DBA Brieifing

Background

The government has recently revealed a strategy to develop the North of England as a second economic capital in Britain to redress the economic balance across the country and to compete on the world stage. They are calling this strategy Northern Powerhouse. 

The government believes that, by improving the transport infrastructure through HS3, connecting Leeds to Manchester, and tapping into the huge potential of the North of England, the North will become the globally significant economic force it has always promised to be.

Great global cities have many attributes - access to a deep pool of human capital, great jobs and businesses, fast and effective transport connections, strong universities and hospitals, colleges and schools. They have entertainment, the green spaces, the housing, culture and sport that makes for a good lifestyle.

On a global scale, northern cities are quite small and have individual strengths but together they have the capacity to act as a global city. The concept of 'The Northern Powerhouse' builds on the idea that those cities, in a belt that runs from Liverpool to Hull are stronger together, not as a rival to London, but to be its brother in arms in the fight for Britain's share of the economy.

Although HS3 will not be a reality until 2030, the idea already has a significant impetus and the process of 'connecting' the major cities has already begun. Although, the current government is driving this forward, the idea has been around for many years and it is now fully accepted that this is the way forward for Britain.



The Brief

The idea requires a name and a brand, so that the world understands that this is a significant single entity. After a 'consultation process' with all the key stakeholders the name 'Capital North' has been selected - combining purpose and place. It's easy to remember and recall.

This is an identity project, very much about the craft and visual problem solving of design. The brief and name is all sorted so there's nothing to distract you.


Image Research_

Images related to The North, or thinking upwards_

Could potentially include a compass pointing north. This is a great minimalistic idea, although I think it is predictable and will have already been considered by other groups. The black and white contrast is definitely strong though.

I noticed that the road symbol for 'The NORTH' shows an abstract capital 'H' in the symbol. This is interesting as it is an example of wayfinding used by commuters. The connection was relevant to the theme or travel, however incorporating this could look too much like a road sign or alternatively just draw attention to the H which could be confusing to users.

Next, I looked at images of the four cities on a map to see if a logo could be formed from this. The points were reasonably spread out but I thought this could still be something worth considering.