Livery under Great British Railways

[Pete_uk]

Which AI generator did you use for that? As others have said, it's an excellent output; far superior to other image generator AI software I've tried.
I fancy trying HS4000 Kestrel....

Forgive me, but it is GROK from X (formerly twitter). I was shocked when my first prompt for a GWR livery class 47 gave me a image I could hardly find anything wrong with it.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

You don’t want something that “looks modern” now as you’re designing something that will last 20 years or more and “modern” changes. IC Swallow was exactly that, which is why it still looks fabulous now.

Bias and opinion. I think it looks very dated. There’s also nothing wrong with a slight brand refresh every 20 years or so. It’s plenty of time so as not to be a waste, but keeps things nice and fresh.

 

[signed]

Anything modern will likely be white with a blue and red stripe, which is both good and bad and also massively bland.

 

[generalnerd]

I will defend the intercity livery until the day I die but I really don’t think it would work for GBR. You could incorporate some parts of the design into the new one but realistically you wouldn’t want to use the old one. The name intercity would work (you could even make a spin off for high speed services) just the livery is outdated. It is a wonderful livery and I wouldn’t be surprised if we see promo liveries based on original BR liveries.

 

[Class15]

Bias and opinion. I think it looks very dated. There’s also nothing wrong with a slight brand refresh every 20 years or so. It’s plenty of time so as not to be a waste, but keeps things nice and fresh.

Your view is also opinion. ‘Bias’ is a bit strong, too, I don’t see how what 43096 said can be considered biased in any way.

I like the Intercity livery and think it looks amazing, even the style on the 225s today doesn’t look dated to me, but I’m happy to understand your view, as long as you don’t call others ‘biased’.

 

[SoloSR334022]

Two more AI generated liveries one a Intercity
'Class 390'

And the next a regional class 377
The regional variant doesn't look too bad in my opinion and the Intercity variant doesn't look too shabby either for the basic colour scheme.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

Deleted

 

[43066]

Two more AI generated liveries one a Intercity
'Class 390'
View attachment 173619
And the next a regional class 377View attachment 173620
The regional variant doesn't look too bad in my opinion and the Intercity variant doesn't look too shabby either for the basic colour scheme.

Interestingly the IC version looks uncannily like the historic First Group livery:



(Picture sourced from Wikipedia shows a class 180 pictured at Bath Spa in First Group livery)

 

[generalnerd]

Two more AI generated liveries one a Intercity
'Class 390'
View attachment 173619

Yeah totally a class 390! And everyone loves it when the clouds seem to explode into a massive eye and the tracks run underwater

 

[irish_rail]

Yeah totally a class 390! And everyone loves it when the clouds seem to explode into a massive eye and the tracks run underwater

AI certainly still has its limits lol. I'd hope a human will do a far better job than the AI "liveries" pictured on this thread!

 

[generalnerd]

AI certainly still has its limits lol. I'd hope a human will do a far better job than the AI "liveries" pictured on this thread!

Hopefully, although seeing some graphic designers nowadays I wouldn’t be too sure

 

[vuzzeho]

I really hope they don't go the 'red white and blue' route with the GBR liveries. That's absurdly on the nose.

 

[m79900]

I really hope they don't go the 'red white and blue' route with the GBR liveries. That's absurdly on the nose.

Agree. Something like the EMR or GWR livery'd be good. Maybe GWR livery, but it's BR blue, and instead of the GWR logo on the matt digonal bit, have a cast double arrow instead. It looks good in my mind, but I know people will say 'don't hark back' and the like.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I find it very odd the way British people have a disdain for the country's flag and its colours. Would any Italian object, I wonder, to the flag featuring prominently on the Frecciarossa livery?

I think you could do something tasteful by taking the LNER livery and changing the thin grey stripe under the red window band to dark blue, though. You could perhaps do a reversed version (blue window band, thin red stripe) for regional express services or similar.

 

[vuzzeho]

Agree. Something like the EMR or GWR livery'd be good. Maybe GWR livery, but it's BR blue, and instead of the GWR logo on the matt digonal bit, have a cast double arrow instead. It looks good in my mind, but I know people will say 'don't hark back' and the like.

I like BR blue and want it to return, but I don't know about just doing a full BR blue again. Maybe just add it as an element.

 

[m79900]

I find it very odd the way British people have a disdain for the country's flag and its colours. Would any Italian object, I wonder, to the flag featuring prominently on the Frecciarossa livery?

I think you could do something tasteful by taking the LNER livery and changing the thin grey stripe under the red window band to dark blue, though. You could perhaps do a reversed version (blue window band, thin red stripe) for regional express services or similar.

I have no problem with the flag, I just think a red white and blue train would look a bit naff, similar to the current BA livery. I'd rather just see an application of the flag as nature intended on top of a livery. Similar to the Stratford 47, but smaller on carriages.

 

[signed]

I find it very odd the way British people have a disdain for the country's flag and its colours.

The UK flag doesn't go well on liveries in my opinion, blue and red is absolutely not a good color match.

I am not British, but I find the flag very good looking on its own.

