School Yard Knutsford

School Yard Knutsford is a food hall set within a historic school building, bringing together independent vendors, events, and community. The challenge was to create a brand that could balance: The heritage of the architecture with a contemporary food hall feel A strong identity while not competing with individual vendor brands Consistency across touchpoints while allowing for flexibility and variation The identity needed to work just as effectively on subtle on-site applications as it did in bold, attention-grabbing off-site marketing. Approach The solution was to create a scalable design system, where the intensity of the brand adapts depending on context. At the core of the identity is the building itself. Architectural features such as the spire and arched windows were simplified into a recognisable, scalable icon that retains character while working at small sizes. A flexible visual system was developed around this: Typography inspired by British signage and letterpress styles, used interchangeably to create dynamic layouts A duotone colour system, combining muted heritage tones with more vibrant accents to balance tradition and energy A set of textural and graphic assets, referencing brickwork and print techniques to add depth and tactility This system is designed to shift in expression: On-site, the brand is restrained and functional, allowing vendors to take focus Off-site, the system becomes more expressive, using bold colour, typography and imagery to build awareness Photography plays a key role, with two distinct approaches: Bird’s-eye food compositions that feel like the table itself Atmospheric imagery integrated into architectural shapes to reinforce the story of the space Outcome The result is a flexible identity that feels rooted in the building’s history while functioning as a contemporary brand system. It works across a wide range of applications, from signage and packaging to social media and large-scale campaigns, without losing coherence. By scaling its intensity depending on context, the brand is able to: Support a multi-vendor environment on-site Build a strong, recognisable presence off-site The system provides a foundation that can grow over time, maintaining consistency while allowing for ongoing variation and expansion.