INTRODUCTION 02/03
2018 is our 25th year, and it's a good time to reflect on the past while we apply ourselves to the challenges of the future.
Our updated brand book shows us how we will continue communicating what we've been saying and doing for years.
Lister Mills, Bradford 04/05
"We will leave this city not less, but greater and more beautiful than it was left to us."
– Oath sworn by the citizens of Ancient Athens
Park Hill, Sheffield
SECTION 01 06/07
Who we are 12 – 13 16 – 25 Our golden rules Transformations
08 – 09 14 – 15 26 – 27 How we behave How we're different Our history
We’re we breathe entrepreneurial new life into enthusiasts – buildings and places we love. HOW WE BEHAVE 08/09 We're always brave. We're creative from the ground up. We're constantly learning.
Rebel at heart A wise head Original thinkers
We have an edge – we’re natural risk As our stature has grown – so has our wisdom, We’re all about innovation; from the design takers; looking at things from another only by learning through our mistakes and focus of our products and places, to the way angle is something we do daily. embracing imperfection can we arrive at we conduct business. We do things our way where we are today. We’re well travelled and make places that are full of character. We don't like to hear "it will never work". and like to bring good ideas to the table so Changing our industry for the better has we’re serious about embracing culture and Using our imagination is key to developing been a real buzz from day one – and, we collaboration – giving us a cosmopolitan take visionary schemes and evolving a brand admit, flouting the rules gives us a kick. on creating neighbourhoods. that people see as iconic.
Idiosyncratic, distinctive, unconventional – 25 years brings maturity and the confidence Creating structure and stability within our but only because we like to forge our own to be understated – to let our brilliant products, towns and cities and inspiring people to radical path and seek adventure. people and places be the focus. live well is what drives us on.
Doing things our way allows us to be bold Striving for better is something we believe and challenge conventions, to leave our in and think our customers deserve. positive mark on the world makes us proud. 10/11 Leaving our positive mark on the world makes us proud.
House, New Islington OUR GOLDEN RULES 12/13
1 Whatever we’re doing, as 4 We always question convention; individuals and as a company, there’s always a better, more we always look for the best efficient way. way of doing it. 5 We set trends; we never jump And if someone else can do on bandwagons. it better, we invite them to work with us. 6 We prefer talent to experience; we only hire the best. 2 We always start with a vision in mind; if you don’t know 7 We expect everybody in the your destination, you’ll never company to make a difference; get there. if they’re not doing that they don’t belong here. 3 We don’t wait and see; we start early and take risks.
HOW WE'RE DIFFERENT 14/15 We see things differently.
Where other property companies Where they see the same see risks, we see opportunities. old boxes, we see striking, sustainable architecture. Where they follow the rules, we follow our instincts. Where they see ‘residential and commercial units', we Where others see the chance see homes and businesses. for a quick profit, we see a fair deal and the long-term rewards Where they see problems, of regeneration. we see places. TRANSFORMATIONS 16/17 It’s what we do.
Park Hill, Sheffield 18/19
Albert Mill, Manchester 20/21
Matchworks, Liverpool 22/23
Brewhouse, Royal William Yard, Plymouth 24/25
Britannia Mills, Manchester OUR HISTORY 26/27
1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
Our first 25 years Concert Square, Schoolhouse, Smithfield Buildings, Britannia Mills, Collegiate, Tea Factory, Matchworks, Liverpool Manchester Manchester Manchester Liverpool Liverpool Liverpool We like to talk about our past projects because actions speak louder than words.
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
New Islington, Box Works, Timber Wharf, Budenburg Lister Mills, 3Towers, Chimney Pot Park, Rotunda, Longlands, Manchester Manchester Manchester Haus Projekte, Bradford Manchester Salford Birmingham Stalybridge Altrincham
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
Midland Hotel, Mills Bakery, Lakeshore, Saxton, Park Hill, House, Stubbs Mill, Smith’s Dock, Avro, Morecambe Royal William Yard, Bristol Leeds Sheffield New Islington, Manchester North Shields Manchester Plymouth Irwell Riverside, Manchester SECTION 02 28/29
Where we're going 32 – 61 Our key messages
30 – 31 62 – 63 Our mission What we want to talk about
We want to it’s where talk about we’re going. the future – OUR MISSION 30/31
We want to deliver exceptional places for people to live and work and better futures for our towns and cities.
