Creative companies’ contract co-operation
A group of creative businesses based in Derby’s Friar Gate Studios worked together to help Bombadier win its recent €1.3bn contract with the Swiss Federal Railways.
David Gordon Design, Mediasphere, Boxframe and Word of Mouth Creative all worked together to create the design and presentation material for the deal, which was announced in June 2010.
The largest contract ever awarded by Swiss Federal Railways, it involved designing the interior and exterior of 59 trains, totalling 436 carriages and 36,000 seats.
David Gordon, the founder of David Gordon Design, said: “The first step when designing a product like this is to consider the people, culture and architecture of the country. The Swiss have a clearly defined character which helps – they’re all about high-tech, refined looks with close attention to quality and detail.
“The aerodynamicists said they wanted sharper edge transition lines on the front nose to improve cross wind stability and we saw this as an opportunity to make the trains look faster and slightly more aggressive, so we redesigned and remodelled."
Andleeb Bhatti, centre manager of Friar Gate Studios, said: “It has been fantastic to see everyone contribute their skills to such a big project that reflects the creative flair of our talented tenants.”
