International Airlines Group Cargo is one of the world’s largest airline groups, incorporating British Airways, Iberia, Aer Lingus, Vueling and Level.

As part of the organisation’s rebrand that would consolidate the airline’s cargo sub-brands, Signbox successfully tendered to fulfil a creative brief that would roll-out a high quality signage scheme across workspaces at London Heathrow and hubs in Dublin and Madrid.

Our solution was devised to transform tired, lacklustre meeting rooms and spaces into calm, professional settings and to restyle exterior areas while rationalising an intelligent new brand and giving a fresh impetus to IAG Cargo’s high-traffic, 24/7 environments. We did just that through exciting external signage, wayfinding, environmental graphics, manifestation, safety signs and finishing touches – all reflecting a seminal brand evolution that would turn heads and fire productivity.

Challenges

The airside, 24/7 high security operational buildings would feature newly branded external signage positioned at extreme height. Installing each sign during the UK’s coldest, ‘Beast from the East’ winter periods on the largest reach platform available was a hazardous operation that proved incredibly challenging, but the end result was a credit to our robust installation plan and highly skilled teams.

Time, too, was key. We had a window of just seven weeks to commission the entire signage solution – this included transforming IAG Cargo’s Heathrow base and project managing local teams in Dublin and Madrid to complete work on the overseas hub spaces.

Technical Details

IAG Cargo’s external signage comprised direct-to-surface printed ACM trays manufactured using our Durst P10 with HP latex-printed and laminated vinyl graphics completing the external cladding elements. Internal signs were printed using our HP Latex 3650 on Metamark high-tack with a scratch resistant over-laminate for easy maintenance within high traffic areas.

The striking manifestation graphics were produced using Metamark digital frost that was HP printed and CAD cut on our Zund S3 while LG Class O fire-certified high-tack wall vinyl was used to create a series of captivating environmental graphics. Statutory signage and secondary wayfinding were formed from direct-to-surface printed acrylic.

We treated meeting room walls with Idea Paint to serve as large dry wipe areas that were customised further to serve as AV presentation walls. To do so, 12mm thick black and grey Valchromat MDF panels were routed on our Tekcel EXR CNC and clad onto a carcass of fire-rated 18mm thick plywood. We then supplied and installed 65” monitors and associated cabling to complete these eye-catching feature walls.

The Result

Thanks to conscientious teamwork and collaboration with the client’s in-house teams, we successfully installed the entire signage solution within the constraints of time, logistics and hazardous working environments. The result is a cohesive and impactful implementation of a large-scale rebrand that has significantly enhanced both IAG Cargo’s corporate identity and its workspace.

“In 2018, IAG Cargo undertook a significant global rebrand across over 200 stations worldwide,” says Adam Chaudhri, IAG Cargo’s Head of Marketing & External Communications. “Part of that rebrand involved substantial signage and office changes at our stations. It also required significant team work, collaboration and a creative edge. Signbox, working with our in-house team, managed to execute a complete revamp of our business in just a seven week window. Incredible planning and flexibility meant that we maximised our impact and delivered a substantial project, whilst being cost-conscious throughout. The Signbox team was a major contributor to the success of our brand launch.”