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.
Photo by Kirstin McEwan
Images provided by Midsteeple Quarter
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.
Photo by Jim McEwan