We researched the area’s history and heritage to find a cultural key to unlock its sense of place. We distilled this research down to a single individual, Hugh Mason. He was a liberal politician and mill owner, elected to Ashton council in 1856 and mayor from 1857.
As a social reformer and supporter of progressive politics, Mason was concerned about the working conditions of his mill-working employees. He created a protective colony for them and gave them Saturdays off. He exemplified a progressive approach, becoming a prototype for more enlightened employment practices.
Mason was the hook for St Petersfield’s brand identity. We developed graphics to reference the area’s textile-producing cultural history and combined them with a contemporary colour palette.
In applying this branding, we could give the business quarter a modern identity with firm, cultural roots, clearly connecting it with its local area.
Context became the differentiating factor — how the brand saw itself beyond its immediate professional concerns. By exploring this wider cultural and economic context, we developed powerful brand messages to set JDA apart and position the brand definitively in its market.
We developed a rhetorical hook line: What should architects talk about?
This was integral to the brand message, showing JDA’s commitment to engaging with a world beyond the expected boundaries of its professional culture — a brand eager to promote and commit to architecture for people, by people.
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