Globetrotter Inns identity a case of Us and them?

Right, it’s throwing rattle out of pram time. Richard Clayton’s News Analysis (DW 15 May) implies that for one of our clients, Globetrotter Inns, logo equals thought, and the other stuff equals implementation. He suggests that ‘thinking’ and ‘doing’ are separate activities. What? That’s about as coherent as the average Inland Revenue form.

The Partners developed a logo for Globetrotter Inns, a chain of quality, affordable hotels for independent travellers. But it’s actually a brand that is fundamentally defined by the physical and graphic environment that Us Designers created. From interiors and furniture to way-finding graphics, to public room identities and merchandising, as well as our designs for the virtual world of the website, we’ve brought Globetrotter Inns to life.

We didn’t simply implement someone else’s thinking, which in reality only extended to the logo. We are not implementers of design. We are originators. Origination entails thought. To suggest otherwise is actually a real insult to our team who’ve done such a great job on this project. They’re all scowling in corners even as I write.

Us Designers has created the essence of Globetrotter Inns. The Partners provided the label for the bottle. There’s an important interrelationship there, but please don’t tell me that brands live by logos alone, or that a badge is the brain of a brand. A logo is not an identity in and of itself, and it certainly doesn’t define the thinking that has to surround a brand in all its aspects if it is to engage and inspire its audience.

Enough said. I’ll just go and get my rattle.

Chris Church

Design director

Us Designers

London SE1