Celebrating a new era for Lotus with a one-of-a-kind magazine

The Brief

Now part of Geely—the world’s fastest growing automotive group—Lotus celebrated their 70th birthday in 2018 by launching an ambitious 10-year vision to reinvigorate its brand and product offering, named Vision80.

We were asked to create a vibrant, engaging and ‘maverick’ print magazine to celebrate the Vision80 mission and deliver a strong message to both the workforce and the outside world, that Lotus is headed to greater heights than ever before.

The Work

We set out to create a magazine that was vibrant, appealing and easy to read while challenging preconceptions about Lotus of old. The layout designs featured a grid system for a fresh and modern look, offering a balance of bite-size and more in-depth content ­– inspired by popular tech and current affair titles such as Monocle, Wired and Delayed Gratification.

Where possible we shot original imagery and commissioned top writers to interview staff from all levels of the business. Conducting a total of 12 interviews in five different formats, we spoke with cultural ambassadors tasked with improving company culture, members of the senior management team, ex-employees with fascinating insights into Lotus’ history and current CEO, Phil Popham.

Finally, as a nod to the Vision80 theme, we devised a central 16-page section to roadmap Lotus’s vision for the future, complete with a cover illustration from illustrator Guy Allen and a unique, undeniably Lotus, green Pantone colour scheme.

The Impact

At a private company-wide event in Norwich town hall in late June 2019, Lotus senior management handed out the magazine to the workforce in person. Initial reactions were incredibly positive, and another follow up publication is already in the works.