2. HIGGLEDY-PIGGLEDY STREETS WITH NAMES
YOU WANT TO SAY OUT LOUD – BEAR STEPS, W YLE COP
AND GROPE L ANE . A RIVER THAT SCOOPS UP THE TOWN
IN A LOOP. BURGER AND FRIES IN A MEDIEVAL CELL AR .
T WO BRIDGES, EACH WITH A DIFFERENT NATIONALIT Y.
WONK Y BUILDINGS LEFT, RIGHT AND CENTRE .
A CAPPUCCINO AND A BIKE TO GO. BREAD, STILL WARM,
MADE WITH FLOUR FROM A WATER MILL A FEW MILES AWAY.
MICK JAGGER AND MARGARET THATCHER WATCHING
FROM A 150 0s BUILDING. A BLOCKBUSTER
IN A TUDOR CINEMA ...
2
3. THE WORLD’S TALLEST TOWN CRIER .
921 YEARS OF WINE BUFFS. THREE MILLION BLOOMS
IN A QUARRY. PURPLE SPROUTING BROCCOLI FROM
THE ALLOTMENT (BUT ONLY BET WEEN NOVEMBER
AND APRIL). DARWIN’S SCHOOL DAYS. CARTOONS
AND CARICATURES FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD.
A MUSEUM IN AN OLD MUSIC HALL WITH MODERN ART
MIXED IN. 14TH CENTURY GR AFFITI. CHARLES DICKENS’
CHOICE FOR BED, BREAKFAST AND THE PICK WICK
PAPERS. A FOLK FESTIVAL WITH FREE WIFI...
YOU CAN’T COPY SHREWSBURY.
3
4. Shrewsbury is a one-off. You spot it
as soon as you step out of the train
station (which has the largest
mechanical signal box in the world,
but that’s by the by). It oozes charm.
And behind the charm, there’s
a lot going on.
The trouble is, not enough people know it.
Too many people miss Shrewsbury on their
way to somewhere else. Or they’re just
passing through. This brand is for them.
We want them to stop, to know where we
are on the map and to head here first.
We want to show them what a special place
this is. And we’re going to do it by putting
a spotlight on the one-offs all over the town.
Some of them are more obvious than others
(Darwin, our Tudor buildings, The Quarry
and the Flower Show), but many of
Shrewsbury’s one-offs are hidden in the little
things. The handwritten label on a jar of jam.
The stories, old and new, about who’s stayed
where and when. The things you miss when
you leave and you’re happy to come home to.
We’re tapping into all these things. There’s
a lot more we could talk about and many
different angles we could take. But good,
clear brands that make people sit up and
take notice focus on one thing. So that’s
what we’re doing. It’s about celebrating the
one-off places, people and things to do
that are all over Shrewsbury.
4
5. TH E M A I N PA RTS O F
SH R E WSBU RY ’S N E W B R A N D
YO U ’ L L STA R T TO S P OT T H E S E T H I N G S
O N B RO C H U R E S A N D P OST E R S A RO U N D
S H R E WS B U RY A N D S H RO PS H I R E .
8. THIS IS
OUR FONT
T H E F I N D S . T H E N OT- Q U I T E- L I K EA N Y T HI N G E L S E . T H E Q U I R K Y.
T H E V E RY, V E RY O L D A N D T H E
B R A N D N E W. ( O R A M I X O F
T H E T W O. ) T H E C A N ’ T- B E- C O P I E D.
T H E C A N ’ T- B E- B E T T E R E D.
8
10. AND THIS IS WHAT OUR
PHOTOS WILL LOOK LIKE
PLE ASE NOTE: The photos shown on this page are for mood board reference only. They have not
been bought by Shropshire Council so should not be reproduced or presented externally to anyone.
10
11. HOW CAN I USE
THE NEW IDENTIT Y?
Well, you probably don’t need to worry
about most of it. We’ve designed it
especially for Shrewsbury and we want
it to be used carefully and in the same
way so visitors start to notice our brand.
The people who will use it the most will
be graphic designers. We’ve written
more detailed guidelines for them.
Please ask for them if you’d like to use
more elements of the new identity in
your marketing (you can find contact
details at the end of the toolkit).
But we want everyone in Shrewsbury
to make the new brand work for them.
So there is something we’d love you to
get involved with...
