Morgan livens up MCN logo

Creative business support organisation The Media Centre Network will unveil a new identity by Morgan Agency, when its £5m Friendly Street site in Huddersfield is opened by Her Majesty The Queen on 24 May.

The centre is the first building of its kind in the Huddersfield area to use specially designed carbon-reducing features and will provide affordable live/work studio space for local design, digital and creative businesses.

Designed by architect Bradshaw, Gas & Hope, and funded by Kirklees Council with grants from the European Regional Development Fund and Yorkshire Forward, the centre will be managed by MCN.

Morgan Agency senior designer David Coupland explains that MCN’s previous identity was in need of refreshing to reflect the dynamism and energy of a growing organisation. ‘The idea was to capture what the Media Centre is all about, to show what an inspiring hub it is. We also wanted to raise awareness of it in the area,’ he says.

Morgan Agency was appointed to work on the redesign of the organisation’s identity six months ago on the strength of its previous work for the Round Foundry in Leeds.

As MCN provides a range of support services, including virtual offices, networking resources and events spaces, Morgan Agency opted for a concept based on the ‘continuous’ relationship and close-knit business community stemming from the ‘creative hub’.

‘We tried to illustrate this with the detailing between the ‘A’ and the ‘C’ from the name. The strip reflects continuity and symbolises a long-term relationship,’ says Coupland. A brighter orange and grey colour palette replaces the ‘dull and corporate’ previous dark blue.

The new look will be applied to signage, brochures, direct mail and invitations for the launch event.