Energy giant calls out design groups

CDT Design has teamed up with Fishburn Hedges to create an identity for National Grid Transco in a project worth more than £100 000 to the two consultancies.

The £14bn energy group was created by this week’s merger of National Grid and Lattice, the gas pipelines business, in what is the biggest UK corporate deal of the year.

CDT Design was appointed to design the group’s core logo, stationery, identity and Web guidelines and is also working on head office signage.

Corporate communications specialist Fishburn Hedges created the corporate positioning and visual language. It also designed and produced a staff and corporate brochure for the launch.

Both consultancies were appointed on the strength of previous work for Lattice and other demerged British Gas groups.

According to CDT Design creative associate Gene Cooke, the project was a question of integrating two companies which each had a certain degree of heritage.

‘The merger was between two distinct groups, and the new company is going to be massive,’ he says. ‘But its dealings are going to be so enormous that we felt we should opt for an understated identity.’

‘We wanted to build on the heritage of the two companies, but also create a distinctive look going forward that befits a large listed company,’ adds National Grid Transco corporate communications manager Martin Blaxall.

The pair are hoping to be retained to produce further corporate literature for National Grid Transco, however, according to Blaxall, such a decision has yet to be taken.