Transport For London Hijacks Its Signage To Welcome Locals Back As City Reopens

By Mikelle Leow, 20 Jul 2021

Image via VCCP

All the things people took for granted and grumbled about, commuting included, came to a brake in the lockdown. For London’s transportation network, which handles daily travels for over 1.34 billion passengers, that’s like sapping the lifeblood of the city.

So, to kick-start London’s metaphorical motors as the city reopens, the all-encompassing Transport for London (TfL)—which oversees most of London’s transport system—has remixed its roundel and signage to welcome commuters back after over a year of minimal public travel.

The Welcome back. Tube it. Bus it. Train it. campaign, produced by advertising agency VCCP, brings the quintessence of busy London to the rebuilding city life with signs that now read “Welcome back,” “Dinner for 2,” “Table for 10,” and “Drinks after work,” among several others. The hijacked branding will greet commuters at London Underground stations, screens such as Canary Wharf, and escalator panels, reminding them that commuting isn’t just a procedure—it is their life.

The accompanying film captures the candid emotions of real people during their journeys on the TfL network.

“TfL and London are inseparable… Its world-famous, iconic signage and transport are proud emblems of our city,” remarks VCCP’s creative director Simon Learman. “We’ve used the much loved, iconic signage across the campaign to remind people of the role of TfL in their daily lives and what makes London so unique.”