Old meets new in One Crown Place branding

Based in the heart of London’s financial district, multi-purpose development One Crown Place has partnered with branding agency me&dave in order to give the development a new identity, transforming it to a more living-friendly area while merging its unique architecture with an old-meets-new aesthetic. Real estate advisor CBRE launched the renewed version of One Crown Place to buyers on 1 March.

By this renovation, One Crown Place’s purpose was to give a new, radical perspective to everyday city life and promote the importance of balance between work and the life outside of it. The brand’s campaign is therefore designed, keeping in mind that people care as much about their surroundings at work, as they do for place they live in.

Alex Hartnall, head of communications, CBRE UK, says, “As buyers increasingly seek to achieve a greater work-life balance, homes within walking distance of offices, shops, bars and restaurants are in high demand. Located a stone’s throw from the Square Mile, One Crown Place is perfectly placed for buyers seeking this mix of work and lifestyle, but the area’s lack of identity had left it off the map.  

Designed by London-based architects KPF and due to open in 2020, the development’s uniqueness is due to the renovation of a Georgian terrace and the preservation and extension of a 1970s warehouse building. One Crown Place includes commercial, housing and trade spaces across a number of buildings including two imposing terracotta cladded towers, the tallest of which is 33 storeys high.

Keeping in theme with the terracotta colour of the towers, me&dave came up with a ‘golden hour’ theme, those few moments at dusk and dawn when a golden glow spreads over the city and the hectic business schedule takes a back seat. Images depicting the ‘golden hour’ are used across the branding both in digital and print marketing.

Creative director and co-founder of me&dave, Mark Davis, says, “The dynamics of the City are changing: it’s less about grey suits and ties. More and more restaurants and bars are moving in that don’t just cater to the office crowd. Capturing the theme of ‘seeing the City in a new light’ has enabled every aspect of our campaign to come together and provide a beautiful starting point for the brand.”

In the context of the campaign, hard-back books, illustrated with images of the City and surrounding neighbourhoods, were printed as a means to engage the audience’s attention. Central to the agency’s conception of this campaign was ‘the City Scene’, One Crown Place’s very own quarterly newspaper. The local newspaper aims to help bring buyers and the community together, while enhancing One Crown Place’s reputation in the market.

One Crown Place’s initiative highlights the significance of inclusiveness in the community. By designing a multi-use development, One Crown Place and me&dave found a way to defeat the isolation and bring people together in a fast-growing social and cultural scene.

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