Manchester groups set to benefit from sporting work

Design is set to play a key role in the branding of a number of World Championship sporting events taking place in Manchester next year.

Local design consultancies This is True North and Dinosaur are two of the groups to have benefited so far from work arising from the five individual sporting events.

Later this month, the Hi-tech World Squash Championships will unveil its identity when it launches a website and promotional material.

True North won a three- way creative pitch against undisclosed North West consultancies at the end of last year to create a logo and brand guidelines that would help give the event global stature.

True North creative director Ady Bibby explains, ‘We had to create something that would be able to compete visually against the wealth of world- class events taking place in Manchester next year. Squash can sometimes have a parochial look, so we wanted to do something that was more visual and metaphorical, and would give the event broader appeal,’ he says.

In April this year, the UCI Track Cycling Championships unveiled its identity, also designed by True North.

Another Manchester group, Dinosaur, has designed the look of the FINA World Swimming Championships, which will be held at the Manchester Evening News Arena.

Two Olympic-sized pools will be designed and specially built for the occasion by Astral Pool.

The UEFA Cup 2008 and the BUPA Greater Manchester Run will also take place in the city next year, but neither has announced any design partners.