11
12. PUT YOUR STAMP
ON SHREWSBURY
We’ve designed a simple stamp that
you can use easily to showcase your
own Shrewsbury one-offs:
You can use this line on the stamp in lots of
ways. For example, to say how old a building
is: since 1586. To show that something is
new: since 2012. Or to say that a loaf of bread
was baked earlier this morning: since
6.30am. Play with this idea as much as you
like, as long as you don’t change the wording,
and what you write helps to sum up the
one-off idea. And only use ‘A Shrewsbury
One-Off Since...’ in the stamp.
You can write your Shrewsbury one-offs in the
stamp by hand. There’s also a handwritten
font on the CD for when handwriting isn’t
possible (for example if you’re making
transparent window stickers or printing a
guide or brochure with the stamp inside).
1 829
6. 3 0 a m
2 0 12
1 98
7
12
14. OUR BR AND IS ALL ABOUT LETTING
THE REST OF THE UK KNOW, CLEARLY AND
CONFIDENTLY, THAT THERE’S NOWHERE
LIKE SHREWSBURY. WE WANT THIS SAME
CONFIDENCE TO BRUSH OFF ON OUR WORDS
TOO. THERE’S NO SPACE FOR NAGGING
WHY-AREN’T-WE-AS-WELL-KNOWN-ASSUCH-AND-SUCH DOUBTS FROM NOW ON.
HERE’S HOW TO MAKE YOUR WORDS
BRISTLE WITH CONFIDENCE .
14
15. TAGLINES
We want people to remember our
brand so we need to use these same
words over and over again.
THE TAGLINE ON OUR LOGO:
SHREWSBURY
THE ORIGINAL ONE-OFF
ITS SIDEKICK ON THE STAMP:
A SHREWSBURY
ONE-OFF SINCE
Don’t mess with these words! We wrote
them just for the logo and the stamp, so don’t
repeat them or use them anywhere else
(in body copy or in titles, for example).
HAND
Y H IN T
,
rprising
bou t su
Think a
ys to
a
cted w
unexpe
ething
hy s o m
plain w
ex
-off.
is a one
15
16. SUPPORTING LINES
The best way to tell people that
Shrewsbury is a one-off is to show it,
by using examples of one-offs in the
town as we have on the next few pages.
Sometimes, though, you might want
to talk about the overall idea on a
homepage, the front page of a brochure
or on merchandise without repeating
the line on the logo. Think about other
surprising, unexpected ways and
phrases to explain that something is a
one-off. It helps to start with idioms you
might say, like a real find. Otherwise
you’ll end up with well-trodden, ‘empty’
words and phrases that most places
use like unique or rare. And Shrewsbury
isn’t most places.
Here are some we came up with earlier.
They’re no good hiding in these guidelines,
so feel free to use these and come up with
your own, too.
THE FINDS.
THE NOT-QUITE-LIKEANY THING-ELSE .
THE QUIRK Y.
THE VERY, VERY OLD AND
THE BR AND NEW.
(OR A MIX OF THE T WO.)
THE CAN’T-BE-COPIED.
THE CAN’T-BE-BETTERED.
16
17. TITLES
We want our titles to be clear and
strident, so push the style and tone.
Use lots of verbs, short sentences and
write definitive statements. It can take
a bit of nerve to write like this, but as
long as what you’re saying isn’t boastful,
it won’t sound arrogant or standoffish.
Here are some examples to get
you started.
SECTIONS
If you’re writing sections of a website or a
brochure, use simple, active verbs like this:
SHOP … not Shopping
DO … not What to do
EAT … not Restaurants or Places to eat
STAY …not Hotels or Places to stay
HAN
DY H
INT
Use lo
t s of v
erbs,
shor t
sente
nce s
a nd
write
defin
statem itive
e n t s.
17
18. WRITING ABOUT ONE-OFFS
PLAYING ON THE OPPOSITE OF ONE-OFFS
Pick out small details and find unexpected
ways to say things. So instead of fresh
organic vegetables say Italian new Nicola
potatoes. Just dug up. Be playful too, but
make sure you keep your sentences short.
You can also have a lot fun by putting
a picture of something that is obviously
a one-off (like a plate of vegetables) with
a negative line that’s associated with
mass production or the daily grind.
This isn’t quite as easy to do because
there are only so many lines to choose
from, but when you get it to work it’s a
witty way to say one-off (see page 21
for some examples).
BAKED BY JOE AT 5.15AM.
BOUGHT BY YOU AT 9AM.
GONE BY 9.05AM.
Shrewsbury Bakehouse
921 YEAR-OLD VINTAGE.
Tanners Wine Merchants
OUR QUARRY
IS FULL OF FLOWERS.
