Rotherham was named the world’s first Children’s Capital of Culture for 2025 – a landmark achievement set to unlock new opportunities for young people across the region. We partnered with the organisers to create a bold, engaging brand and campaign to celebrate and amplify this moment.
As a first-of-its-kind initiative, there was a need to clearly communicate its significance while inspiring local pride and participation. The challenge was to engage a wide audience – particularly young people – in a way that felt exciting, relevant, and empowering, rather than formal or institutional.
There was an opportunity to create a brand that didn’t just announce the title, but activated it – encouraging young people to see themselves at the centre of it, and to feel inspired about their future.
We built the brand around the idea of imagination and ambition – capturing a spirit of “anything’s possible.” The identity is bold, playful, and full of energy, designed to speak directly to a younger audience while radiating positivity across the wider community.
A vibrant illustration style brings this to life, spanning themes such as music, sport, art, community, nature, and even outer space – reflecting the breadth of opportunities and interests available. This creates a dynamic and expressive visual world that invites participation and curiosity.
The brand was rolled out across a wide range of touchpoints, including regional advertising, printed and digital collateral, and merchandise – ensuring strong visibility and consistency. Together, the campaign celebrates Rotherham’s achievement while encouraging young people to get involved, think big, and shape what comes next.
The town of Rotherham has been awarded the world’s first Children’s Capital of Culture for 2025. This is a huge achievement for the area and it generates a boost in opportunities for young people across the region.
We created an overarching brand, a range of brand illustrations, a regional advertising campaign, a range of printed and online collateral, and merchandise – all to help shout about this huge achievement. The brand talks directly with its young audience, with a bold and playful style which projects a positive boost throughout the local community, and encourages everyone to play their part.
Our inspiration came from an idea of ‘imagination and ambition’. The identity echos this thought of ‘anything’s possible’, and encourages young people to be ambitious in their early careers. The illustrative elements, which covered subjects like music, sport, art, community, the great outdoors and even outer space – really encapsulate this.
