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Midsteeple Quarter is a community benefit society breathing new life into Dumfries town centre by redeveloping empty High Street properties to create a new neighbourhood with a mix of uses built on principles of local prosperity and well being. Their aim is to help shape a new future for the town centre; one that responds to the needs of the community and is run for their benefit.
I was approached by the lovely folk at MSQ with the brief to brand the initiative, and give it a forward looking and adaptable identity. They stipulated that they wanted to step away from the cliches associated with the old Midsteeple building in the centre of Dumfries, and towards a brand that was contemporary and bold.
This is a project based on construction and adaptability so I focused on the idea of quartering each letter into 4 building blocks. From there I started to see the parallels with the blocks and stencil graffiti which ties in nicely with the grassroots, community led action that the organisation is built upon.
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/c6469cd2-b4ab-489d-b727-e00fceab5f7b/c56ea127-4122-4f42-8475-1e461363e4ed_rw_3840.jpg?h=403e8f3d82bfb59f20e9facde0ee20d8)
Photo by Kirstin McEwan
![Images provided by Midsteeple Quarter](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/c6469cd2-b4ab-489d-b727-e00fceab5f7b/b8ec8247-479d-4ac3-bc9a-f795bf12130d_rw_1920.jpg?h=3da220a16dd9ccbe4c0657301b7f4b2b)
Images provided by Midsteeple Quarter
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/c6469cd2-b4ab-489d-b727-e00fceab5f7b/172b5709-a385-4542-8b1a-ced6ae7ef306_rw_3840.jpg?h=056daee66ff47c2f3f5ea9d1d2cea957)
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/c6469cd2-b4ab-489d-b727-e00fceab5f7b/c8b0eb89-7ba1-4f07-978e-ebbe2defad0e_rw_1200.jpg?h=5a1dcd76382ff89bf393370979137c94)
A few years after designing the brand I was brought back into the team to put together the Midsteeple Quarter Blueprint. A cohesive document outlining the scale and ambition of the project that would go on to help them secure the funding to make it a reality.
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/c6469cd2-b4ab-489d-b727-e00fceab5f7b/4c1c3fd9-c8f2-4b88-93cd-f2fd078ddbc7_rw_1920.png?h=61eb400c522e524a4adf7cb6189e68e9)
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/c6469cd2-b4ab-489d-b727-e00fceab5f7b/99ae0352-2a12-4198-80e5-cfb12c2413ac_rw_1200.png?h=2c862c3679e82ce1056385b71dd306d8)
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/c6469cd2-b4ab-489d-b727-e00fceab5f7b/2babca6e-b578-4546-8e9b-6d14c71ccef6_rw_1920.png?h=f3793581ea6d870af34fe115952c1ff4)
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/c6469cd2-b4ab-489d-b727-e00fceab5f7b/80e60762-98ed-42be-8952-d8ccae54a24c_rw_1200.png?h=341fc5b6968503f1cc89eb647c314a1a)
Photo by Jim McEwan