BRAND IDENTITY | MURALS
We were commissioned by Tony Buckley of SEE3, the Portas Pilot in Sydenham, Kirkdale, and Forest Hill, to come up with ideas to help breathe new life into Kirkdale.
Kirkdale is a long area with two distinct shopping streets separated by a stretch of residential housing. Many people coming out of Sydenham Station don’t realise it has two parts. The area is full of beautiful architecture, but over the years it has suffered from decline and low footfall.
We spent time talking to local traders and sharing our ideas, and a clear theme emerged: Kirkdale didn’t feel proud of itself. As one trader put it, “people don’t know this is still Kirkdale.” There was a sense that the area’s identity had faded, even though its character and history were still very much there.
A few years back, traders had tried to rebrand the area as ‘Kirkdale Village’, led by a local estate agent. However, the name never quite stuck; after all, historically Kirkdale was never a village. We believe that branding should be based on truth.
Our first step was to work on the name and create a sense of cohesion between the two shopping streets. Working with local historian Steve Grindlay (who had helped us with the mural on the Greyhound Pub), we researched Kirkdale’s history. The decision was to revive its original title: ‘Kirkdale High Street’, a nod to its past as Sydenham’s first high street.
The branding was inspired by the elegant lettering already present on the High Street buildings:
To extend this identity into the side streets, we designed ‘ghost sign’ style typographic murals, lovingly hand-painted by Peter O’Connor in strategic, highly visible locations throughout Kirkdale.
The murals incorporate elements already present in the area. For example, one sign’s border was inspired by the decorative tiles in the thresholds of the High Street buildings:
The result is a branding scheme that celebrates Kirkdale’s history while giving it a renewed sense of pride and visibility. The murals not only guide visitors through the area but also tell the story of a place rediscovering its identity.
