The Forum, Winckley Street Preston /
Speakers from 6.30pm /
Networking from 8.30pm /
Free entry, food and welcome beer /
Register here
Speakers //
Ben Casey / The Chase
Bryn Jones / City Brand, UCLan
As Preston finally begins to live up to its city status, GroupHub’s September gathering will be looking at the vital role the design and creative community needs to play in defining it’s new look and feel.
In addition to being inspirational designers in their own right, Ben Casey and Bryn Jones are dedicated Preston ambassadors and vocal advocates for its potential as a new city.
The Tithe Barn project – and the flurry of regeneration that it will hopefully inspire - is about to change the visual landscape of Preston forever. More than simply creating more places to work, rest and play, this vital phase of transition will define Preston’s identity and character for generations to come.
As well as showcasing inspirational plans to transform Preston into a vibrant, design-led urban centre, we’ll be discussing the dangers of leaving the new Preston in the hands of town planners and calling on your support to get design on the agenda.
Designers of the county unite!
Places at this event are free, but strictly limited. Please confirm your place by emailing our events team here.
Comments 1
Saffron (Wally Olins et al) have just published a City Brand Barometer which ranks cities in terms of both their brand (perception) and assets (reality).
The report pointed out that whilst some big hitters are marketing themselves very well and have created strong brands, they don’t actually deliver on assets – they are basically overselling themselves. Manchester, Newcastle and Bristol fell into this category.
Conversely, some lesser known regional cities are “hidden gems” – quieter brands and lower profiles, but really delivering the goods as far as assets go – things like history, culture, food/drink, tourist attractions etc.
Implicitly, the conclusion would be that the ideal city would balance a strong brand with the ability to deliver on its promises. The essential thing we need to grasp as Preston finds itself as a city, is that designers and creatives are essential to both sides of this process. Design isn’t just about communicating clever marketing concepts and making the leaflets look good. In order to properly unlock the potential that design thinking has to make a difference, it needs to be understood and incorporated in its widest sense – architecture, service design, wayfaring, place making, community cohesion, crime reduction…
See the Saffron report here: http://www.saffron-consultants.com/News.aspx
Posted 28 Aug 2008 at 9:38 am ¶Post a Comment
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