LCC has recently worked with Southwark Council to help create a vibrant new visual identity for one of its projects, as part of efforts to engage with the local community. The Elephant Arcade will be a new retail space for independent local businesses in the heart of Elephant and Castle. Opening in summer 2019, this space will be a friendly and diverse retail outlet for independent small businesses.
It will be situated at the basement of Perronet House, a residential building designed by Sir Roger Walters, just across the street from LCC. Southwark Council plans to convert the basement into 11 retail units and a community café, which will be operated by the pioneering social enterprise Meanwhile Space.
LCC’s MA Graphics Branding and Identity students were challenged by Southwark Council to design the new branding identity for the Elephant Arcade. Students were briefed by the council and Meanwhile Space, and worked in teams as part of their collaborative unit. They conducted research for their designs by exploring this new space and speaking to some of the traders who will run the small businesses there.
Each team’s concepts and initial designs were praised by the judging panel, which was impressed by the innovative ideas, fresh approach and technical skills. Tom Wright from Carl Turner Architects, who was on the judging panel, remarked that choosing one design was a very difficult decision because all designs were: “Fantastic! We were spoilt by choice!”
The winning team designed two possible concepts, with the first concept being selected as the winning brand identity. For this, they took inspiration from the colourful and vibrant trading community found in Elephant and Castle, and based their designs on real traders they had interviewed. Their logo will be installed in time for the opening this summer.
Diana Grisales, Director, Meanwhile Space, said of the exercise: “It was very enjoyable and we really got a lot more out of it than the brilliant identity your students designed for us. We are very confident on the decision we made. This new brand will give Elephant Arcade a great start!”
Such collaborations are routinely pursued by the Business and Innovation teams across our colleges to engage with their local communities. The goal is to bring positive social change to the people, places and communities surrounding our colleges through collaborative partnerships.
As well as working to benefit the local community, collaborations like this are an amazing way for UAL students to gain vital experience with live industry projects and see their work impact the local area. We look forward to seeing the students’ new designs on site.