To do this we will continue to learn, challenge and innovate, we'll champion great design and collaborate with the best creatives and thinkers.
We'll be exemplary partners, landlords and employers, we'll adopt the highest standards and provide great service.
By working to be the best in everything we do we'll remain sector leaders and continue to be the regeneration partner of choice. Timber Wharf, Manchester OUR KEY MESSAGES 32/33
Cities are made of people and places. We began with small projects that encouraged pioneering people and 01. transformed forgotten places. We've moved from individual buildings to city blocks to future neighbourhoods but our focus has remained on Rethinking creating better places for people. our cities
Park Hill, Sheffield 34/35
House, New Islington Matchworks, Liverpool 36/37
House, New Islington OUR KEY MESSAGES 38/39 02. Live well, by design
We believe in the power of design to improve lives. Through design we can make sustainability second nature, make healthy living easier, make quality affordable and above Park Hill, Sheffield all make homes that people love. 40/41
Saxton, Leeds Chimney Pot Park, Salford 42/43
Royal William Yard, Plymouth OUR KEY MESSAGES 44/45 03. Transforming places
Whether we are finding beauty where others see problems or delivering a future neighbourhood from scratch we think about our impact on the place and the city. Every change, from masterplans to minor details is a change for Royal William Yard, Plymouth the better. 46/47
Royal William Yard, Plymouth Park Hill, Sheffield 48/49
Lakeshore, Bristol OUR KEY MESSAGES 50/51 04. Space with benefits
We have always been a brand for people wanting more than just space. We support and encourage businesses that are looking for exchange, creativity, community and a place where they are proud Park Hill, Sheffield to say ‘this is where I work’. 52/53
Tea Factory, Liverpool Timber Wharf, Manchester 54/55
Royal William Yard, Plymouth OUR KEY MESSAGES 56/57 05. Established innovators
Innovation is not an aim for our business but a by-product of never accepting the stock answer. We see change as opportunity, not a threat and start with the belief that there is a better way. It is this belief that makes us open to new ideas, intent on learning House, New Islington and enthusiastic collaborators. 58/59
Royal William Yard, Plymouth Lakeshore, Bristol 60/61
Chimney Pot Park, Salford WHAT WE WANT TO TALK ABOUT 62/63 Urbanism/Placemaking/ Transformations/ Great design/People/ City building/Collaborations/ Future neighbourhoods/ Iconic buildings/New ideas SECTION 03 64/65
How to say it 66 68 – 71 74 – 75 78 – 81 90 – 105 Key brand characteristics How we speak Partnership lock-ups Our typography Film and photography
66 67 72 – 73 76 – 77 82 – 89 Our visual identity Content-led approach Our logo Our colours Our print formats
Our visual it’s how we identity is talk about and our platform – show our ideas. OUR VISUAL IDENTITY CONTENT-LED APPROACH 66/67
Our visual identity is confident Our flexible identity is a vehicle and understated, and allows for showing great content in a our great places, buildings, new and compelling way. architecture, and people to fly the flag. We have content to show that is engaging; communicating our experience and our ideas
KEY BRAND CHARACTERISTICS about cities and improving the way people live and work.
