The Challenge
Ahead of it’s 25th anniversary, Lowry – Salford’s much-loved arts centre – needed a new brand and campaign to celebrate its diverse offer and re-inforce its position as a catalyst for creativity and force for good across Greater Manchester and beyond. With many seeing Lowry as ‘just’ a theatre, the brand needed to raise awareness of its galleries, learning and engagement programme and commercial offer and re-establish its place in the growing cultural scene across Greater Manchester and beyond.
The Solution
Despite Lowry being widely recognised within the sector as a force for good within the region, awareness and understanding of its wider cultural offer was still relatively low amongst wider audiences and communities. We also identified a disconnect between Lowry’s corporate-style identity and the warm and creative spirit that is evident inside its bright-coloured maximalist building. Taking inspiration from the iconic architecture and interiors our design solution involved bringing the ‘inside out’ with bold, industrial-era typography, a vibrant colour palette and tiled grid effect, echoing the building’s confident and eclectic visual style.
Working alongside Reed Words, we also developed a new verbal identity, defined by a new brand narrative and straight-talking, Salford-inspired tone of voice that seeks to better reflect Lowry’s desire for creativity to be experienced by the many, not the few. Summed up by the strapline ‘Whatever you’re here for, we’re here for it’, the new brand language positions Lowry as a safe, non-judgemental space, where you can see anything from opera to The Gruffalo and visit the galleries and learning spaces.
Embracing the breadth and diversity of Lowry’s programming, a quirky and playful photography style and art direction was created in collaboration with Manchester-based photography team Shaw & Shaw, in a bid to further reassure visitors that everyone is welcome here. Taking cues from the building’s distinctive tiled walls, EDIT designed a shifting and rotating modular motion style to showcase the endless ways for people to experience the joy of creativity at Lowry.