagsip for the brand, which has existing cafes in Geneva and Zurich. The space references Montreux Jazz Festival founder Claude Nobs, in features such as the musical ‘bric-a-brac’ and ‘state of the art technical and acoustic equipment’, according to Portland. The consultancy also created the tone of voice for all the in-store/café communications.

Glasgow-based consultancy Good has designed new packaging for Glengoyne Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky. Good was briefed to create designs that reflect the brand’s ‘worth the wait’ strapline, highlighting the slow whisky distillation process.

Aesop has been appointed by energy provider Ovo Energy, to develop its internal communications. The consultancy says it aims to ‘create a sustainable brand culture amid its rapid growth and expansion’.

rpa:vision has created a new look for the Mr Pretzel franchise brand. The designs aim to create a ‘more earthy and layered feel than the original design’, according to the consultancy, using new lighting systems, tile floors and ply shuttering. The first branch to debut the new concept opens in London this week.

Parker Williams has designed the packaging for Scotts Miracle-Gro’s new Straights range, which will be launched under the Miracle- Gro brand which Parker Williams redesigned last year. The packaging uses imagery of the key fruit, vegetable or flower types that the product helps; with a a hessian background and a softer colour palette than the core Miracle-Gro range.

Yorkshire-based consultancy United By Design has created a new identity for St Peter’s School in York. The branding is shown across all the school’s stationery and literature, as well as its website and a mobile phone app. The school, one of the oldest in the world, was founded in 627 AD, and United By Design says that this heritage was used to inform the new visual identity.

Neil Collard has been appointed managing director of digital consultancy e3. The appointment follows the departure of e3 founder and former managing director Stuart Avery. Collard will be responsible for growing the business over the next three years, managing the London and Bristol offices.

Consultancy nerv has been appointed as lead creative agency for Winston’s Wish, the charity for bereaved children. Nerv’s first task will be working to deliver the charity’s national fundraising campaign, The Great British Brekkie. The consultancy has also been appointed by engineering group Spirax Sarco to create a new microsite for the company’s EasiHeat™ technology system. The site will allow users to view product features and read key pieces of information using a drag and slide interface.

Forster Communications has designed new branding for JHub, an organisation that ‘inspires and supports positive social change in the British Jewish Community’. The branding will initially be shown on a new website, which aims to clearly present the organisation’s purpose to a variety of audiences.

The Market Creative has designed in-store materials for The Fine Bedding Company, aiming to educate customers shopping for bedding following research that many find the process ‘confusing.’ The work is shown on on-shelf messaging, pull-up banners and point of sale light boxes.

Consultancy Rufus Leonard has appointed Adam Fulford as strategy and planning director. Fulford, who was previously head of planning at Grand Union, will report to managing director Will Rowe, and will be responsible for ‘leading Rufus Leonard¹s integrated strategic team and supporting the strategic direction of the business’, according to the consultancy.

Fjord has created the Driving.co.uk premium vehicle advertising website for New International.  The site will feature exclusive editorial content and also content from The Sunday Times’ Driving supplement. Fjord also worked on branding elements for the site, which aims to appeal to both men and women, while also incorporating the branding and visual style of The Sunday Times.

Designer Peter Dean has recreated The Victorian circus poster that inspired John Lennon to write the song Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite. Lennon bought the poster advertising Pablo Fanque’s Circus Royal from an antiques shop in 1967, and lifelong Beatles fan Dean recreated the image using the same traditional printing methods used to create the original poster in 1843, collaborating with a wood-engraver to reproduce the illustrations and a letterpress printer to match the Victorian metal and wooden typefaces on the original.

Bristol-based design and engineering consultancy Crux Product Design has opened a new studio in Mannheim, Germany, which will offer in-house manufacturing.

Further has rebranded Reading-based business community Green Park, Reading. It created a new website that houses video and allows users to create bespoke online brochures tailored to their needs. The branding is shown across signage, literature, promotional materials and taxi liveries.