3

  • In summer of 2001 Hutchison3G began planning the launch of a totally new mobile phone concept in 2002. The world had experienced nothing like it. Third generation phones were a technological revolution. People had no idea what they could do or what having this type of functionality at their fingertips would mean.

    It seems hard to believe less than a decade later. This launch was hugely significant. Huchison commissioned Newlyn to create an identity that would reflect all of this and more. What they wanted to communicate was the essence and lasting impact of this technology.

    The functionality of the device inspired the concept which was dubbed RealPlay. It was about not having to choose one OR another, but having it all. Not the best of both worlds, but both worlds at once, the maximum possible.

  • The logo and branding needed to reflect this so the idea of something that was both organic and tech arose. Newlyn wanted to create an identity that people could bring a part of themselves to, where they would see something that they could not put into words. And so the iconic and unforgettable 3 identity was born.

    Since the third generation phone would give rise to a completely new communication landscape it was decided that the 3 brand should also communicate that difference with a language all of its own.

  • So to create a complete brand recognition framework which would support the identity Newlyn created two custom typefaces, Verona and Modena Condensed. Each font has a particular purpose in 3’s messaging. The Verona typeface was designed as the main brand recognition device.

    “Verona provides our treble notes and our vocals. We use it when it’s 3 talking. Modena provides our bass notes, the ones that make you move. So it’s used to communicate information and messages that require or inspire an action. We use it on bills, instructions, signage."

    The design of the custom fonts created an entire brand architecture for 3. The investment in a custom font has paid off considerably not only in terms of recognition but also in savings made by avoiding the costs of licensing an off-the-shelf font throughout eight countries.

  • Newlyn was also commissioned to design complimentary identities for the company’s mobile services in India and Thailand which were not launching 3G services at the same time as the UK, Australia, Austria, Denmark, Hong Kong, and Sweden. This meant designing appropriate concepts for these countries with a similar brand DNA.

    Thailand‘s 2.5G service was branded as close to 3 as possible without using the name. Called simply Hutch, the logo designed used the changing colour spectrum to reflect the concepts of cool and hot, outside and inside.

  • Because the service in India was launching without colour screen phones 3 could not use an identity that was in part a metaphor for a colour phone. By using the triangle pattern which shared in the original brand DNA Newlyn could successfully implement the identity and cement the brands position across all continents.

    The custom typefaces were used uniquely tying all the Hutchison mobile businesses together creating a strong argument for using a custom typeface across a global business.

  • The 3 logo is both iconic and symbolic it can be represented any number of ways either in line or dimensionally. Ultimately it exists in the mind.

    “A word or image is symbolic when it implies something more than its obvious and immediate meaning. It has a wider ’unconscious’ aspect that is never precisely defined or explained. As the mind explores the symbol, it is led to ideas beyond the grasp of reason.”

    Carl Jung
    Man & His Symbols

  • This is a small gift that was designed for investors, made from pure Unobtainium.