Destination Bristol

Destination Bristol appointed Halo to create a campaign that communicated Bristol as 'more than just a tourism destination' as part of their place making initiative. The brief included writing and executing concepts for subjects as varied as urban sports, aviation heritage, the city's love of festivals, contemporary art and the creative industries. With such a wide brief in terms of required messaging, but media specification reduced to Adshel 6 sheet posters, Halo were looking at a challenging project that was sure to test our creative abilities.

Our first decision was to reject the classic photographic routes used extensively by Destination Bristol in previous advertising and look to create a set of edgy, bold statement pieces that visually delivered the themes without using tired, obvious and overused place setting photography. It was important to show a contemporary approach and our first treatment concerned the link between the city's engineering heritage (Brunel) and its current artistic legacy (Banksy).

'Famous Engineers to Famous Artists' used the iconic suspension bridge image, but treated in a 'Banksyesque' style to great effect. This unusual, and potentially controversial piece set the tone for the work we produced.

The advertising needed to appeal to the residents of Bristol, reminding them of their heritage and what it means to be Bristolian. The messaging had to reach out to potential businesses relocating to the South West, encouraging them to consider the city as a new home of commerce. The design needed to make a statement about the creative vision of the city and meet the expectations of an audience who think of Bristol as an artistic hub. The campaign met all those needs head-on in an exciting and challenging set of posters that underlined the city's place making ambitions.

We loved this project simply because Destination Bristol wanted to push the boundaries of what it means to advertise Bristol, which shines through in the work we produced.