The Northern Gateway Development Zone has been rebranded under the banner of the Constellation Partnership. The area, which covers seven Local Authorities and two Local Enterprise Partnerships across Cheshire and Staffordshire, sits on the planned High Speed 2 (HS2) route and has subsequently been boosted by investment.
The Constellation name and visual branding is based on the interconnectivity of towns and cities within the area, which include Chester, Crewe, Macclesfield, Stoke, Stafford and Tamworth. Lines drawn between connected cities show this connectivity, with the resulting image reminiscent of a constellation.
“The identity concept represented the idea of connectivity and a group of individual organisations aligning themselves around shared ambitions,” explains Karen Hughes, creative director of brand consultancy and design studio Edit_, which developed the brand. “A dynamic identity communicating the idea of ‘one thing leading to another’ with endless opportunities and possibilities. The more individual connections made, the stronger the whole. This gives the identity a sense of energy and momentum that can build over time.”
The Constellation Partnership branding works well on a number of levels. As a name, it conveys the sense of a group of distributed yet connected locations, something that is also well reflected in the visual branding. This sense can be extended to the group being part of a larger whole. The analogies of locations as stars and connecting lines as literal connectivity are also impactful and understandable.
“Our previous experience with property and place branding projects, in both the private and public sector, meant the brief was not an unfamiliar challenge to us,” explains Edit_ client services director Khadija Kapacee. “We are experienced in bringing brand ideas to life through engaging and impactful visual and verbal identities.”
The Constellation Partnership branding was launched at the MIPIM property show in March.
Source & images: Edit_
This article gives a brief insight into planning and delivering placemaking communications.