Islington Squares transformational rebrand seeks to attract people to the site through bold motion graphics and a welcoming tone of voice.
Campbell Hay has developed a new identity for Islington Square, establishing it as a new London retail destination that brings energy and life to the area.
While Islington Square’s original brand focused on residential sales, this new iteration aims to capture its transformation. It needed to transition from a property-led brand to one that champions place and experience, speaking to a wider audience and showcasing the vibrant lifestyle and cultural experiences that define it.
The studio has a longstanding relationship with Islington Square and has been working with them for over a decade. Campbell Hay’s design team has worked on everything from the initial marketing suite, placemaking strategy and initiatives to their latest rebrand.
“We understand the brand, where it all started and where to move next,” says the studio’s design director, Wai Ming Ng.
In fact, Campbell Hay actually proposed the rebrand as they understood that the initial branding needed to adapt for the next phase of Islington Square.
As mentioned, the mixed-use development initially focused on residential sales in its first phase. However, with most of the apartments now sold, the focus has shifted to promoting the site and its offerings.
“The new place brand is tailored to the consumer and promotes Islington Square as a destination,” says Ming Ng. “We have not retained any original assets besides the brand name.”
After conducting competitor analysis and research, Campbell Hay knew that the new brand for Islington Square had to be intriguing. Ming Ng explains that they wanted to create “a sense of discovery in order to captivate and draw people to the site”.
He says: “We wanted a brand that felt bespoke and dynamic to reflect the independent offering of Islington Square.”
Since most of the marketing and promotion happen online, it made sense to design a suite of animated brand visuals that could evolve over time, creating a renewable sense of intrigue. “The various animated 3D arches are specifically designed to help promote on-site placemaking initiatives and are different each time depending on the actual event,” according to Ming Ng.
On the design thinking and process, senior designer Carolyn Ang says the main key graphic assets were inspired by the location itself, particularly the two big Edwardian-style arches through which you enter the site. Ang says, “Throughout the years, we have dressed these arches to help promote various on-site events and activities.
“We have built on this further by incorporating them as a key visual asset of the new brand.”
For the verbal identity, Campbell Hay sought out words and phrases that were inviting, active, and encouraging to bring people to the site, such as Visit, Discover, and Explore (Islington Square). “We have created a visual system that would allow us to expand on these and form sentences such as ‘Discover (world-class dining experiences) Islington Square’ and ‘Explore (London’s new favourite retail destination) Islington Square’,” Ang adds.
Ultimately, the new Islington Square brand is defined by bold brand graphics, colours, and expressive motion design, positioning it as the beating heart of the neighbourhood.
