Walworth Garden is an urban community garden space in the heart of Southwark in London. It is a unique charity, established in 1987, dedicated to improving lives through horticulture. Open to everyone, the award-winning gardens provide an oasis in a concrete jungle. It’s a place where people come to relax, learn and grow.

Through gardening education, training and therapy, Walworth Garden also provides opportunities and support for members of the local community, including disabled and vulnerable adults, those who’ve suffered traumatic experiences, and unemployed people looking to improve their skills and qualifications.

Studio Sutherl&’s identity is based on leaf venations, which are the intrinsic structures within every plant leaf. The designers wanted to reflect ideas of growth, support, community, and buildings, so drew graphic tessellating shapes to be used as building blocks. They are then joined to create a building skyline (and to subtly reflect the shape of a W).

Rubber stamps were used in the identity’s creation, so the staff could cheaply and easily implement it onto tags, labels, seed packets and cards. The sign was made from recycled aluminium and forms a trellis on which plants can grow. Flashcards and animations using the graphic venations are now integrated into the teaching programmes.

Design: Studio Sutherl&
Client: Oli Haden, Walworth Garden
Creative Director: Jim Sutherland
Designers: Jim Sutherland, Rosey Trickett
Strategy: Eleanor Appleby