Vox pop

Press reports suggest the National Lottery’s relaunch as Lotto hasn’t changed Camelot’s fortunes. What do you think it should do now, through design, to re-engage public interest in the lottery?

‘If I were in charge of Camelot I would not expect to change the organisation’s fortunes through cosmetic changes such as a name and corporate identity refreshment of the lottery – a lot of crossed fingers would be needed for this to work. There is very little that design can do without more fundamental changes being made within the organisation. I believe a substantial amount of feelgood could be delivered by revisiting the imbalance between contributing to a good cause and personal gain.’

Gillian Thomas, Partner, The Partners

‘Rather than huge advertising or design initiatives Lotto should probably look at what it offers. Getting rich quickly is fine, but what about broader relevance? With the initial euphoria fading, attention spans are short and the competing noise is loud. Getting back to the basics and working out where its place in the general cultural map is would lead to clearer design and communication rather than a series of “get rich quick” campaigns.’

Simon Dixon, Partner, Dixonbaxi

‘The televised draws on Wednesday and Saturday evenings could make us sit up and take notice. Maybe employing deliberately antipathetic presenters such as Hugh Grant could lift things. Equally, there’s something to be gained by glamorising the visual presentation even more than now, an obvious job for the design community in its larger sense. Finally, if all else fails, Design Week could raise subscriptions and use the proceeds to create a Lotto hardship fund for all its readers.’

Tony Allen, Managing director, Interbrand

‘The redesign of the National Lottery to Lotto has absolutely nothing to do with Camelot’s fortunes. It’s the format of the offer that’s at fault. I’m worried that if I thought £14m to 1 were good odds, I’d be so embarrassed about having to go into a newsagents and fill out the form because I don’t know my Thunderball from my bonus ball. The Lotto strategists seem to have this knee-jerk reaction of solving poor Camelot’s problems with another new name – the ads just look like they’re taking the piss, the whole thing backfires and I’m still confused.’

Michael Johnson, Director, Johnson Banks