M&C Saatchi unveils new brand identity for central London

Creative company M&C Saatchi launched ‘Gogosoho,’ a new brand identity and a campaign for central London celebrating the small independent businesses of its Soho home.

M&C Saatchi sought to do something positive to protect and promote the businesses in the centre of London, following a challenging period for the retail and hospitality industry. The campaign features the new brand, GogoSoho, encourages those based in Soho to revisit some of their favorite places and invites people in other parts of London to head back to the center of town.

The campaign’s styling hangs on a word mark created using ‘FS Marlborough,’ a font based on an original street sign in Great Marlborough Street, which aims to pay tribute to Soho’s roots. A vibrant colour palette forms the other pillar of the brand look and feel; combining black, red and yellow S&C Saatchi wanted to evoke a sense of the street and night life that Soho is often synonymous with.

“We’re passionate about getting Londoners back to support the business we’d hate to lose. Every illustration is as unique as the shops we’re showcasing- the campaign style is as bold and quirky as the people and places we love,” says Andy Harris, head of design at M&C Saatchi.

The quirky illustrations, each with a dual meaning, highlight the individuality of each business featured, referencing their histories and individual personalities. On one, skull rings form the eyes of a frog to showcase the famous Soho-based jewelry shop, The Great Frog, while on another an angry cockerel with a boxing glove for its watts symbolises the Coqfighter restaurant.

M&C Saatchi created a suite of fly posters that will appear in different London locations, in addition to designing a microsite which host film content showcasing Soho’s independent businesses.

The agency also developed hand-painted gogosoho-branded ‘Open’ signs.’ Evoking the styles of Soho street signage, from sex shops to tattoo parlours the signs will sit in the windows of local businesses to welcome customers in.

“Soho is at the heart of our city with its lively atmosphere, vibrant community and outstanding entertainment. The past 15 months have been incredibly hard for the area, but GogoSoho is a great way to celebrate these vital local businesses and draw visitors back to one of our most famous locations,” says Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan.