Pentagram has designed the visual identity for Culture Mile, a new destination for culture and creativity in London's Square Mile. Led by the City of London Corporation, the transformative initiative will create a vibrant cultural area in the north-west corner of the City. Stretching from Farringdon to Moorgate, the initiative has partnered with some of London’s best-known cultural institutions including the Barbican, Guildhall School for Music & Drama, London Symphony Orchestra and Museum of London. Over the next decade, these four partners and the City of London Corporation will transform the area, hosting pop-up events, collaborating to improve their offer to audiences and making major enhancements to the streets within the mile.
Working alongside brand strategists Jane Wentworth Associates, Pentagram were tasked with creating a visual identity that positions the area as a cultural hub and attracts new audiences. The identity does this by animating the public spaces between the partner organisations, graphically representing the programme of pop-up performances, art installations and inclusive events that will take place in the spaces between these institutions over the next decade.
The logotype acts as a viewfinder for animated content showcasing existing images of the partner institutions' activities, details of the area’s distinct architecture and photographs of everyday life. The logotype’s letterforms share the geometry of the Barbican’s world-famous brutalist architecture, making it both a holder and representative of the Culture Mile’s location.
The influence of the area’s buildings is carried through to the identity's typefaces, OCR-CM and New Rail Alphabets, chosen for their simple, architectural character.
Culture Mile was launched by the City of London, the Barbican, Guildhall School for Music & Drama, London Symphony Orchestra in July 2017.
