Moquette

But what is it?

Moquette is the distinctive woollen fabric used to upholster London's buses, trains and tubes for decades. Produced using the jacquard weaving technique, it’s known for being strong, long lasting and instantly recognisable.

The fabric was introduced to London’s public transport seating in the 1920’s and became an instant hit due to its quirky motifs. Designers have since been commissioned to create exciting, contemporary patterns for the Tube, buses, trams and recently, London’s cable car over the River Thames.

For this shoot, London Transport Museum brought classic pieces of their furniture and homeware that showcase the iconic moquette patterns. We couldn’t wait to get started!

The Brief

The museum’s main audiences are transport and heritage enthusiasts, as well as families who visit the museum for outings with their children, and the shop for gifts.

We needed to produce imagery that could be used to target those audiences through the museum’s social media channels, leaflets and website. All helping to drive more traffic (pun absolutely intended) to both their physical and online shops, ultimately increasing sales.

The brief included three different fabric patterns and ranges of furniture; Routemaster, Barman and the new Elizabeth line, in honour of the Queen. Each needed a room set designed and styled to compliment the individual patterns and colours perfectly, whilst being clean, simple and vibrant.

Our Production Manager, Lucy, discussed the finer details of what was required with the museum’s Marketing and Design team, as well as their styling preferences for each room set.

The full brief and shot list was then handed over to our stylist Beck, to bring to life with set designs, colours and additional props.

"The brief from London Transport Museum was really comprehensive, making the Production job much simpler. The clients requirements and expectations were very clear, allowing us to easily turn them into reality."

Lucy White, Production Manager

Styled To Perfection

London Transport Museum’s 5,000 strong collection of art and poster designs date back as far as 1908, and are a wonderful advert for the best of British illustration.

To showcase these pieces at their best, simplicity was key. Beck ensured the background colours complimented those of the artwork, before adding the finishing touches with additional props from the rest of the range.

Find more of Beck’s work on her Instagram Page.

"I had such fun styling these sets for London Transport Museum. From initially brainstorming style ideas with Lucy and designing each set, to working with the client and photographers - I had a blast helping them capture the perfect shots."

Beck Hanson, Stylist

Set Build

All three sets needed to be versatile interior spaces, primarily used as living rooms, but able to transition into a bedroom or hallway for some accessory shots.

This is all in a days work for our team of builders who knew exactly what was needed, and as a result, we were able to have all three sets ready simultaneously for when the client arrived.

Take a look at the time-lapse below to see the team in action building the Routemaster set.

SEE MORE OF OUR SET BUILD PROJECTS HERE

Capturing The Images

It’s vital our clients feel involved in the shoot and at home on set, so communication is key.

We briefed David and Sam before they came to the studio so they knew what to expect. Then before the shoot started our Head Photographer, Paul, discussed the shot list with them, talking through his ideas of how to best capture each image.

"David and Sam were brilliant clients to have on set as they were full of positivity and we fed off each other’s ideas throughout the shoot. We love when clients attend as we can get immediate feedback, and this makes for a great collaborative effort."

Paul Lambert, Senior Photographer

Video

As well as stills photography London Transport Museum wanted three different videos to showcase their furniture, homeware and artwork on their website and social media channels.

The clients had provided video references as a guide, but gave us creative freedom to capture the shots and compositions that worked best on set, letting our video expert Steve, get the camera rolling.

Once footage was captured it was time for editing. Seamlessly cutting clips together to produce the final videos ready for the client.

"Creating video content for clients is a great way to give added marketing options, especially for use on social media channels which are focusing more and more on moving imagery."

Steve Horsfall, Head of Creative

Post Production

The final station in our journey.

Our Post Production team fine tune the images from photography, smoothing out any blemishes and adding window views as needed to create a 'real world' effect.

Physical colour matching is the last step to ensure the images match the clients product exactly.

"Prodoto were an absolute pleasure to work with. A professional, slick set up with knowledgeable photographers as well as helpful and responsive production management. We are so happy with the results and thoroughly recommend their services for those wanting a one stop shop for photography or videography projects."

David Simpson, London Transport Museum's Marketing & Design Team

Turning Vision Into Reality

From the fascinating product ranges, to the vibrant colour schemes, this was a wonderful project to work on for all our departments.

It was a pleasure being able to capture London Transport Museum's imagery and video, and celebrate a part of the Country's transport heritage.

See more of their final images below!