The Quarry Park
YOU SAY POTATO.
WE SAY ITALIAN NEW NICOLA.
JUST DUG UP.
Pomona Grocery
FREE-RANGE DUCKS
LAID THE EGGS.
LUCY LAID THE TABLE.
Hardwick House B&B
BEAMS AND A BIG SCREEN
Old Market Hall cinema
18
19. EVERY THING ELSE
‘From stylish shopping and decadent
dining, to contemporary arts and a
vibrant nightlife…’
...This is the sort of thing most tourist
boards write all the time. These words are
from Visit Leeds’ website, but they could
just as easily describe most towns, including
Shrewsbury. We don’t need to write a sales
pitch because we aren’t short of one-offs
to write about. So when you’re writing a
brochure, a webpage or anything else, write
more like you speak and let Shrewsbury’s
one-offs do the selling for you.
19
20. Imagine you were telling someone why
they should come to Shrewsbury
ADD DETAIL
You probably wouldn’t say that Shrewsbury
has decadent dining or contemporary eating.
But you might say Cafe Saffron near the
Welsh bridge has won awards for its curry
or try the pan-fried brill fillet if you go to the
Lion and Pheasant.
PICK OUT THE ONE-OFFS AND THE QUIRKS
It’s pretty handy having shopping centres
on our doorstep but if we’re honest, visitors
don’t come to Shrewsbury for ‘the comfort,
convenience and easy access of under cover
shopping’. So write about the one-off shops
that people won’t be able to find anywhere
else (visitors might pop into Boots while
they’re here, but it isn’t what will make them
come in the first place).
SKIP THE ADJECTIVES
Say Quarry Park not magnificent Quarry Park.
Say fireworks not truly spectacular fireworks
display evening. And if you want visitors
to know how superb the folk festival is,
namecheck artists past and present like KT
Tunstall, Richard Thompson and Kate Rusby.
SKIP THE FORMAL OR SALES-Y WORDS
Look out for formal words people write,
but hardly ever say – like situated, located,
perfectly placed, venture into or words that
sound too copywritten like there’s plenty
more to tempt the garden lover. If in doubt,
say it simply: if you like gardens…
HAN
DY H
INT
al or
e form
e
kip th
S
rds...w
-y wo
fs
sales
n e - of
of o
shor t
ut.
aren’t
e abo
to writ
20
21. C H A I N STO R E
TA K E AWAY
R E A DY M E A L
T R A FFI C JA M
BEST BEFORE 1403
N O A RT I FI C I A L
CO LO U R S
E X E RC I S E
BIKE
G R A FFI T I
PLE ASE NOTE: The photos shown on this page are for mood board reference only. They have not
been bought by Shropshire Council so should not be reproduced or presented externally to anyone.
21
23. IN PRINT
Posters
TH E FI N DS,
TH E N OT- Q U I TE- LI K EA N Y THI N G E L SE ,
TH E SPEC I A L A N D TH E
C A N ’ T- B E- B ET TE R E D.
N O A RT IFIC I A L COLOURS
23
25. Brochure spreads
B A K E D BY J O E AT 5.15A M
BO U G HT BY YO U AT 9A M .
G O N E BY 9. 0 5A M .
“Ihitatat uribers
pernatur, tenim pem
hum fugia velist apis
dolor upta quidict
id verciurem qudo
quatur. Nata eos
doluptatis endente
mquate se con pe
omnimilit raerum et
quidus il sam
eramus.”
Ihitatat uribers pernatur, tenim
pem hitium fugia velistor apis
dolorupta quidicto verciurem
quatur re sequam fugiae. Nem
exces num dellates et que sandi
pidelitvo lupissunt. Oluptate
iusant utatatur, eoste escia
quam volut audi ilitae expedis
nitate plia volorro vendamet, nim
in latenia voloreh endiae vendita
sum quam faccusda ducium
voluptat. Ignis aut veliciis etur,
odissus cienitia aintorernatur
repe aut raturia vent liquidi
omnitas arunt alia secatur, que
oditae eate maximoluptat do
occum sidi blaut poreprovit, ipid
minctur sum nimage rest, utem.
