The shape of metal

Metal was founded in 2002 by Jude Kelly OBE, Artistic Director of the Southbank Centre, established with the aim of innovating and championing development in the arts. Seven years in, they’d come a long way and wanted to celebrate with a new and more coherent brand. 2009 saw the launch of two new art spaces, with two launch events providing the perfect opportunity to showcase the new brand.

Curiosity

Metal is bold and creative – they believe in promoting the role of the artist in civic life and bringing art closer to the community. Their projects across the country are diverse and often unexpected and we wanted to bring that sense of curiosity and surprise alive in the brand. We refreshed the existing stencil logo but gave it new life with a fluorescent colour palette, set against dark blues and greys.

Application and launch

The brand was brought to life at events and online. We created a new blog-style website to reflect the ever-changing nature of Metal’s work and helped them to stay up to date. We also used unusual formats for the printed launch materials – textured papers, section-sewn booklets and toothy uncoated paper stocks meant that all of the launch materials felt as special as the projects they were advocating.