North Yorkshire Moors Railway

Rebrand
Campaign Creation
Illustration
Art Direction
Print Design
Editorial Design

Client: North Yorkshire Moors Railway

North Yorkshire Moors Railway is one of the largest heritage lines in the United Kingdom carrying more passengers than any other stream heritage line, at 24 miles long it takes in six historic stations and passes through the scenic landscape of the North Yorkshire Moors.

The railway is much more than just a tourist train ride, with trackside preservation, engineering, education and job creation many stories were not being told and opportunities missed to help generate revenue and secure the future of the line.

We undertook a full stakeholder evaluation, workshops and interviews to develop a cohesive brand strategy and positioning taking in the history and future of the railway.

The new positioning needed to focus more on people and running for the greater good, rather than just train rides. The organisation was complex, recruiting many volunteers and internal communications a challenge within the existing brand framework.

Being a charity it was essential that existing supporters and new generations invest in not only the trains but the impact NYMR has and one important way of communicating was via their quarterly newsletter. We completely re-designed and re-structured this into a magazine that captures the true spirit of the railway and its volunteers, giving space to all aspects of the organisation and something that can generate revenue.

Generations have passed through the railway, not only as tourists but as staff and volunteers so it was essential to give them a platform, capturing the inner workings and passions that help keep the wheels turning.

We developed a flexible brand system including patterns, badges and illustrations, are used throughout all formats, some for visual purposes and brand recognition and some for more practical reasons, such as for framing and call-to-actions.

The railway never stands still and alongside the heritage and conservation, the experience of a day trip is paramount alongside events and festivals and we have developed campaigns to drive visitors numbers and awareness.

From Pickering to Whitby, North Yorkshire Moors Railway has ran trains since 1836 and now features on popular TV shows such as ‘Steam Train Diaries’ ‘The Yorkshire Steam Railway‘ and ‘Great British Train Journeys‘.

Every creative aspect of the organisation was reviewed and new designs rolled out post launch as needed with us supporting everything from hospitality to merchandise.