RAW at OFFF 2013

Computer Arts: Tell us a bit about Raw: who are you, what do you do and who do you do it for?
We're a group of eight, based in Salford, creating a range of design and creative communications, from Nando's latest app to the visual identity for the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra. We put a real focus on craftsmanship and collaboration in the studio and many of our projects involve teaming up with illustrators, photographers and app people: we're very much brief-led, and being small means we can always find the best people to work with on every project that comes in.

CA: How would you describe your work/aesthetic?
Our work revolves around one simple statement: doing good work for nice people. As I mentioned earlier, we're a very brief-led studio and we love to collaborate, so each of our projects evolves its own individual aesthetic. We're proud to say we don't really have a 'house style' as such.

CA: What has been your favourite studio project to work on so far?
Our work with Wolves stands out as a real favourite and it’s probably the largest project we've worked on so far. We were commissioned to rebrand the club and its many sub-brands. We engaged staff and supporters – from the tea lady to the chairman – to try to get to the heart of Wolves and to understand what it really means to be a fan. The strong, geometric nature of the crest provided us with the inspiration for the sub-brands and signage, and a strong core message was created that encapsulated the Wolves mission.

Taking its lead from the brand work, a signage system has been created that moves away from the negative, confrontational signs prevalent in many football stadia towards a more friendly and respectful tone. Large-scale artwork, both inside and outside the stadium, has also been created that celebrates Wolves' history, tradition and fans, helping to create more positive spaces within the stadium and a vibrant match-day experience.

CA: What can we expect to see from you guys in the coming months?
We’re developing a smart little site for the current BBC Philharmonic Orchestra season, which utilises MapBox's API and open-street map data to plot and showcase images, music and facts around Manchester. We've also got a couple of nice HTML5 education games for kids in the pipeline, which should be great fun to develop.

CA: Tell us about Friday Film Club - how does it benefit the studio?
We were always sending around film recommendations, but rarely ever made time to watch them all. The Film Club offered us an opportunity to all get together and share the experience of watching our favourite random, creative films, and then have a good chat about them over a few beers afterwards. A perfect way to see off the week.

CA: Who are you most looking forward to seeing here at OFFF?
There are too many good speakers to single one out really – we're just looking forward to taking in what all of them have to say and then applying the lessons we've learned when we get back to rainy Manchester!

CA: How important are events like OFFF to the industry?
Events like this are a perfect way to get away from the 'day-to-day' and gives us a chance to catch up on what some of the industry heavyweights have been up to, and to see what new technologies are being used.

CA: Is there anything else you'd like to say to our readers?
We've recently taken on a couple of amazing pro-bono charity projects for local people, which is a key part of our ethos. If the studio's doing well we want to share all that's going well for us with the wider community. We think local thinking like this is something that could really change things more widely.

CA: Tell us something we don't know...
Coconuts kill more people than sharks. And that's a fact.