Creating successful products begins with the brief. An assessment of needs and wants, of possibilities and ambitions.

The brief can also be an opportunity to review the broader scope of the new venture, to analyse the existing products - what works, what doesn’t, where the costs arise, how the product fails, how the product is serviced, what consumers think, what the competition is etc.

Involving Designers during the generation of the brief can help to reveal possible development options and avoid future pitfalls.

BAA own and operate airports worldwide and have inherited many environments with contrasting architectural styles, spaces and products. Ensuring the safe and efficient flow of often bewildered passengers to their destination is a major factor determining the passenger experience of the BAA brand.

A diverse range of products, materials and suppliers not only confuses passengers but also results in an increasingly inefficient maintenance program.

BIB Design reviewed and audited the entire range of products found within the airports operated by BAA. Working with the client, Identity consultants and suppliers, BIB Design then assisted in the development of products and guidelines for standards which specified the implementation of new and replacement products throughout the airports.

BIB Design first developed the illuminated signage system which was a major factor in determining the direction of the corporate house style.

The new design was devised as part of a system which would ensure greater efficiencies in manufacturing, implementation, installation and maintenance. Combining aircraft aesthetics with greater legibility the new signs also achieved up to 60% enhanced energy efficiency through the innovative use of light source, diffusers and films.

Standards were then developed for other wayfinding products ( display boards, clocks, litter bins, handrails, bumpers, barriers and partitions) defining forms, materials, colours, finishes, layouts and heights and providing assistance in the design of baggage trolleys. Thus establishing a corporate product identity which informed and reassured the passenger throughout their experience.