Camden Council approached us to brand their Community Wealth Fund, a new resource and platform for residents to have more say in how money gets spent in their borough.
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Branding by the borough, for the borough.
Camden wanted a brand that was exactly that — unmistakably Camden. The Community Wealth Fund needed to capture the area’s famously vibrant spirit and cultural richness. Rooted in the local community, the project weaves historical and emotional ties into bold, expressive visuals. From creative direction to the logo design and animation, the identity aims to be as dynamic and diverse as Camden itself.
Borrowing from the area itself
Having a team based in the borough meant the project was guided by a local perspective.
With knowledge of the area and a physical presence on the ground, we were able to distil Camden’s most iconic elements into the brand.
With the idea of circularity at the fund’s heart in mind, we created a distinctive mark that feels familiar yet fresh, rooted in place, shaped by people, and built to evolve with the community’s ambitions.
From historic typography found across the borough to its vibrant cultural identity, these influences shaped the visual language. While a lot of the visuals around the streets of Camden are very expressive, playful, and artistic, we toned this personality down a little bit for a more appropriate and trustworthy identity for the fund.
Accessible type steeped in tradition
Perhaps the most famous image of Camden is the lettering on Camden Lock rail bridge; it was a no-brainer to use Hepta Slab for titles, a nod to those hand-painted on the bridge by John Bulley in 1989.
To accompany the bold slab serif, we chose to use Inclusive Sans for body copy. Created by Olivia King, it was inspired by her career working on accessibility for non-profits and government organisations.
Focusing on ensuring clarity and ease of use across all materials we ensured legibility for a wide audience, including those with visual impairments, while having the right amount of quirk for the area and striking appeal from a distance.
The brand bar
To harmonise the vibrant range of colours in the brand, we created a visual device called the "brand bar." The bar is versatile and its application is suitable across almost all areas of digital and print materials.
A brand with a wide spectrum of colour but no unifying system could easily run amok. This device helps maintain visual consistency across different elements while allowing the each colour to shine, ensuring the overall brand feels cohesive and unified.
In touch with the community
We spoke to locals and carried out surveys to get a feel for the community’s current impressions of their council and how the new brand would be received (as well as some using it as an opportunity to complain about their bins!).
Tracking demographics and making sure we were getting a diverse range of opinions, the feedback from real Camden residents and business owners helped inform the final version of the branding.
The circular nature of Camden’s fund was also true of the project’s process. The research and feedback throughout the project informed our design and communications at every stage, even presenting the non-design feedback from the community back to Camden so that their voices weren’t falling on deaf ears.
@2025
