Springetts has its day at the races

Springetts is galloping towards completing design work this week on refreshed identities for Epsom Downs Racecourse and its prestige race The Derby.

The five-figure project also involves rebranding the other famous races that take place during the two-day Derby meeting, including The Coronation Cup and The Oaks. The Epsom Downs branding will be applied to signage and print material as well as on-line. The work launches at the first spring meeting in late April.

Epsom Downs Racecourse managing director Stephen Wallis says he is looking for The Derby identity to convey the ‘authenticity and uniqueness of the most famous race in the world’.

Springetts creative director Roger Bannister says the group was asked to ‘create something distinctive, ownable and capable of capturing the magic of The Derby’.

‘That’s not an everyday thing, but we tried to make the event’s prestige atmosphere more accessible. It’s not snooty, like at Ascot,’ adds Bannister.

Springetts won the work in December 2002 after a three-way pitch. Designers Malcolm Mitchell and Mark Tuck are also working on the brief.

The Derby is run on the first Saturday in June and regularly attracts around 150 000 spectators.