In 1810, a shipping agency was established by Marcus Henry Bland. Opportunities arose in the 1850s which saw the business take advantage of the rapidly expanding shipping industry in Gibraltar. It is during this time, an iconic House Flag with a simple red rhombus set against a white background was flown with pride on its passenger ships from Gibraltar throughout the Mediterranean and along the West Coast of Africa to the United Kingdom.
Over time whilst the branding for the Group has changed the company has always been steered by its core values. Forward thinking and innovative, the Bland Group businesses have evolved to adapt to challenges whilst never compromising on the high-quality service it offers to customers. Bland Group, now proudly operates an extensive range of companies spanning across the Travel, Tourism, Security, Aviation and Technology industries in the UK, Gibraltar, Spain, Morocco and the USA.
The brand identity created and directed by the Graphics and Marketing lead, Adam Bailey, marked a return to the historical rhombus shape and a strong company name. Adam explained that “the history of the Group has been carefully researched. We explored through old documents and came across the original flag which dates back over 200 years and identified how it was used to communicate the original brand. The rhombus, in its new form, pays homage to the importance of our rich past and our exciting future, delicately displayed by two contrasting tones. The Bland Group name covers all the Group activities in the UK, Gibraltar, Spain, Morocco and USA and careful attention has been paid to bring back original historical typeface. Key to the overall effort was designing a brand that works in harmony with future technology and also more traditional printed media.
The logo is showcased on an international scale as the Group’s identity on the Bland Group website which went live on 22nd November. Bethan Perera, Communications and Operations Executive commented, “the website and our identity celebrates the rich heritage of the Bland Group. It shares with the community our philanthropic initiatives that positively impact society and delivers details about our global businesses and career opportunities”.