Apero tem aborest orrunt. Suntis
consedi ciatiosaped que solut
occusam aborendit, etur
imagnam imusaep udaniet illam,
ut lab ipsusae simende rciende
lecatum quo in nus molorei
ctotas rem nos eturis ent fugitet
ad quas repta dolupta qui ut eum
in necte conHitatemp orepuda
volupta temolliquas culla nimet
reria nus asim voluptae et adit
prat volupta doloris es aut
faccat. Nam, ut lant officiam que
verum niment, simus aut eos ma
aspidi officatur ad quibus dis
quaest voluptiae laut vitibust,
core pa ni consed acea dolupti
inustisi qui num quatecus aut
pori suntis nulparc idigene.
Quidicto verciurem quatur re
sequam fugiae. Nem exces num
dellates et que sandi pidelitvo
lupissunt. Oluptate iusant
utatatur, eoste escia quam volut
audi ilitae expedis nitate plia
volorro vendamet, nim in latenia
voloreh endiae vendita sum
quam faccusda ducium voluptat.
Ignis aut veliciis etur, odissus
cienitia aintorernatur.
S H R E W S B U RY B A K E H O U S E
Castle Gates
1 997
SHOP
20 02
CHAIN ST
RE
25
26. Brochure spreads
O U R Q UA R RY I S
FU LL OF FLOWERS
“Ihitatat uribers
pernatur, tenim pem
hum fugia velist apis
dolor upta quidict id
verciurem qudo
quatur. Nata eos
doluptatis endente
mquate se con pe
omnimilit raerum et
quidus il sam eramus
sera.”
Ihitatat uribers pernatur, tenim
pem hitium fugia velistor apis
dolorupta quidicto verciurem
quatur re sequam fugiae. Nem
exces num dellates et que sandi
pidelitvo lupissunt. Oluptate
iusant utatatur, eoste escia
quam volut audi ilitae expedis
nitate plia volorro vendamet, nim
in latenia voloreh endiae vendita
sum quam faccusda ducium
voluptat. Ignis aut veliciis etur,
odissus cienitia aintorernatur
repe aut raturia vent liquidi
omnitas arunt alia secatur, que
oditae eate maximoluptat do
occum sidi blaut poreprovit, ipid
minctur sum nimage rest, utem.
Apero tem aborest orrunt. Suntis
consedi ciatiosaped que solut
occusam aborendit, etur
imagnam imusaep udaniet illam,
ut lab ipsusae simende rciende
lecatum quo in nus molorei
ctotas rem nos eturis ent fugitet
ad quas repta dolupta qui ut eum
1 70 0
in necte conHitatemp orepuda
volupta temolliquas culla nimet
reria nus asim voluptae et adit
prat volupta doloris es aut
faccat. Nam, ut lant officiam que
verum niment, simus aut eos ma
aspidi officatur ad quibus dis
quaest voluptiae laut vitibust,
core pa ni consed acea dolupti
inustisi qui num quatecus aut
pori suntis nulparc idigene.
Quidicto verciurem quatur re
sequam fugiae. Nem exces num
dellates et que sandi pidelitvo
lupissunt. Oluptate iusant
utatatur, eoste escia quam volut
audi ilitae expedis nitate plia
volorro vendamet, nim in latenia
voloreh endiae vendita sum
quam faccusda ducium voluptat.
Ignis aut veliciis etur, odissus
cienitia aintorernatur.
T H E Q U A R RY PA R K
Home to The Carnival,
Regatta and Dragon Boat Festival
DO
R E A DY M E L
201
2
26
27. Business cards
2008
200
2
A LI SO N PATR I C K
SI M O N M CC LOY
TO U R I SM O FFI C E R
C EO S H RO PS H I R E TO U R I SM
Shropshire Council, Shirehall, Shrewsbury, Shropshire SY2 6ND
T 01743 252546 E alison.patrick@shropshire.gov.uk
Grove House, St. Julian’s Friars, Shrewsbury, Shropshire SY1 1XL
T 01743 261919 E enquiries@shropshiretourism.co.uk
S H R E WS B U RY T H E O R I G I N A L O N E- O F F
S H R E WS B U RY T H E O R I G I N A L O N E- O F F
27
28. ON WEBSITES
SHOP
E AT
DO
S TAY
FIND
THE FINDS . THE NOT- QUITE-LIKE-ANYTHING -ELSE .
THE QUIRK Y. THE VERY, VERY OLD AND
THE BRAND NEW. OR A MIX OF THE T WO.
