Melburnians are not enthusiastic about buses. Trains and trams are used more and considered to be superior.

But following improvements in coverage, frequency and passenger information, Melburnians who do give buses a try tend to be pleasantly surprised.

Public Transport Victoria gave GPY&R the job of getting people to the point where they were pleasantly surprised. So the agency created a campaign that shows the destinations buses serve via a range of ‘travel poster’ style illustrations. The idea is to entice people with Melbourne’s pockets of culture and identity that can be reached by bus.

Philip Askew, general manager at Public Transport Victoria, commented, “Buses are the unsung heroes of Melbourne’s transport network. This campaign aims to challenge this by focusing on local areas, showcasing key destinations in a unique, visually-arresting style while heroing the bus as the primary mode of transport.”

The artwork was commissioned for the campaign and was created by a range of Australian illustrators in conjunction with The Jacky Winter Group.

The campaign has launched with 16 posters and will continue in phases across a range of channels with localised targeting. GPY&R has also built a website that shows more than 700 bus routes in Melbourne.

Kieran Moroney, senior art director at GPY&R, noted, “Melbourne is a city of diverse destinations with a different cultural spirit around every corner. So to encourage local travel by bus we engaged seven Australian illustrators, creating a feeling of discovery through the style of a travel poster and the mediums of acrylic, watercolour and digital painting.”

Credits: 

Agency: GPY&R Melbourne

Creative Director: Jake Barrow

Senior Art Director: Kieran Moroney

Senior Copywriter: Aaron Pepper

Designer: Lewis Brown

Agency Producer: Lucy Welch

Group Account Director: Matt Hunt

Account Directors: Cathryn Reed, Sarah Naumoski

Strategy Director: Mike Hyde

Senior Strategist: Alex Horner

Executive Digital Producer: Ash Mustchin

Digital Producer: Jo Manning

Senior Backend Developer: Mark Natividad

Digital Designer: Rosalie Iaria, Johanna Nightingale

Illustrators: Stuart McLachlan, Nigel Buchanan, Timba Smits, Marc Martin, Christopher Nielsen, Eamon Donnelly, James Fosdike

Producer: Li Liang Johnson

Client: Public Transport Victoria

General Manager: Philip Askew

Marketing Manager: Nicole Gottliebsen