Redefining housing in Swindon

Client: Forward Swindon

Services: Branding, Brand Strategy, Marketing Strategy, Social Media, Design, Photography, Art Direction, Artwork

Swindon has many large corporations calling Swindon home, including Nationwide, WH Smith, Zurich and Honda. However, the fast growth of the town after the War and the concurrent focus on affordable housing stock resulted in Swindon ‘missing’ significant, more wealthy socio-economic groups – people who work in Swindon but choose to live elsewhere. To address this, Swindon Borough Council have tried to introduce a more aspirational product and lifestyle offer to meet the demands of the workforce, as well as older people, developing a new community just south of Swindon Old Town called Wichelstowe.

I  lead the team that won the tender for brand and marketing services for Wichelstowe. We undertook a place brand project including, key stakeholder brand workshops, messaging, guidelines, literature and collateral, followed with sub brand creation – including naming (Canalside) for a number of mixed use parcels sitting alongside a local Canal, and other retail housing brands (Heron’s Water).