Content-led/Confident/ Mature/Understated/Flexible/ Customer and partner focused. HOW WE SPEAK 68/69
Our rules Jargon free writing Be concise
The way we speak reflects The way we write, in print and online, Jargon is confusing and non-inclusive, Keep things clear and concise, but leave conveys the character of our company: so it’s best avoided. If someone can’t nothing out. Avoid editorial comment; the way we work, and the edgy, unconventional, radical, bold, understand what you’ve written, you use interviews and facts to add emotion collaborative, cosmopolitan, mature, haven’t done your job properly. If you and context. confident, innovative, imaginative, visionary, really need to use a specific word, make success of our projects. iconic. Irreverent but not silly, confident sure it’s explained clearly. Never assume without being cocky, conversational and prior knowledge. Statements, not headlines natural without over familiarity. We avoid trade clichés, especially estate- Avoid headlines – use strong quotes and agent-speak (e.g.. ‘a much sought-after statements instead. Rather than trying to Writing for people location…’, ‘the dream home you’ve be snappy and clever, we summarise our These are some general always wanted…’ etc.). strong beliefs before following up with We build sustainable communities and more detail. rethink how cities work. principals to remember Be truthful Our work affects the lives of the people who Purpose and medium when writing about, live and work in the places we make, and Facts are your friend – they give context and attracts people to new neighbourhoods. confidence. Back up quotes and anecdotes Think about the purpose of what you’re with factual information that documents writing: ‘What information do I need to or for, us. People are at the heart of what we do; so projects and tells real world stories. include? What does the audience already we write in a relaxed and conversational know and will they understand it?’. way, person to person. Be positive Think about the medium and how much time We write for clients, partners, collaborators, your audience will want to spend reading residents and our team – we keep people Use positive words and expressions this brochure/web page/advertisement... centre stage. wherever possible, rather than negatives. Avoid floweriness and over-use of adjectives and superlatives. Looking to the future We, us, our and you Avoid old-fashioned words such as ‘whilst’ Always use ‘we’, ‘us’ or ‘our’ instead of Be confident or ‘hence’ or ‘thus’. We want our audience ‘Urban Splash’. We are people, not just to see us as innovative and forward looking, a name. We are real and have real thoughts, Our successes are born from 25 years not living in the past. opinions and feelings. The same goes for experience in placemaking, and the our audience, they should always be experience and creativity of our team addressed as ‘you’. and collaborators. Homes, not units
This experience makes us industry leaders. We are ultimately talking about people’s We can back this up in our writing by homes, businesses and lives. using examples of our projects. By using examples that reference the points we make we can be confident in our writing. It is hard won wisdom, after all.
HOW WE SPEAK 70/71
Our tone of voice avoids being jokey or over-familiar – corporate mateyness can Powder- be mistaken for insincerity.
But we can be provocative dry wit & (it's in our nature). Northern grit is in our DNA*
*but use sparingly in copy. OUR LOGO 72/73
Our logo is one of the most important parts of our visual identity, it conveys our bold character and lets people know who we are.
Our logo
Our logo is the visual embodiment of our brand and should appear across all brand communications.
Logo rules
Our logo is designed to be easy to use; however, it does come with some rules to ensure it looks its best on every occasion: It should only ever appear in black or white and at no smaller than 15mm wide. It should never be warped, adjusted or re-typed. PARTNERSHIP LOCK-UPS 74/75
Multiply don't divide –
Collaboration makes better places for people to live, work and play.
Forging partnerships is what we do and we can highlight this through the use of our multiply device. OUR COLOURS 76/77
Black Our understated colour C0 M0 Y0 K100 R0 G0 B0 palette shows confidence and allows our content to take centre stage.
75% Black C0 M0 Y0 K75 R64 G64 B64
25% Black C0 M0 Y0 K25 R191 G191 B191 Neutrals
When working with partners on schemes that need their own identity our neutral colours give us flexibility and a solid base to work from.
White White C0 M0 Y0 K0 White is an important element in our brand R255 G255 B255 and is used as both a colour and spacial component. White creates extreme contrast and helps to make the content the focal point.
