London-based design consultancy dn&co. has designed a typographic identity for Birmingam’s former industrial heartland, Digbeth. The area, now the city’s creative quarter, is filled with an eclectic mix of small businesses, ranging from blacksmiths to digital agencies.
The new brand is anchored around a custom typeface called Digbeth Sans, created in collaboration with London’s Colophon Foundry. It is inspired by the lettering seen on canal boats and the industrial typography that runs throughout the neighbourhoods goods yards and factories. The multiple weights: regular, shadow, inline and outline, mean it can be dialled up or down depending on the application. Digbeth Sans is free to download, encouraging the community to take ownership of the area’s identity.
The bold splashes of yellow are a reference to the eggless custard powder product Bird, which was invented and manufactured in Digbeth in 1837.
These elements come together to form a characterful identity system, reflective of Digbeth and its inhabitants.