Amplify the voices of ordinary Northerners, so that together they can decide what the future of the North should look like.
Sail were commissioned to do a full rebrand, including brand strategy, identity and website. First and foremost The People’s Powerhouse needed an accessible brand that demonstrated their commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusiveness. Furthermore the brand needed to be simple to implement by their design partners, and internal professional and volunteer community teams and to meet their communication objectives, particularly around storytelling and building a connected community across the region. Following collaborative and strategic workshops we defined the brand proposition and vision to create a solid foundation from which the brand concept grew.
The People’s Powerhouse visual identity is rooted in a story of collective determination, solidarity and celebration, it draws upon inspiration taken from historical banner making and the social commentary this provided future generations. From the unforgettable Women’s Suffrage Movement who’s needlework fashioned powerful visual vocabulary. To the symbolic DIY Union Banners seen during the miners rallies and marches, each visualising an authentic story of ordinary Northern people, rooted in political debate, community solidarity and class struggle. The People’s Powerhouse logo represents this slice of history and captures the sense of ‘a movement’. The accompanying abstract brand icons are representational of themes around energy, optimism and heritage and are central to the visual language of the brand. Through archival research we carefully selected typefaces to mimic those seen across historical and contemporary protest banner designs.
Sail delivered a full brand toolkit, visual style guides, promotional merchandise and illustrations.
“People’s Powerhouse wanted a new brand and website that would enable us in our mission.
Bringing the people of the North together, sharing ideas, exploring challenges we collectively face and sharing great ideas. Our new brand fulfils this so well. Sail worked out our pace, taking on board our thoughts and feedback and building these into the new brand design. The new brand feels modern, clear but also captures the People’s Powerhouse’s unique role. The team share our ethos and that was a big contributory factor to our strong working relationship.”
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