KesselsKramer calls on 25 creatives to redesign the Risk of Fire warning sign

The Warning: Risk of Fire symbol is unchanging for good reason – immediate familiarity is crucial when it comes to any warning sign. However, that doesn’t mean the design can’t be revisited and celebrated for fulfilling this essential role, something KesselsKramer has facilitated as part of a new LDF exhibition. Held at Shoreditch Fire Station, The Running Towards exhibition is “celebrating the London Fire Brigade (LFB) as an unflinching embodiment of bravery”, says KesselsKramer art director Lauren Coutts. Organised by creative agencies Studio Sutherl& and Tom Sharp alongside KesselsKramer London, the event features an array of graphic explorations, including 25 works reimagining the Warning: Risk of Fire symbol.

KesselsKramer asked 25 London-based creatives to contribute their own take on the symbol. The final pieces offer an eclectic array of personal stories and investigations into the lasting relevance of the warning sign. Franz Lang’s entry, for example, tells the story of her grandma’s cat, who upon seeing a wood-burning kitchen for the first time, fled up a tree, only to be rescued by the fire brigade. Jasmin Sehra offers a typographically led entry to engage viewers and communicate the power of firefighters, while It’s Nice That’s very own Africa Pombo explores the international capability of symbols, recognisable no matter the language you speak.

Other creatives have looked to tactile forms for inspiration, like Rapha art director Ruby Boddington, who mimics the foam used to extinguish fires, or Nicole Chui, who shows the resilience of nature to fire through embroidery. Visitors attending the exhibition will also discover work from Anthony Burrill, who highlights the bravery required to run towards danger shown by firefighters. Elsewhere, Mohammed Samad explores the elements of fire through the lens of activism, in particular the “political fire” that erupted after Altab Ali’s racially motivated murder in London in 1978.

On curating the show, art director and designer Adam Morton-Delaney explains: “When we envisioned the show concept, we never expected to get such an amazing array of artworks. It feels like we’ve curated a show which represents the might of London’s creativity.”

Alongside the warning sign section by KesselsKramer, the exhibition includes creative responses curated by Studio Sutherl& and Tom Sharp. For example, a new typeface inspired by vintage LFB fire engines is on display. The font has been brought to life in a series of posters by several leading design studios, curated by Studio Sutherl&.

The Running Towards will be on display until 24 September as part of LDF 2022; readers can find more details on the line-up of creative responses at the LDF site.