We're Still Here

Print Design

We’re Still Here was an exhibition of photography held at Argentea Gallery in Birmingham’s prestigious Jewellery Quarter. The exhibition was organised by local watchmakers C & R Struthers and the images were taken by award-winning photographer, Andy Pilsbury. The exhibition was held in July 2018, at a time of much development of the Jewellery Quarter. Part of the intention for the work was to highlight the wealth of knowledge and craft still residing in this part of the city.

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We were initially tasked with designing the catalogue for the exhibition. However as is common with an exhibition, the team also required a simple brand for the event and promotional material as well as information panels and vinyl window graphics. 

The brand design was required to be simple, striking and clear but we found a typeface that had a specifically industrial aesthetic. The logo was applied to private view invites, social media graphics and flyers for promotional purposes but on the catalogue itself we used a UV varnish instead of printing the logo. The effect is a ghostly, intriguing title. It can be hard to see but when you catch sight of it it glistens in the light, reflecting the nature of the hives of activity – often behind closed doors – in the Jewellery Quarter in Birmingham. 

Within the catalogue itself we helped to develop and standardise the information for each participant organisation so that it was clear what their trade was and how long they had been doing it. This also included whether there were staff or apprentices at each company, further highlighting the risk that some of these crafts could be lost.