New identity for The Great Exhibition of the North unveiled

Date
19 June 2017

Designers Build and Twentyseven have joined forces to concept the identity and campaign for The Great Exhibition of the North.

Creative agency Build, based in Leeds, who have in the past worked on identity projects for the likes of Nike, Microsoft, Getty Images, Virgin America and The Design Museum, will lead the brand identity, with Northumberland-based Twentyseven taking on the strategic campaign messaging for the show, inspiring people to #GetNorth2018.

The logo for The Great Exhibition of the North places the letter N and an arrow pointing upwards at its centre, symbolising “movement in an upward or forward direction, which reflects the aims of the Great Exhibition to not only get visitors up North, but to be inspired by the exhibition’s future thinking content.”

Michael Place, creative director at Build noted that “the branding for the Great Exhibition of The North has been designed to be as dynamic as possible enabling it to speak in a multitude of voices. Sitting smartly within a corporate environment to being super playful for younger audiences, the identity is able to adapt to a variety of uses and importantly different demographics. The three main sectors of the exhibition – art, design and innovation – each have their own sub-identity within the larger brand. These can be used on their own or combined together creating a rich visual language for the exhibition."

Richard Fowler, creative director at Twentyseven said: "Working with our initial concept of ‘connecting’ – from both graphic and messaging perspectives – we went on to define the campaign tone and key messages by working closely with the Great Exhibition of the North team on a series of exercises that helped to identify the desired perception of the event. Using the information gathered we developed a ’core narrative’ that delivers a consistent yet flexible way of communicating what the exhibition is, as well as a series of ‘sub narratives’ each tailored to specific audiences, from the local and northern publics to corporate and contributor audiences.”

The Great Exhibition of the North is due to take place for three months next summer from 22 June – September 2018 across NewcastleGateshead. Great North Museum: Hancock, BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art and Sage Gateshead will become three hubs during the exhibition.

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About the Author

Bryony Stone

Bryony joined It's Nice That as Deputy Editor in August 2016, following roles at Mother, Secret Cinema, LAW, Rollacoaster and Wonderland. She later became Acting Editor at It's Nice That, before leaving in late 2018.

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