July: Curates round up

Sport and culture have been the main feature for Cargo Curates in July, as the industries made the most of their downtime to adapt for the future. Internationally, AC Milan revealed their new brand strategy to enter into the digital era, while on a national level Rangers F.C. was given a new modern typeface and logo.

We also celebrated some local talent with a homewear artist and photographer.

AC Milan tackle new brand strategy during lockdown

AC Milan have fast-tracked a brand transformation during lockdown, paving the way for other sporting clubs to find their place in the new world.

Speaking about the refreshed brand strategy, the club’s Chief Revenue Officer Casper Stylsvig discussed the worry of attracting brands without meeting face-to-face post-COVID. He spoke about how they must be able to sell a vision and entice people “to be part of our journey and story”. The other concern, of course, was the huge drop in all major revenue streams throughout the country’s lockdown which led to the acceleration of the new concept.

Not long after the pandemic began, the football club quickly got on board to build a sense of community among fans. Alongside messages of hope and unity pushed out through owned channels, the club raised awareness of mental health through partnerships and also delivered care packages to ticket holders.

They also recognised that, in Europe, football isn’t usually mixed with music entertainment but it has the potential to do so. They dived head first into this during lockdown, partnering with Roc Nation (Jay-Z’s entertainment company) to hold a virtual concert, raising money for those who were fighting COVID-19 on the frontline.

There are other opportunities in the pipeline too, such as linking the club with Milan as a fashion capital and embracing new music partnerships. They also discussed gaining a better understanding of their consumers, delving into the data they’ve gathered from media platforms and the app.

All of this is alongside the promise of a new stadium, which is expected to boost morale of the fans. Read the full story here.

Newcastle-based artist launches Jesmonite homewear collection

Newcastle-based artist, Kayleigh Carter has launched her own homewear collection on Instagram.

The Instagram was launched 21 weeks ago and showcases her creative coasters and planters which she is now taking orders for. The page also gives an insight into her design process which involves cracking Jesmonite, moulding and sanding to get the perfect finish.

Her materials are also eco-friendly as Jesmonite is a water-based eco-resin that is highly impact-resistant. It is solvent-free too which makes it a good alternative to other building materials that are often used in homewear. Unique terrazzo patterns and a radial spray effect are among some of the cool designs that she makes.

We love the medium planters — a great addition to an office or studio!

Rangers F.C. fan and typographer Craig Black completes dream project with the club

In a collaboration with agency See Saw, Craig Black revealed the new brand typeface for Rangers F.C. earlier this month.

Working with one of the world’s oldest football clubs, the agency and typographer took on the challenge of bringing the team into the digital era. With a goal of “supporting global growth and fan engagement ambitions”, the visual style has been cleverly modernised while keeping the roots to its heritage.

The new custom typeface combines the club’s history with its personality and remains recognisable whilst being transferrable for the digital age.

The logo has been refreshed too, with the women’s team now having an updated logo of a lioness. Read his case study.

Local photographer Matthew Brown captures Comet Neowise over Tynemouth Priory

Comet Neowise has been talked about a lot lately, it was first discovered in March and it has continued on a journey past Earth before it will head back out into the solar system.

Luckily for us, it has been visible to the naked eye in areas with low light pollution. This is how Matthew Brown took his photograph on 14 July. Stood at the South Tyne Pier, he captured the shot of the comet overlooking Tynemouth Priory.

An outstanding picture! See his other work here.

Catch up with our next Curates round-up at the end of August or get regular updates on what we’ve spotted and what we’ve been up to on our socials and website.