Best branding I have seen has always been by Stagecoach. When Hartlepool depot got low floor buses for the first time in 1999 they put them on what is the cross town service 6. So they give it the brand name of super 6. The normal livery of the Stagecoach stripes but with a blue Swirly 6 with super and six on either side of it. No fancy taglines just the main route of Hart Station Town Centre Fens Estate on side and every 15 minutes Hart Station Town Centre Fens Estate on the back window. That’s all that was needed. So yeah due to a spare one often ended up doing other routes but it was promoting the 6 and that it was now low floor so anyone could travel on it.

They did the same thing with service 1 about 5 year later in 2004 the normal livery but with 1 branding and the main places it served in Hartlepool, Middlesbrough James Cook hospital on the side on the tagline Shopping, Commuting, Days out, Hospital visits on the back that’s all that was needed.

The problem Go north east have done they gone to over the top. East Durham worked and it was more than a brand it was like a little company of its own within Go North East it was the local bus service for east Durham. I am baffled why they then thought changing it to indigo which made no sense was a good idea it had no connection to the area. Same with Tyne Tees Express it was a very simple brand which pointed out it’s the express service between Middlesbrough and Newcastle. Changing it to just X9 10 then Xlines made no absolutely no sense it says nothing about the service. That’s just two examples. Fab 56 as pointed out well it’s the 56. City rider has no meaning to it I immediately think it’s a cross city service from one part of a city to another not a service between Sunderland and Newcastle.
They need to ditch the branding altogether really now very little of them make no sense anymore and they have got desperate for them.