Waste firm gets serious award recognition

Serious**, the Staffordshire-based waste management company, has won three out of three design awards for its newly-launched image.

The aptly named serious** company installs and maintains domestic and commercial sewage and waste water systems. During the last few months, they have worked with Elmwood Design to create a new image, logo, corporate identity and website. The result has brought success in three of the country’s most prestigious design awards.

The dark brown and green corporate colours along with the straplines such as "we deal with **it" and " **it happens" have caught the judges’ eye in the Roses Awards, organised by Adline Magazine, the 2004 "Design Week" Identity Programme Award and the new design was voted the Best Piece of Work in the Carnyx competition for Adline. The other finalists they have beaten to top place include Nat West and GNER.

David Birkett, who runs serious** with his wife, Joanna, said: "We wanted to show that we were a waste company with a difference. We pride ourselves on being passionate about what we do, and the "serious" aspect of the new design reflects how professionally we feel we approach a very basic need to dispose of waste safely and with no harm to the environment. The design that Elmwood came up with had humour as well as professionalism and its fresh approach has prompted interest from all across the design world. We didn’t think that being so ‘up front’ about what we do would gain us such recognition."

Jonathan Sands, Chairman of Elmwood added: "It was a refreshing surprise to find a client who had the insight…and the bravery… to put humour into their new image. David’s business is collecting waste, we’re not wrapping that up but are managing to put a smile on people’s faces by being so honest about it. They are a professional company who do their job exceptionally well, but they are a very human company with a sense of humour."

Not content with sweeping the awards board so far, Elmwood and serious** are now entering other awards including the New York Art Director’s Club and Clio’s International Design Effectiveness Awards.

Serious**have installed systems for small and medium businesses and have been flying the environmental flag for best practice in dealing with non-hazardous waste for nine years. They are now expanding their client base throughout the Midlands and the North West.

David Birkett commented: "The two asterisks are key because from that we can have fun with slogans, straplines and brochures. We install systems for private houses, bars, restaurants and housing associations as well as breweries and pub chains and we’re now planning to expand our business even more. The new branding and corporate image is certainly helping us to get noticed."