Shopping the world takes off

Surrey design consultancy Pyott has created British Airways’ new on-board shopping brochure, called Shopping the World.

The 58-page magazine is A4 size and will be on all BA planes this month. It is the third year in succession that the group has developed the publication.

Pyott creative director James Pyott explains: ‘The brochure design is reviewed annually. Historically, it has been a seedy area of design, but there is no reason not to design stylish brochures.’

‘The new magazine is a much more sophisticated piece of design than last year, and reflects the growing sophistication of the on-board shopper. During 1998 there was a 48 per cent rise in on-board sales, which is a direct result of better marketing and design.’ But Pyott explains that ‘strict guidelines’ were adhered to during the project. ‘Although we had to work around several restrictions, we have achieved an awful lot this year.’

BA in-flight marketing executive Sabine Sharman says a name change was discussed for the magazine, though the original title has been retained.

‘We looked at several names, but thought Shopping the World works quite well. So the font was changed, with the emphasis now on the word shopping,’ explains Sharman.

She notes that a new colour scheme has also been introduced to the brochure. ‘Different colour palettes have been developed for each section, like perfumery and drinks. I think it helps people when they are buying. It brings an association with a product and encourages people to buy things,’ she says.

Artist Anya Kroencke was commissioned to work on illustrations for the latest version of the brochure, which Sharman says ‘brings romance and glamour into air travel without it being pretentious’.

Design: Pyott

Creative director: James Pyott

Senior designers: Marc Ward and Martin Bacon

Client: British Airways