Would any Italian object, I wonder, to the flag featuring prominently on the Frecciarossa livery?

The Italian flag is just tri-color, much easier to fit on liveries than the UK flag colors. Especially when the only color on FRs is red

 

[ricj]

Red white and blue would look completely lame in my opinion... Especially if white was the dominant colour - that would soon look filthy.

As a nostalgic person, I am firmly in the camp of hoping for a modern take on a retro livery. I totally agree that the old IC livery would not work but I 100% believe that a thoroughly revamped modern take on it would look very slick (not being a graphic designer I can't actually picture a specific design but I just know it would look good)! That said, I don't think it will happen sadly...

 

[sprinterguy]

Interestingly the IC version looks uncannily like the historic First Group livery:

View attachment 173622

(Picture sourced from Wikipedia shows a class 180 pictured at Bath Spa in First Group livery)

Indeed, my first thought on seeing the AI generated image was "that's an Adelante in a livery that was new about quarter of a century ago"!

 

[redthegraduate]

I find it very odd the way British people have a disdain for the country's flag and its colours. Would any Italian object, I wonder, to the flag featuring prominently on the Frecciarossa livery?

I can't answer the counterfactual about Italians, but I don't think the flag should be core to GBR's livery.

That doesn't mean I have disdain for the flag.

I think national flags make a lot of sense if we're using them to:

• distinguish between groups in a single context, such as athletes or soldiers
• trumpet something that we think represents our country at its best – I won't give an example 'cause everyone's will be different.

I just don't see the point of slathering it on functional items, especially within our own borders, such as on a train between 2 English cities. It's just a train, and I'm well aware I'm in the UK.

 

[whoosh]

I wonder what Ray Stenning is coming up with in his dreams / spare time / *speculation* working time?

 

[Sorcerer]

So a few days ago in light of discussions here I decided to get to work on Train Sim World's livery designer and made three concept liveries for a potential GBR livery on a 390 and 801. It's mostly white-based but also incorporates some red and blue from the flag without being too on the nose, partially based on a concept livery a few pages back. Might soon get to work on a dark blue one based one I had in mind but it's a bit more complicated.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I've seen worse though the front looks a bit like another country's flag though I forget which.

We have of course had a red, white and blue regional livery before, and it looked quite classy, to be honest...

168001 in original Chiltern livery with highlighted doors - By Rob Hodgkins - IMG_6844 - Copy, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=69824555

And this one, which looks a bit more dated but is hardly ugly...

165 in Network SouthEast livery - Our Phellap, CC BY-SA 3.0 <http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/>, via Wikimedia Commons

 

[JamesT]

I've seen worse though the front looks a bit like another country's flag though I forget which.

Czech Republic?

 

[Bletchleyite]

Czech Republic?

That's the one.

 

[Sorcerer]

I've seen worse though the front looks a bit like another country's flag though I forget which.

To be fair it does also have a similar look to one of the old Bangkok Express liveries in Thailand which uses red, white and blue. Perhaps the blue should be left to lining beneath the window bands.

And this one, which looks a bit more dated but is hardly ugly...

165 in Network SouthEast livery - Our Phellap, CC BY-SA 3.0 <http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/>, via Wikimedia Commons

I think if you were going for sectors like BR instead of a unified livery then a revised Network SouthEast could potentially work. Certainly more so than the InterCity Swallow in my opinion. Personally I would prefer a single uniform livery with minimal adaptations such as the 390 having more curved lining than the 801 in my example.

 

[m79900]

So a few days ago in light of discussions here I decided to get to work on Train Sim World's livery designer and made three concept liveries for a potential GBR livery on a 390 and 801. It's mostly white-based but also incorporates some red and blue from the flag without being too on the nose, partially based on a concept livery a few pages back. Might soon get to work on a dark blue one based one I had in mind but it's a bit more complicated.

To me it just looks like the London Underground livery.

 

[Class15]

So a few days ago in light of discussions here I decided to get to work on Train Sim World's livery designer and made three concept liveries for a potential GBR livery on a 390 and 801. It's mostly white-based but also incorporates some red and blue from the flag without being too on the nose, partially based on a concept livery a few pages back. Might soon get to work on a dark blue one based one I had in mind but it's a bit more complicated.

Gives some Serbian Railways vibes if I’m honest! I like it!

 

[generalnerd]

So a few days ago in light of discussions here I decided to get to work on Train Sim World's livery designer and made three concept liveries for a potential GBR livery on a 390 and 801. It's mostly white-based but also incorporates some red and blue from the flag without being too on the nose, partially based on a concept livery a few pages back. Might soon get to work on a dark blue one based one I had in mind but it's a bit more complicated.

The pendolinos look better in my opinion, although that may be down to the yellow and the slicker looking design because of the curves

 

[Russel]

So a few days ago in light of discussions here I decided to get to work on Train Sim World's livery designer and made three concept liveries for a potential GBR livery on a 390 and 801. It's mostly white-based but also incorporates some red and blue from the flag without being too on the nose, partially based on a concept livery a few pages back. Might soon get to work on a dark blue one based one I had in mind but it's a bit more complicated.

The second image, I really like, smart and simple.