Engine Creative and Airlock overhaul Top Gear website

Northampton-based consultancy Engine Creative and London-based Airlock have completely redesigned the BBC’s Top Gear website.

Airlock was appointed by BBC Worldwide following a creative pitch in January and briefed to design the site’s ‘information architecture’, according to Airlock strategy director Chris Mair.

He says the firm was asked to maintain the Top Gear tone, but make space for more commercial content.

Engine Creative was subsequently appointed in June without having to pitch and given the same brief to interpret in two areas of the site.

Engine Creative managing director Matt Key says the consultancy was asked to design five blog brands, each with its own identity, and a Car Chooser system for buying new cars.

Two of the five blog identities reference classic automotive design. Horsepower – the TV presenter’s blog – uses a logo inspired by the John Player cigarette motif featured on Formula One Lotus cars of the 1970s and 1980s.

The Foreman, which covers car industry news, is based on the old Leyland logo. Sunday Afternoon Club covers motorsport, The Cupholder logo carries the tagline ‘cars, culture and other crap’, and Transmission is labelled ‘The mole inside your favourite TV Show’.

The Car Chooser brand and interface have been designed by Engine Creative. Key describes it as ‘A competitor to Auto Trader; a bespoke interface for chosing a car.’