GWR

How I defined the digital experience for the relaunch of the iconic Great western Railway – inspired by the past, and built for the future.

Time for a Great Western adventure

Background

GWR needed a fresh digital presence as part of a rebrand, led by Pentagram, to modernise their iconic heritage brand. Our challenge was to deliver new digital products for passengers travelling between major hubs like London, Birmingham, and the South West—on time and within budget.

Process

Immersing ourselves in GWR’s heritage, we set up offices at their rail terminus and gathered inspiration from the GWR museum. We focused on forward-thinking digital solutions by analysing site architecture, defining user personas, and conducting in-station customer research. We developed a design system (codenamed "Brunel") that honoured GWR’s heritage while building a suite of digital assets for apps, web, ticket machines, and interactive screens that showed a railway fit for the 21st century.

Result

GWR’s digital products launched seamlessly alongside the physical rebrand. Our efforts led to a ‘Best Business Transformation’ win at the UK Digital Experience Awards and set a new standard across other First Group brands, including South West Railway and TransPennine Express. We delivered the project 50% faster than previous rollouts, reducing costs by 40%, and increased site engagement by 43%.