The challenge
Citizen UK is one of National Portrait Gallery’s Inspiring People projects – a programme of nationwide activities aiming to bring the Gallery closer to communities across the UK. Created in collaboration with Tower Hamlets Local History Library & Archives, Ealing Local History Centre, Museum of Croydon and Wolverhampton Arts & Culture, Citizen UK works with local community members to visualise migration stories from the mid-twentieth century with the aim of identifying people missing from the national Collection and creating a new artwork to be displayed both locally and within the National Portrait Gallery. An identity was required to help raise awareness of the programme and help to engage and inspire local commutes.
The solution
Designed to work alongside the Gallery’s other Inspiring People projects and numerous partner identities and programmes we created a bold typographic identity that could be applied simply and easily, enabling it to be utilised by non-designers and be embraced by the local community organisations involved. Inspired by typography used within protests and marches in these eras, we created a set of practical identity tools to allow community members to use the brand identity to create their own communications and add their own distinctive twist to the brand.
Image Credits:
Barbara Beese (Anti-racism demonstration, Brick Lane) by Paul Trevor, 1976 © Paul Trevor
Misty in Roots by Syd Shelton, 1979 © Syd Shelton
Misty in Roots by Syd Shelton, 1979 © Syd Shelton
The Lime (Samuel Selvon; John La Rose; Andrew Salkey) by Horace Ové, 1974 © Horace Ové / National Portrait Gallery, London