A hint of blue
Our only non-neutral colour is Urban Splash Urban Splash Blue Blue, which should appear in small amounts C100 M45 Y0 K0 across all core brand communications. R0 G119 B192 Pantone 300 OUR TYPOGRAPHY 78/79
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Univers 45 Light ABCDEFGHIJKLMN OPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmn opqrstuvwxyz Light Aa 0123456789 Univers 55 Roman ABCDEFGHIJKLMN OPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmn opqrstuvwxyz Medium Aa 0123456789 Univers 65 Bold ABCDEFGHIJKLMN OPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmn opqrstuvwxyz Bold Aa 0123456789
We’ve got our very own font, it’s We use Urban Splash Light for writing The other weights of our typeface Our secondary typeface is Univers, The Arial typeface should be used for called Urban Splash and it’s been our headlines. It’s never used for body can be used when we want to be more we use this as body copy and for emails and Microsoft Office applications. designed just for us. copy, letters or emails. provocative in our communications. longer pieces of text. OUR PRINT FORMATS 82/83
We have a new print size, it’s called Square+ and it’s bespoke to us. It’s our main print format and is used for magazines, brochures, bid documents, manuals, books SQUARE and more. PLUS OUR PRINT FORMATS 84/85
We have created this format to be flexible, allowing the story to be told in whatever way we want, whether that be through photography, pattern, illustration or type. 1
Focal point 2
The main point of focus of any image used on our covers should be placed within the boundary of the square. The square is our focal point and the area where the largest section of image is visible.
Cropped or full bleed
Images can either be cropped into the square (1) or fill the whole cover (2). Full bleed images that severely reduce the legibility of any additional information in the 'plus' section should be cropped. OUR PRINT FORMATS 86/87
Square+ grid Scheme magazines Joint venture magazines
Our Square+ grid is the foundation for Our scheme magazines should capture the For joint venture scheme magazines our structuring and organising our content personality of their respective schemes. typeface should be replaced with that of the and ensuring our covers are consistent. They should be challenging, eye catching joint venture brand. A partnership lock-up and have shelf appeal. should also be used in place of our logo.
Spotlights
Numbered spotlights are used on our magazine covers to highlight specific sections of content within the publication.
Bid documents Books
Our bid documents also use the Square+ Our book covers do not need to adhere to format. They can be produced in either the same rules as our other publications. portrait or landscape format depending Although they share the same grid they on what best suits the proposal. do not need to include logos and spotlights.
Typographic covers
When an image isn't suitable we can use typography as an alternative on our publication covers.
Sub headings
Subheadings should always live within the 'plus' section of our cover. OUR PRINT FORMATS 88/89 Artwork inspired by Park Hill Ivor Smith & Jack Lynn, 1961
We also use the Square+ aspect ratio to create other brand communications, from posters and cards to signage and light boxes.
Common sizes
In some cases a more commonly used size may be more suitable than Square+, such as using the A series paper sizes for our stationery. Always take this into consideration when selecting a format. FILM & PHOTOGRAPHY 90/91
We have been around for 25 years now and we have a proven track record of delivering successful and innovative regeneration projects up and down the country.
Our new photography revisits our portfolio and celebrates the lasting quality of our spaces.
Lakeshore, Bristol 92/93
Lakeshore, Bristol 94/95
Park Hill, Sheffield 96/97
Timber Wharf, Manchester Burton Place, Manchester 98/99
House, New Islington House, New Islington 100/101
Royal William Yard, Plymouth Royal William Yard, Plymouth 102/103
Matchworks, Liverpool 104/105
Saxton, Leeds Saxton, Leeds SECTION 04 106/107
Concepts 110 – 111 114 116 – 117 119 122 – 127 Website Handover boxes Posters Adverts Signage and hoardings
108 – 109 112 – 113 115 118 120 – 121 128 – 129 Stationery Brochures Tote bag Key rings Newspapers Exhibition posters
The brand visual in action – lookbook STATIONERY 108/109 WEBSITE 110/111 BROCHURES 112/113 HANDOVER BOXES TOTE BAG 114/115 POSTERS 116/117 KEY RINGS ADVERTS 118/119 NEWSPAPERS 120/121 SIGNAGE 122/123 LIGHT BOX INSTALLATION 124/125 HOARDINGS 126/127 EXHIBITION POSTERS 128/129 130/131 It's our silver anniversary but we won't sit back and wait for the golden years.
Park Hill, Sheffield OUR FUTURE
Same attitude. Same values. Same approach. New markets. New challenges.
We're doing what we've always done: taking on problems that others avoid, doing what we say we'll do, and doing it with quality.
There's so much we want to do. We're finding amazing new challenges all over the UK, and as we take them on we've grown from a regional business to a national one with over £1 billion of ongoing projects.