Greenspace creates brand for London’s net zero carbon workplace

Brand consultancy, Greenspace, worked with workspace developers HB Reavis to develop the brand identity, strategy and website for Worship Square, a new net zero carbon workplace in London. Worship Square be single-use plastic free and operate electrically, aiming to become one of the most sustainable buildings in the city.

HB Reavis is approaching the project with a focus on sustainability, employee wellbeing and digital connectivity. These themes inspired Greenspace to create a brand which voices the building as a place that nurtures planet and people, with community and health at its heart. 

An important aspect is the building’s location on a new public square. Its position in a vibrant part of London-at the intersection of The City, Old Street and Shoreditch- and the building’s emphasis on shared spaces was reflected in the brand identity through the idea of a ‘social building.’

“The building and HB Reavis’ focus on community, health and well-being along with flexibility, technology, service and its ambitious sustainability targets for Worship Square led us to the legacy-creating brand idea — Altogether Better,” says Lene Nielsen, strategy director of Greenspace.

Altogether Better informed the idea of creating a progressive identity that would reference a living, smart building. This was also reflected in the new wordmark, which integrates two different styles of typeface, reflecting togetherness.

“The final version features a contemporary san-serif with a human touch, alongside a tech- focused and hard monospace. The styling also borrows from the ‘squared’ nature of the destination name to create a bold logotype,” says Greenspace design director, Luke McIlveen.

Greenspace worked with type foundry Dinamo to create a custom display typeface, which builds on the stylistic qualities of the logo. The typography, named ‘Weave Display’ as a reference to the silk-weaving community that occupied the local area, aims to integrate togetherness into visual touches such as bespoke ligatures and alternate glyphs.

The brand idea of Altogether Better is further reflected in the warm photography, which features different people, places and workspaces. This is complemented by a rich colour palette that subtly codes different elements of the building. The honey, lime and apple green represent nature, whilst the blues and indigos symbolise innovation and the technology aspects of the building, and the coral and pinks signify community.

“Through animation, the colours subtly blend together creating a visual link to the strategy, bringing together all the unique aspects of life at Worship Square," says McIlveen.

The Worship Square graphic language was derived from the type styling to create future focused, data driven infographics and icon styling. This is used throughout presentation documents and wayfinding. The identity has been applied across everything from digital sales tools and a new website to brand films, animated assets, and digital hoardings.

“The distinctive and memorable brand identity perfectly represents the pillars and ethos of Worship Square and has enabled us to successfully articulate the benefits that the building has to offer,” says Lucy Thomas, senior marketing and PR manager at HB Reavis.