UP COMING EVENTS
Shropshire Modellers Show
1st April 2012 - 1st April 2012
Rea Valley Farmers Market
1st April 2012 - 1st April 2012
Samba Beats Drumming Workshop
3rd April 2012 - 3rd April 2012
Introduction to Garden Design
1st April 2012 - 1st April 2012
DO
L ATEST NE WS
Search is on for England’s biggest fan!
Posted: 27th march 2012
Charles darwin’s childhood garden
open to the public for anniversary
Posted: 8th february 2012
Competition winner praises
Shrewsbury
Posted: 6th February 2012
GALLERY
SH OP
E AT
Photos from events and locations
in Shrewsbury.
MAP OF SHRE WSBURY
28
29. SHOP
UP COMING EVENTS
Shropshire Modellers Show
1st April 2012 - 1st April 2012
Rea Valley Farmers Market
1st April 2012 - 1st April 2012
E AT
DO
S TAY
FIND
SHOP
Aruntori deritat il ipsam fuga. Aribusae latiossin consequia dolor umquodi
simposam adi deleniet reperro riorepu daepedit molupta temporepudi qui
Samba Beats Drumming Workshop
3rd April 2012 - 3rd April 2012
dusapis desto berchicimo il eicitas et audit, cuptati urerum asi destio con
Introduction to Garden Design
1st April 2012 - 1st April 2012
perupta temperro beatem quossit evellupta quam atur modis magnient.
pro is eni repersp itiaerum comnimpe suntibusam fuga. Otatur solorem
Uci volupti busant esequos at quundust esti tendebitam re volent ra quam,
L ATEST NE WS
Search is on for England’s biggest fan!
Posted: 27th march 2012
Charles darwin’s childhood garden
open to the public for anniversary
Posted: 8th february 2012
omnis explandam, omnis et qui ratenem quiam hicaboreic tempos
dolorporum iderum facitet urestinci dessimet od molorionet quasit omnimil
millat vitiate vendis ium sunt ex et recabor asit quod quam, consedis qui
conseces ni dellitatur aut quis.
Competition winner praises
Shrewsbury
Posted: 6th February 2012
GALLERY
Photos from events and locations
in Shrewsbury.
MAP OF SHRE WSBURY
29
31. FOR EVENTS
S H R E W S B U RY
CHARLES DARWI N
FLOWER SHOW
F E S T I VA L
1 0 – 11 A U G U S T 2 0 12
16 – 2 2 S E P T E M B E R 2 0 11
1 887
1809
31
34. MORE THAN A ONE-OFF
The Original One-Off doesn’t end
with a logo, words or a pattern. If we
really want the idea to stick we need
to think about what other one-offs we
can come up with or draw attention
to in Shrewsbury.
THE DRAPERS HALL
...might be taken over once a month by chefs
in Shrewsbury. The rules of this seasonal
supper club would be to only make dishes
using ingredients from within five miles of
Shrewsbury, and dishes that aren’t on any
menus in the town.
A VISIT SHREWSBURY TOWN MAP
...might become a map of one-offs:
quirky places to visit, shop, eat and see
that no other town has.
THE OLD MARKET HALL …
...might show a season of films called
No Sequel – blockbuster films that never
had a sequel.
A WELCOME TO SHREWSBURY SIGN…
...might become a blackboard with a handchalked message that changes every day.
SHREWSBURY’S TWITTER ACCOUNT…
...might be run by someone different from
Shrewsbury every day, tweeting about their
Shrewsbury (it’s what Sweden’s official
Twitter account does).
A BILLBOARD SIGN OUTSIDE THE STATION…
...might become a wall of flowers sponsored
by the Flower Show that changes with
the seasons.
A VACANT SHOP…
...might become a pop-up craft shop over the
summer with stock that changes every week
(all handmade one-offs, naturally).
THE BALLROOM IN THE LION HOTEL …
...might hold the Survival of the Unfittest
get-together. Every month enthusiasts meet
to celebrate the skills and crafts time forgot,
like stonemasonry, letterpress and old
Atari computers.
THE DARWIN LIBRARY
…might invite touring authors to give a talk
or tell a story with no notes. The stories aren’t
recorded or turned into a podcast. It’s called
You only hear it once and you’ll only hear
them by coming to Shrewsbury.
Ideas like this will make sure
Shrewsbury’s reputation as a town
of one-offs grows.
34
35. ANY QUESTIONS?
If you’ve got any questions about our
brand or about how and when to use
the stamp, get in touch with:
Alison Patrick
Visitor Economy Team
Shropshire Council
Tel: 01743 252546
Email: alison.patrick@shropshire.gov.uk
35
