Town Behind the Team

Briefed Monday. Rolling out Friday. You’ve got to love a sprint!
Tim Hodgson and I are working with Ipswich Central and Ipswich Town FC on “Town Behind The Team”, a campaign to show the team they have the town’s full support. From large-scale hoardings and a portrait gallery across shopfronts, to business toolkits and motion graphics, it’s all about creating impact and building excitement for the weekend.

Huge thanks to everyone involved for moving quickly and making it happen. Special thanks to Louise Cobbold and Chris Cobbold for backing the idea from the start, Louise’s artwork is central to the campaign. Both the Ipswich Central team Melanie Willis and Abbie Hayward and Joe Sweeney at ITFC have been incredibly generous with their time and support. Big thanks to Adam Jackson at Signs For You, and Andreas Koch and the team at Hudson Group for squeezing in the print jobs at such short notice. (And apologies to Lee Walker at Ipswich Central for the constant stream of WhatsApps)

We prioritise sustainability in our work, but it can feel like an abstract concept to some. So here’s what it has meant, in practice, for our latest work with Ipswich Central and Ipswich Town FC.

Use what we have. Louise Cobbold’s artwork already existed and, with her permission, it felt right to share it with the town. By the end of the season, players and kits may change, this was a chance to capture and celebrate the team as it is now. We had hundreds of leftover programme posters donated by ITFC, so we put them to good use. Shop windows and businesses, schools and colleges became galleries. Art, shared with everyone.

Re-purpose.
Producing new materials comes at a cost. So we designed banners to be reused, easy to install, remove and use again. Designed in sections, they can flex across different locations.

Community.
Football brings people together. Community is a huge focus for us and ensuring the work we do helps people feel better about themselves and their environment. There’s a real spirit in Ipswich: people get involved and make things happen. Even at short notice, the creativity and resourcefulness shown by businesses has been incredible. The impact can’t be ignored. It sets a blue backdrop for today; the game, fans, press, celebrations afterwards (we hope).

Improve what you have.
Debenhams has sat empty for a while, hidden behind a security fence, not the most inspiring sight. So we asked: what could it become?
It’s a temporary fix, but maybe it’s a start. Imagine a space that could change regularly and brighten up the corner, these 35m fence panels could be a permanent outdoor gallery space…

Manufacturing isn’t always straightforward. Especially with production materials, where avoiding plastics entirely can be a challenge. But durability matters too and choosing materials that last longer is sometimes the more responsible choice.

Huge thanks to the team at Ipswich Central for helping deliver, on foot, all campaign materials and supervise the artwork installations across the town centre.

So to summarise, sustainability to us means thinking smart, being resourceful, considering the life cycle of materials, reducing waste and looking beyond now. We don’t promise to get everything right, but we’re trying to think about it at every step of our process.

We hope the work is well received and we’re super excited for today! COYB!

Client: Ipswich Central Lee Walker
Agency: WHAT associates Ltd
Wendy & Tim Hodgson

#townbehindtheteam #ipswich