Via Post - Royal Mail Rebrand
A university project required me to re-brand Royal Mail in a post Brexit world. My concept is based on the geographical landscape of the UK and the journey post takes in order to reach its final destination, something that is usually not thought about. Looking at different visualisations of landscape, I was lead to topographical maps and the contouring of terrain. This immediately reminded me of a fingerprint, something that makes each individual who they are. I applied this to the UK as a whole, as if the country has its very own fingerprint. I liked the idea that everyone within the UK is individual, sending all kinds of different post to different places. From this, I developed the idea that the stamp in a traditional sense is no more, but instead algorithms create the most efficient route that your post will take, to get to its final destination, and the visual representation of this route will be printed onto envelopes and packages instead. This is presented in the form of a line, which is the exact route that your post will take and from this you can scan to keep track of where it is. The art of letter writing is already declining and so by making it a special and personal experience I believe it will encourage its use as a form of communication more.
Post Van
The vans used by Via Post will be the electric vans, developed by the company Arrival. These vans run entirely on electricity and so reduce the carbon footprint. This is important as my concept relies heavily on the idea of routes, how your post has reached you and where it has been, I needed to make sure that this would not have any impact on the environment. Additionally, algorithms will be used to calculate the fastest and most efficient route for the vans to take.
Uniform
As Via Post is a personal experience, the uniform is important as it is what the users will see and interact with when they use the service. I have selected a range from the items available for postal workers, creating vector illustrations to demonstrate how they would look. Items are available in a range of colours from the scheme. The Via Post workers are easy to identify and approachable
The Stamp
The Via Post stamps are the element which changes the users experience with post the most within my idea. When sending post, the ‘stamp’ which is printed is a line which visually represents the journey that your post will take. Then, when scanned by either yourself or a postal worker, details of the delivery are revealed. You can also scan this to the Via Post App, where you can track the progress of your app and see where it has passed along the way. Obviously, not all post is sent on an individual to individual basis and companies, organisations and sometimes individuals need to send out post on mass. In this case, the alternative stamp is the UK contour watermark which will allow you to send your post anywhere. There is no first and second class with Via Post, all delivery is priority and costs the same.
The Envelope
Anyone can use any kind of envelope, jiffy bag or parcel when using Via Post, however special Via Post envelopes are available. The shape of the envelope when unfolded is a hexagon, like the letter boxes and relates to the idea of a beehive. When unfolded, the envelope is printed with the route that your post has taken and points of interest that you may not have known before, along its route. This not only makes your post special and individual to you, but also gives more Regular envelopes will have the route printed inside also but will not fold out to be this shape, additionally packages will come with a smaller version of this in card form inside the package or if it cannot be opened, as a sticker on the bottom.
The Postal Offices
I have developed the idea that there will be specifc stores for Via Post. Here, people can go and get their postal journey stamp or alternative printed. Anyone is able to purchase the universal stamp if necessary. The name of each store is specifc to that place as it refects the idea that your mail is going ‘Via Leeds’, or whatever the specific place may be. I felt this gives further personalisation to the brand. Like the postbox, the windows of the shops are printed with the contour lines of that area, which when scanned takes to to more information about Via Post as well as the collection times in that area. The idea behind the design of the letterbox stems from that of a honeybee hive. I liked the idea that Bees are busy and their route consists of going from place to place but then coming back to their hive. I thought this could work as a concept as the ‘hive’ hexagon letter box, which i have also transferred on to special edition envelopes, will store all of the letters until they are sent out around the country and even the rest of the world.. The letter box will come in a range of forms including in the wall outside the ‘Via Post’ stores, smaller versions on posts around towns,, cities and villages as well as larger versions that sit on the ground and hold more letters. Additionally, the exterior of the letter box is covered in a contour line design of the local area, which when scanned on the app reveals the last delivery collection time in that area that day. To add to the experience of following a postal journey, inspired by the City of Edinburgh’s markings on the ground to show where the river flows underneath it, there will be lines on the ground which lead up to the Postal stores as well as the letter boxes.
The App
I have shown a selection of screens from the Via Post app. The app is a simple, usable interface which allows you to scan and track your post, scan the letter box fronts and change delivery times. Research demonstrated that it was important for users to have a specified delivery slot for parcels so that they do not miss them so this is something that I wanted to include. Additionally, as you complete more postal journeys, these routes will become filled so you will be able to see all the postal routes you have taken.
