Sunderland Street

Peaks and Plains

Branding for the independently-spirited heart of Macclesfield

Branding, design, copywriting

Sunderland Street, the independently-spirited heart of Macclesfield, is home to bars and breweries, artists and tailors, established businesses and new enterprises. There was already a healthy community spirit in the area, which Chalk – as a local ‘profit for purpose’ developer – was keen to help pull together into a coordinated effort.

Chalk approached us to create an umbrella brand to badge their networking events and to show where Chalk were offering practical support – such as giving over recently-acquired sites to artists and makers.

We developed a set of visuals around packing or craft tape – a nod to the small enterprises moving into buildings given over to ‘meanwhile use’, and to the high proportion of craft-based businesses in the area.

A starter set of ‘tape drawings’ were created: practical icons (arrows, route lines); pictures relating to the Macclesfield landscape (trees, hills); and creativity (eyes, hearts). Using this simple device to create illustrations mean that more drawings can be added over time as the area changes and new partners join the community.

The brand marque is a tape heart motif, showing the passion the community put into their own work and the love they feel for the area. The typeface is friendly, open and accessible, and the copy line, All of life is here’, speaks of the buzz and creativity concentrated in this small area.

The brand was commissioned by Chalk but assets have been shared with local businesses, who are adopting it as a badge – on stickers, beer mats and guides – to show they are part of Sunderland Street.

The brand for Chalk and its flagship development, Crossings, were also designed by Creative Concern.

To help us with our ambitious plans for the regeneration of Macclesfield town centre we turned to Creative Concern to help with placemaking and development branding. We are more than happy with the results, but more than that, we truly appreciate their genuine commitment to the Trust’s purpose and values.

Aileen O'Riordan, Digital Comms Lead, Peaks and Plains

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