In the Harringay Warehouse District in London, longstanding artist communities have been fighting for the future of London’s affordable spaces. In answer to this, B-Corp real estate developer General Projects is turning the tide by not just protecting the maker district but doubling its size via Florentia Village, a former 1970s garment manufacturing hub turned thriving maker community.

Today it’s home to more than 40 diverse independent businesses – from florists to bike manufacturers to jewellery designers. As the maker district expands with new purpose-built facilities, General Projects approached DNCO to create a brand identity to preserve the tradition of making, to attract new businesses and to unify its spaces, both old and new.

The new brand identity began with a flexible graphic system inspired by punch-out kits commonly found in model making and manufacturing. Endlessly flexible in form, this inventive system combines seemingly disparate bolts, hinges and manufacturing knicknacks to evoke the joy of making, and speaks to diverse creative industries without relying on clichés.

A poppy palette and candid high-contrast photography reference the lo-fi community boards in the area, creating an appropriate aesthetic within the Harringay Warehouse District. DNCO also designed a custom logotype that reassembles perpetually to reflect a place that is constantly creating.

The effectiveness of the identity is in its flexible framework – from shaping a playful, digital web presence to activating physical environments including ten supergraphic murals that unite radically different architectural styles on site.

The brand celebrates the creative process in a new tagline: ‘For the love of making.’ It’s a reflection of the area’s long history of industrial making – from fruit pastels to pianos – and a commitment to a future of radical creativity.

Credits:
Design Studio: DNCO
Client Management: Lizzie Anders, Patrick Cullinan
Creative Director: Sam Jones
Design: Maria Hamer, Georgia Bolton
Strategy Director: Simon Yewdall
Senior Strategist: Brenda Sjahrial
Head of Business: Joy Nazzari