McDonald’s – Follow the Arches \ 2018 Cannes Picks
Whether you’re lovin’ it, or a h8r — McDonald’s is everywhere. It’s nearly impossible to go for a drive of any length without catching a glimpse of those famous golden arches.
But the wayfinding and signage for McDonald’s restaurants across the world’s roadways is anything but consistent. So Canadian agency Cossette worked with the restaurant chain to develop a clever way of directing audiences to the doors — using a fun, universal visual language built from the elements of the iconic brand. The solutions is so simple, it should’ve been obvious. We wish we’d thought of it…
You can read the specifics of their Cannes awards submission below:
Stay tuned for our full 2018 Cannes Lions Review (coming Friday)…
Brief
A minimal wayfinding system rooted in the very foundation of the brand: the logo. By cropping the golden arches into a directional path and reducing the visuals to only what’s essential, we transformed a forgotten media space into a simple, unified design system adaptable to any market around the world. The result was a series of wayfinding billboards that are both helpful, and immediately recognizable using only the brand’s colours and a fraction of the logo.
Execution
The outdoor campaign was launched across the city of Toronto along major highways and commuter routes with McDonald’s restaurants easily accessible within only a few hundred metres of the billboards. This required careful media planning to ensure the boards faced the traffic moving toward each restaurant, and that only one simple instruction was required to reach each location.
Outcome
The McDonald’s ‘Follow the Arches’ series of billboards has received media attention in its local market, helping to drive traffic and conversions for the local restaurants in combination with other promotions. The earned media coverage has also increased positive social talk for McDonald’s, helping to improve the overall image of a brand with traditionally less desirable social sentiment.
By Dan Pike
Posted June 25, 2018
Dan blends his graphic, industrial and environmental design practices in surprising ways to create brilliant solutions for Neonormal. His sharp wit, unique perspective and obsession with type are on full display on Instagram.