The challenges of branding new developments
Across the UK, neglected and once run-down urban areas are being transformed with the arrival of co-working spaces, housing and ‘cultural hubs’. We speak to experts about the challenges agencies face when branding new developments and how they approach the process
Property hasn’t traditionally been a sector known for its creative approach to branding. But as cities from Manchester to London undergo rapid generation, it seems developers are investing in identities that extend beyond a logo and a glossy sales brochure – systems that are playful, distinctive and aim to engage local residents as much as potential buyers and investors.
London agency SomeOne was recently commissioned to create a vibrant system for King’s Cross inspired in part by the area’s ghost signs while Jack Renwick Studio worked with a local letterpress artist to create a woodblock identity for a residential development in Hackney. In Manchester, creative agency Music commissioned a poem for U+I – the company behind the regeneration of the city’s Mayfield area – which featured in a film highlighting the area’s past.
