The RNLI relies on 40,000 volunteers across the UK who work on the lifeboats, stations, beaches and fundraising. They provide a 24-hour lifeboat search and rescue service around the coasts of the UK, as well as a seasonal lifeguard service on many of the busiest beaches in England and Wales.

Pope Wainwright have been working with the RNLI to develop a new strategy and design language. The new approach will help the charity envisage their brand as multifaceted with a versatile future and effectively communicate their inspiring work.

Our work continues to reinforce the RNLI's position, and to promote their role as the charity that saves lives at sea.

The Dorchester Collection is opening their first English country house hotel and spa, Coworth Park. The beautiful Georgian manor house is set within 240 acres of Berkshire parkland and will be reinvented for the 21st Century.

With the Dorchester Collection's luxury brand in mind, Pope Wainwright have created a signage and wayfinding scheme that works in harmony with the surrounding parkland. This encourages people to discover the grounds which include the polo fields, spa, historical house and gardens.

Each sign category is unique, rejecting uniformity and embracing the quiet eccentricity of Coworth Park. The design language places archetypical visual and material characteristics at its centre and builds upon a rich culture of navigation, sign and landmark types. Signs are distinctive and bold, making use of natural, hard wearing materials such as cast iron, rusted steel and stone.

The strong visual identity of the scheme makes for a memorable welcome to the Hotel and it's grounds, and a lasting rapport with the Dorchester Collection.

Pope Wainwright is working in collaboration with The Art Fund to support its development of a new strategy, aimed at increasing membership and visitor donations at galleries and museums.

The Art Fund is an independent charity that has saved over 860,000 works of art since 1903 and has 80,000 members across the UK.

The way we work is changing, as an increasing amount of us work for small to medium businesses and from home. These work routines are asking new questions of the furniture used in today's workplace.

Pope Wainwright will launch PW01 in the autumn; a furniture range, that responds to these work patterns that comprises of a desk, storage and display unit.

The range centres on the need for flexible, customisable, affordable furniture. It is sensitive to its end user and is driven by the idea that a clear workspace creates a clear mind. Thus the range promotes a sense of clarity in its organisation of functions, and in the sum of its parts.

The desk is complete with a back panel that provides flexible storage for stationery and books, and a unique cable management leg and tray system. Multiple desks can be assembled as meeting tables, workstations with space division and conference tables as an additional offer.

The mobile display unit brings together the peg, clip, pin and white board and is complete with storage for flip charts, stationery, coats and a bin.

The storage unit can be used as stand alone piece or combined with the desk and display unit providing extra storage and creating a consistent workspace.

A virtually unlimited colour palette allows the workplace to be branded simply and effectively. Using a basic material set comprising laminated and exposed MDF costs are kept at a minimum.

FSC sourced materials are used throughout, including Liri laminates that are free from heavy metals and Medite Ecologique MDF that are free from added formaldehyde.

The range marries simple geometric forms with a lightness of structure to create an appearance that is honest and transparent in its functions.

The PW01 range sets the standard for design, at a price in keeping with the mood of the times, and suited to the home, small and medium business market.

To learn more about the PW01 range please go to www.pw01.co.uk

With sustainability high on the agenda it's not surprising the amount of companies who want to jump on the bandwagon, but do they have the correct approach or right intentions?

There are preconceived ideas about what looks sustainable and unfortunately many new products and environments take on this aesthetic in order to project a company's ecological values.

Although these designs aesthetically look sustainable they do not address the larger issues at hand. Everything we produce effects the environment and it's our decisions on how these are made and what they are made from that is the contributing factor.

As an example walls made from bottles or reclaimed materials project this ideal. However, if you look a little deeper you find that sometimes the recycled or reclaimed parts are actually new. They have taken more energy to produce, have travelled greater distances, or the materials used are not suitable for the job and this in turn reduces their life expectancy.

It's great that there is so much interest in sustainability; however don't always assume if something looks environmental friendly that it is good for us or our environment.

"Green" design shouldn't have to stand out and definitely doesn't need to look reclaimed or second hand. However, it will take time for people to realise that products and environments that look more sophisticated, modern and aspirational can also be sustainable.

Design should be used as a long-term approach to integrate sustainability seamlessly into our lives. We should stop using it as another marketing and pr exercise and get on with designing great products and environments. When the "green" excitement ends it will still be the designer's responsibility to consider the impact their designs have on the environment.

Designers can continue to help by taking the time to understand the surrounding issues throughout a designs life cycle e.g. production, use and disposal. They should also keep up to date with new information and legislation and ensure we don't take green credentials on face value.

PW integrate sustainable thinking into all their projects from packaging through to environments.

Sainsbury's opened their new green supermarket in Gloucester in late June. The store, situated next to the Gloucester to Sharpness canal on St Ann's Way, has been hailed as one of the greenest shops in the UK.

Along with a number of new initiatives is the new café concept designed by Pope Wainwright. The new scheme represents Sainsbury's as 'the peoples grocer' and is a beacon for their 'own brand' food.

The design focuses on taking cues from contemporary domestic living, it has definitive seating areas that are approachable for all customers and meets with all their individual requirements.

The café supports Sainsbury's key product stories, and provides a relaxing and informative space.

For more information on this project please contact us via email: office@popewainwright.co.uk