A person in a gray hoodie and gray sweatpants standing in a green soundproof recording booth with textured walls. The person is wearing large headphones and standing in front of a microphone on a stand, looking into a glass window at a woman recording on the other side. The woman is wearing a red sweater and is also wearing headphones, singing or speaking into a microphone. There is a computer monitor inside the booth, and the room has a green floor and is connected to an outlet with visible cords.

RISING GREEN

Co-creating the brand identity for a new youth hub with a group of local young people

  • Whilst working at architecture practice Freehaus, me and the team were commissioned to create the brand identity, signage, wayfinding, and the interior architecture for a new youth hub in Wood Green.

    The London Borough of Haringey launched a new youth hub in Wood Green, providing vital services in a space designed to support young people’s development and help them prepare for their professional lives.

    The much needed facility offers activities such as music and film production, coding and web design, cooking training and mental and sexual health support.

    Central to the brief was the engagement and co-design of the name and brand identity with a group of local young people. The aim was to achieve a result that they would be proud of and to create opportunities for cultural capital exchange.

  • To ensure the project resonates and is accepted by the local community, participation, engagement and co-design have been crucial to the process.

    For several weeks we worked with a group of local young people - listening to their stories, asking them what Wood Green means to them and how a new youth hub in the area would look and feel for them.

    Through a series of design workshops, the young people shared their thoughts and creativity to co-produce different options for the name, logo and colour palette for the new youth hub. These options were put to test through a public survey that directly influenced the stakeholders decision.

    The co-created brand was then refined and implemented on signage, wayfinding and branded materials.

    These workshops and the ways in which we worked not only allowed for meaningful participation but also brought learning opportunities for young people.

SERVICES
Brand Identity

TEAM
Architect and Lead Designer – Freehaus
Branding and Wayfinding – Ana Beatriz Fernandes
Photography – Ben Blossom

Graphic with stylized black sound waves, a pink-orange gradient background, and text indicating live radio broadcast featuring various artists and song titles.
Nighttime scene of a worn, tiled wall outside a building with a neon sign reading 'RISING' and posters, with a bench in the foreground and some greenery on the left.
A logo with a stylized sunset over water with gradient colors from orange to purple, and the text 'Rising Green' in black, bold, handwritten font below.
Color palette with circles labeled Gradient, Black, Orange, Pink, and Purple. The Gradient circle has a color blend of pink, purple, and orange. The Black circle is solid black. The Orange circle is solid orange. The Pink circle is bright pink. The Purple circle is solid purple.
Pixelated black and white text menu screen with font option 'Press Start 2P Regular' displaying alphabet letters A-Z and numbers 0-9.

Boards from co-design workshops with young people to create the name, logo and colour palette

Logo for Rising Green featuring a stylized sun with horizontal lines and the text "Rising Green" underneath, with a colour palette of black, pink, purple, and gradient orange to purple.

Options for the logo and colour palette were part of a public survey which directly influenced the stakeholders decision

“The group has meant a lot to me and it was the highlight of my day on many occasions. It’s been amazing to see the youth hub grow from a mere concept into something really quite amazing.”

– YOUNG PERSON, WORKSHOP PARTICIPANT, WOOD GREEN YOUNG VOICES

Night view of a storefront with a bright sign reading 'Rising Green'. Two people walking past, trees in the foreground, and interior lighting visible through large glass windows.
Set of eight pixel art style gender symbols and icons, including female, male, transgender, intersex, nonbinary, wheelchair, baby change, pram storage, meeting room, cafeteria, and cleaning cupboard. This is part of the signage for the youth hub.
Three people standing in a modern office space near a wall with the texts 'WORKSPACE #02' and 'QUIET ROOM'. One person is holding a plate, the others are engaged in conversation. The ceiling shows exposed pipes and ventilation, with multiple overhead lights.
Open green door leading to a white room with partially visible black signage 'MULTIMEDIA' on the wall.
Interior of a gaming lounge with a glass wall labeled 'GAMES LOUNGE', a staircase with blue railings, modern ceiling with exposed ducts and white neon lights, and a person walking towards an orange door.
A pink wall with partial black handwritten text, blue metal railings, a white perforated panel, and a white ceiling with a neon light and square ceilings.
Interior of a modern store or gallery with frosted glass dividers, green-topped black metal carts, and two partially visible people outside through the windows.
Modern cafeteria with a green serving counter, two people talking at the counter, green lockers on the left, and industrial-style ceiling with exposed ducts and bright lighting.