(10 Nov 2020, 7:19 pm)Michael wrote 100% agree.

(11 Nov 2020, 11:29 am)ian foster wrote The branding itself can make all the difference. Look how many said they didn't like the yellow X lines livery until the branding was applied. As for poor branding I think the worst one ever was See it do Sunderland. A complete mouthful and thankfully short lived.

(11 Nov 2020, 11:44 am)JP6004 wrote Wasnt that Sunderland Council? Similar branding was applied to a few Mk4/ Class 91s

(11 Nov 2020, 2:41 pm)DaveyB wrote It is a Council initiative to promote events and tourism. I always thought it was more of an advertisement than a brand.

(11 Nov 2020, 4:14 pm)Michael wrote What tourism?

A market with nothing in? (getting knocked down next month!!!)
The Bridges?
Blandford Street - which is stuck in the 60's
Empty shops?

Sunderland council only care about filling their back pockets, and that's it.

(11 Nov 2020, 4:24 pm)Drifter60 wrote Like the seafront, parks, the new stack development, Penshaw Monument, Winter Gardens, Hylton Castle, National Glass Centre to name but a few. 
I’m not from Sunderland but it’s a bit lazy to just slag off councils.
High Streets are dying not tourism, well not before a pandemic got in the way of course.

(11 Nov 2020, 4:14 pm)Michael wrote What tourism?

A market with nothing in? (getting knocked down next month!!!)
The Bridges?
Blandford Street - which is stuck in the 60's
Empty shops?

Sunderland council only care about filling their back pockets, and that's it.

(11 Nov 2020, 4:33 pm)Michael wrote That's true but they wanted people to go to the City Centre too - all bus services go through the city centre - first thing people will comment on, how good it looks, and tbh, its run down, a right eye sore.

It needs flattered and started again.


How's it lazy to slag them off?, City Centre gets worse by the years, yet they're building more pointless Office blocks on the Vaux site, which won't be filled up... while we have loads empty in the City Centre...

(14 Nov 2020, 3:25 pm)TEN 6083 wrote Go North East Voltra 8806 / ND70 AEY by kieron mathews, on Flickr


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

(14 Nov 2020, 3:37 pm)Michael wrote Looks really good however... I have 1 issue, and that's the number 54, my OCD is going mad, as the top of the number is sticking out due to the design of the bus.

(14 Nov 2020, 3:41 pm)mb134 wrote But, but all Best Impressions designs are bespoke to each vehicle type?! 

Its not due to the design of the bus at all, moving the 54 down on the vinyl a couple of centimetres sorts that out and makes it look less shoddy.

Voltra.png (Size 2 MB | Downloads 80)

(14 Nov 2020, 3:45 pm)Dan wrote It's being sorted next week. For consistency (for a planned videoshoot), they're being left like this for now then amended next week.

(14 Nov 2020, 3:40 pm)James101 wrote With the caveat that these haven’t been declared as finished - they’re great but not GNE!

Nothing on the front or back to suggest it’s a GNE bus and no hallmarks of a house style. Tongues may soon be wagging amongst Joe public about this new ‘VOLTRA’ bus company starting up, maybe it’s something to do with Arriva? They’re green aren’t they?

(14 Nov 2020, 4:00 pm)omnicity4659 wrote I've made a quick and rough edit of the livery to make it "flow" a bit better. Added a rear logo, silver curves on the glazing and adjusted the 54 placement.

I've noticed that the black curves on the bodywork aren't as curved as they should be, with quite a lot of "flat areas", if I had more time I'd get rid of those too.

(14 Nov 2020, 3:25 pm)TEN 6083 wrote Go North East Voltra 8806 / ND70 AEY by kieron mathews, on Flickr


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

(14 Nov 2020, 5:46 pm)BeachBoy99 wrote So, no stripes... i.e., this is the new house style? Prompts the question of when the other odd hundred buses in the fleet are going to receive this swoop design then, and if they're not then it's made the whole initiative of standardising the entire fleet a complete waste of time.

(14 Nov 2020, 5:57 pm)Michael wrote Not all of them will though, as some of the buses in the fleet are due to be withdrawn, soon as the dupe buses aren't needed.

(14 Nov 2020, 6:20 pm)BeachBoy99 wrote That still leaves loads, including the ex-Saltwell Park StreetLites that have JUST come back. It makes absolutely no sense.

• Gradients are out of fashion big time especially in the way the band has been done and behind the 53/54.
  
• Grey on grey is a big no for contrast accesibility. You can barely read the route information.
  
• The Voltra being sideways, just looks weird and I don't know what the blue is supposed to be there.
  
• The 3 green lines are random and look like something from the 1980's.
  
• I don't know it's an electric bus from behind as it's not mentioned at all and on the side, it's barely noticeable unless I was actually standing looking at the bus (it doesn't stand out).
  
• The GoNorthEast logo is awkward and looks like an afterthough.
  
• The black is random and doesn't represent anything and black/silver doesn't represent anything to do with electricity nor does it have any link back to Saltwell Park.
  
• The Zero Emission Electric Bus looks like an afterthought even known it's supposed to be the selling point.
  

(14 Nov 2020, 6:44 pm)Storx wrote I haven't said anything about it so far but I'm really surprised people like that, it's up there with one of the worst brands I've seen for anything (not just buses).

Reasons imo:

• Gradients are out of fashion big time especially in the way the band has been done and behind the 53/54.
  
• Grey on grey is a big no for contrast accesibility. You can barely read the route information.
  
• The Voltra being sideways, just looks weird and I don't know what the blue is supposed to be there.
  
• The 3 green lines are random and look like something from the 1980's.
  
• I don't know it's an electric bus from behind as it's not mentioned at all and on the side, it's barely noticeable unless I was actually standing looking at the bus (it doesn't stand out).
  
• The GoNorthEast logo is awkward and looks like an afterthough.
  
• The black is random and doesn't represent anything and black/silver doesn't represent anything to do with electricity nor does it have any link back to Saltwell Park.
  
• The Zero Emission Electric Bus looks like an afterthought even known it's supposed to be the selling point.
  

The sad thing is, if they removed the gradients, changed the blue to brand of the bus ie green here, removed the 3 random lines and changed the silver to the old Citylink gold then it would've made sense as it would make you think of a battery which is obviously what they've tempted to do but it doesn't work with silver and it kinda misses the point of the brand as it doesn't shout electric bus at all. Infact if someone said GoNorthEast had new electric buses I'd think they were on the 97 instead.

Duracell has some strong branding and with a similar design with the colour on black with gold, it could've worked quite well and is arguably better than the Voltra branding (which off the bus isn't bad).

(14 Nov 2020, 5:46 pm)BeachBoy99 wrote So, no stripes... i.e., this is the new house style? Prompts the question of when the other odd hundred buses in the fleet are going to receive this swoop design then, and if they're not then it's made the whole initiative of standardising the entire fleet a complete waste of time.

(14 Nov 2020, 7:13 pm)omnicity4659 wrote I don't think so. I just think that this style is for routes which need a bit more recognition and status than the standardised scheme. Maybe the same will happen for the Angel?

What I've noticed is that Crusader and Venture, the two brands designed wholly by Best Impressions seem to have a unified logo style - standardising the brands even more than the previous work by Beacon. This in itself is understandably restrictive and so a new approach in branding will be needed for the above reason.

(14 Nov 2020, 7:22 pm)BeachBoy99 wrote This better bloody not happen to The Angel. 

Beacon's work was absolutely fantastic and it's a shame that they stopped consulting a local design agency in return for Best Impressions, who are completely overrated in my opinion.