Blue Harbour is a mixed-use development in upscale Ta’Xbiex, Malta. The owners required a set of signs to project both the property brand image and to provide wayfinding information. Modulex was selected for the project as it provided the perfect balance of flexibility and cost in a modular system. The results have been very well received by the owners and tenants alike. Mr Fenech, who commissioned the project, commented “We are delighted with them and they have gone down really well with our clientele” in an email to us on project completion. An additional consideration for the project was the proximity to the sea. Malta has a very harsh environment with a combination of salty air plus alkaline limestone dust that can act like sandpaper, so choosing Modulex products just makes so much sense. With sector-leading industrial design and production the vast range of sign systems can support the myriad combinations that we require to help clients solve brand implementation and wayfinding issues. Modulex is distributed in Malta exclusively by Mangion & Lightfoot through their association with Cicrespi S.p.A., Italy’s leading brand implementation company.

Demicoli & Associates are the architects for the project. (We designed their website, which you can read about here)

I must admit, it’s been a struggle trying to get site developers to mirror a site design created on fireworks. We spend hours moving things around, a pixel here and a pixel there and most of the time, developers can’t seem to see the difference between type sizes or leading which can literally make or break a design. So I would like to thank Keen, our Gozitan friends who developed the WordPress site for us. At last, somebody who can actually say ‘yes, we can do that’ without adding zeros to the bottom line.

We researched many automotive sites and drew a few conclusions mainly on the functionality. Browsing car stock was one thing which we needed to simplify – The usability of the car showroom in particular required a rethink. Our main objective was to create a showroom that users would not need to refresh or leave the page but move through the showroom seamlessly. Clicking on the thumbnails or arrows on either side of  the large image allows the user to view all the images in a large format instantly. The main information of the car is displayed clearly on the right and full specifications, book a test drive, or email a friend are also opened without refreshing or leaving the page. The user can continue to scroll down the page view all cars, images, specs etc without refreshing or leaving the page….ever! Site will be uploaded within a few weeks… check it out: www.ciapella.com

In 2007 we created the Pash identity and a range of packaging solutions for their fruit juices and fresh herbs range. Buoyed by the success, Jimmy Vella asked us to turn a hand to nuts and dried fruit.

The solution to this project was again to take the simple approach. That and a healthy dose of humor. A quick bit of market research and a few bags of pistachios later it was clear that most of the competing packages in this food category looked dated and lacked shelf presence. We wanted to create a design that had standout and wasn’t afraid to be different.

We considered the impact the package would have once it was taken home and brought out and perhaps shared around, and designed the package to be memorable and fun. It was also important that it complimented the rest of the Pash product range. The name does what is says on the tin and provides a strong sense of brand confidence.

There’s also a bit of word play and healthy associations brought out too. Backed up by simple honest type and colours to match, the package allowed Jimmy Vella to introduce a memorable and humorous newcomer to the category.

Charles Grech, importers of fine wines, beer and tobacco since 1881 have extended their range of upmarket products to include perfumes and cosmetics. With this product diversification and extensive refurbishment programme at their flagship store in Valletta, Mangion and Lightfoot were brought in to create an image that reflected this diversification on a retail level. The challenge was to create an image that would cover the whole range of products without looking out of place if simply applied to one particular range, say cigars. Ultimately the brand had to look comfortable if you walked out of the store carrying a CG bag with a box of cigars or just a perfume or both.  The inspiration behind the logo itself came from the name Grech which from research we carried out was derived from a Greek family who settled on the island of Malta in the 17th century. Further research into Greek keys, designs and motifs inspired us to construct a ‘C’ and a ‘G’ in a continuos line that became the logo. But this wasn’t enough, we also created a separate graphic ‘device’ to suggest the product type as upmarket and established that would provide extensibility and could be easily applied across their diverse range of products.

In the ad campaign we wanted to recreate a Valletta scene from the 50s to further emphasise the established brand element and an aspiration to quality. The facade itself although extensively restored, was not changed from its original design and we felt that cigars, fine wines and even cosmetics fitted perfectly with the 50s theme.

Mangion & Lightfoot’s Granfarina package design was recently featured in The Dieline a highly regarded website dedicated to the progress of the package design industry and its practitioners, students and enthusiasts. Its purpose is to define and promote the world’s best examples of packaging, and provide a place where the package design community can review, critique and stay informed of the latest industry trends and design projects being created in the field. The Dieline has quickly grown into the most visited website on package design in the world, and has become the voice of the industry. It is an active sponsor of the Pentawards, the first and only professional design competition devoted exclusively to the art of brand packaging, further promoting the field.

Gran Farina is a private label brand developed for use in Eastern Mediterranean markets and was commissioned by Federated Mills, Malta’s only flour milling operation. We developed the name and visual identity along with a range of packaging for the 6 main types of flour they planned to market.

Mangion & Lightfoot were approached by Magro Brothers to design a package solution for the brand name ‘Occasions’. Specifically produced for the UK market, the product required a logo and a series of three labels aimed for the middle to upper market sector.

Our solution was to create a contemporary design that could be extended across this range and any future ranges, even if the package was modified to accommodate different food products.

Mutti tomato products are market leaders in Italy. A substantial reduction on EU food imports taxes in 2005 meant that Mutti could become competitive on the local market and having created and managed a very successful launch campaign, Mutti rapidly gained market-share.

In 2008, a follow up campaign was designed to consolidate this market-share and again Mangion & Lightfoot were asked to create and manage a new campaign using a fresh approach. The main focus was that Mutti used no preservatives in their flagship product ‘polpa’ or crushed tomatoes. The solution was to create an image that highlighted the health benefits of a product without preservatives.Visual rhetoric was employed to communicate this idea and the use of green serif type, red and a rustic background was used to promote the product as Italian which is associated with good, simple, healthy, home-made food.

Demicoli & Associates are one of Malta’s leading architecture firms. Having previously worked with them to develop a new visual identity in 2007 we were asked to help update their website in 2009; this is the result.

Though not live yet it is in the final stages of development as is to be launched in the coming weeks. We hope you enjoy this little taster.

Building on the strength of the geometric logo and contemporary typography, we developed a simple grid to support the different layouts and used strong black and white photography to bring out the form inherent in the architecture.

This is the first annual report for Island Hotels Group Holdings since going public in October 2009. Genuine People, Genuine Passion, Genuine Prospects – the bold claim conceived for the IPO – provided the stepping off point for the creative solution. We focused on the new Board of Directors and Group Executive Team and commissioned portraits to illustrate the CEO’s review and provide the visual element to the publication. Whilst not exactly an austerity publication we were very conscious of the need to really help keep costs to a minimum in light of the economic climate.

Avedon-inspired portraits of the Board and Group Executive Team were shot by George Scintilla and the report was printed at Gutenberg Press.

As with all Annual Reports, the printing was executed in an impressively short time and in this case, without a hitch! A big thanks to all those involved. Especially George!