Member Article

Manchester designer creates Dukes 92’s new brand

Elle R Leisure, who operate Dukes 92 in Manchester city centre, has commissioned renowned Manchester graphic designer, Trevor Johnson, to design their new brand, 25 years after he created the first. The logo and associated design elements that form the new branding will be rolled out across all print material, the new website and signage for the Castlefield bar.

Trevor Johnson has been creating iconic images, typography and graphics for the past five decades. He forged his reputation in the days of the 80’s and 90’s Madchester music scene with designs for the legendary Hacienda nightclub and its owners Factory Records as well as Dry Bar and Barca.

Salford-born Johnson, Design Director at Havas Lynx, commenting on the project said: “It was a great pleasure to be asked back to play a key part in the branding of Dukes for the next quarter of a century. I have lots of very happy memories of Dukes from the last couple of decades or so and it’s great to be involved in its future.

“From my meetings with the architects and client the diamond shape kept cropping up continuously in references for the new interior and I wanted the graphics to have a visual connection with the physical space, so it seemed natural to incorporate this as a key element of the new identity. However we have not lost the Duke of Bridgewater’s head completely and it will appear as part of the wider branding as a nod to the original design, but we needed a brand that’s fit for 21st century communication and not influenced by quirky fashion or style to take us through the next 25 years. It needs to be versatile, neutral and able to work visually across a wide variety of traditional and digital platforms.”

Heaton Moor-based design agency, AHOY, has created the bar’s new website. Commenting on the project, Paul Bailey, Account Director at AHOY said: “We couldn’t have been happier to contribute to Dukes 92’s new look, faithfully recreating and building upon Trevor’s design work to create a sharp, snappy website that is every bit as memorable as the venue itself.”

The bar will reopen on Friday 8 April.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Roz Hughes .