LMC Design reads up on identity for Book Tokens

Book Tokens will be launching a revamped visual identity designed by LMC Design on 1 October in an effort to be to be recognised as an identifiable brand.

Book Tokens retail sales are worth a claimed £29m a year, but have been coming under pressure from more obviously branded vouchers from retailers such as WH Smith and Virgin.

The new logo will appear on all advertising and point-of-sale material in 3000 bookshops across the country and on new tokens that are sent out as old stock is used up.

LMC Design won the job, for a fee of less than £50 000, in April without a pitch through a former client Matthew Graham-Clare, who is now marketing and sales manager at Book Tokens. The project’s total budget including promotion is £100 000.

LMC creative director David Johnstone said the client asked it to update the brand, which was seen as stuffy and something ‘librarians gave to librarians’. He explains, ‘While Book Tokens are not in the front of the mind for many consumers, by creating a bold and striking design we hope it will be more arresting to people across the board.’

LMC tried to include the ‘timeless’ element of the brand by retaining an open book image, but replacing the ‘monkish’ design with a simplified two-colour image reminiscent of the Pepsi logo.

The identity was last updated in October 1997 by ad agency Da Costa & Co.

‘The logo will also appear on new Euro tokens in the Republic of Ireland from 1 October, replacing the current Punt-denominated tokens in anticipation of the introduction of Euro notes and coins at the beginning of 2002.

As part of a strategy to increase sales, Book Tokens will be sold in UK libraries for the first time.

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