Wealdstone High Street + Adam Tarasewicz

Overview

Wealdstone is a West London neighbourhood, located in the Borough of Harrow. Together with Fisher Cheng, a young architectural practice in North London, we were asked to establish a clear place identity for the place.

Opportunity

Each community within a neighbourhood contributes a unique perspective and set of skills, enriching the area’s cultural wealth. But how does one showcase a neighbourhood’s plethora of social, cultural, and economic initiatives while retaining its essence and supporting the locals? The joint commission with Fisher Cheng tasked us with exploring place identity, a website, and shopfront guidance. Given Wealdstone’s cosmopolitan character, we were fortunate to find ourselves in a context rich with clues that could help us develop outcomes that truly serve its communities.

Outcome

In the 1920s, London was rapidly expanding into suburban areas, including Wealdstone. To promote these new zones, the Metro-land magazine was launched. The historical references of the Wealdstone area have been directly translated into the typefaces used within the visual identity. Denton Serif draws its sleek and nostalgic geometries directly from the paper and TV advertisements of the 1920s. The modern, condensed look is juxtaposed with the unique, playful ED Nimpkish typeface, which combines freehand and slab font options, directly referencing the brief and the initial public engagement. All these elements are carefully considered and combined into the main logo mark, directly inspired by the Metro-land publications. To harness the diversity of the high street and reflect it in the work, we analysed the flag colours of the various nationalities living in Wealdstone and created a set of colours that became the “Palette of Wealdstone.”

Opportunity

Each community within a neighbourhood contributes a unique perspective and set of skills, enriching the area’s cultural wealth. But how does one showcase a neighbourhood’s plethora of social, cultural, and economic initiatives while retaining its essence and supporting the locals? The joint commission with Fisher Cheng tasked us with exploring place identity, a website, and shopfront guidance. Given Wealdstone’s cosmopolitan character, we were fortunate to find ourselves in a context rich with clues that could help us develop outcomes that truly serve its communities.

“[The collaboration] was great, I think we collaborated well- Adam felt like part of the team which is what we wanted. Great communication throughout.”

Outcome

In the 1920s, London was rapidly expanding into suburban areas, including Wealdstone. To promote these new zones, the Metro-land magazine was launched. The historical references of the Wealdstone area have been directly translated into the typefaces used within the visual identity. Denton Serif draws its sleek and nostalgic geometries directly from the paper and TV advertisements of the 1920s. The modern, condensed look is juxtaposed with the unique, playful ED Nimpkish typeface, which combines freehand and slab font options, directly referencing the brief and the initial public engagement. All these elements are carefully considered and combined into the main logo mark, directly inspired by the Metro-land publications. To harness the diversity of the high street and reflect it in the work, we analysed the flag colours of the various nationalities living in Wealdstone and created a set of colours that became the “Palette of Wealdstone.”

Capturing the diversity of a West London neighbourhood

Wealdstone High Street

“[The collaboration] was great, I think we collaborated well- Adam felt like part of the team which is what we wanted. Great communication throughout.”

Tracy Byrne