Templo releases a playful identity for Mayor of London’s Crowdfund London

Launching today is a new identity for Mayor of London’s Crowdfunded London, a programme that empowers communities through civic crowdfunding, supporting a whole host of projects such as community spaces, art pieces and gardens. Released in collaboration with branding and digital agency Templo, the identity comprises a film, a collection of social media assets and a report – the latter formed via impact research conducted by innovation foundation, Nesta. In its research, Nesta sought to look at the achievements of the programme, evaluating the impact that Crowdfund London has held over the last five years, thus demonstrating how to empower people and local neighbourhoods in the future.

For the identity development, Nesta and Greater London Authority – working closely with Templo's client lead Anoushka Rodda – brought together a mix of talent to bring the research to life, including designers Maili Knowles-Lee and Georgia Collins, plus animation from James Churchill. The team also created a 100-page report to present the research findings, conceived through infographics, illustrations, case studies, data, photography and film from Postcode Films.

An imperative part of the design was to evoke playfulness – coupled with a pamphlet and suite of social media assets – meaning that the findings would be easily digestible to the reader. “The research is centred around community coming together to enrich their local area in a variety of ways, such as young people in Hackney making a new public space or a florist that repurposes thrown away supermarket flowers,” explains Pali Palavathanan, co-founder and creative director at Templo, in the release. “Reports of this nature are normally stuffy and cold. So we wanted the identity to convey this collaborative community spirit in a fun and abstract way. The identity includes characters which represent different cultures to highlight the inclusive nature of the Crowdfund London platform.”

Opting for a series of hand-drawn illustrations of people working, tied in with a lively colour palette and simple typography, the identity is both optimistic and fresh. Joyful graphics – such as illustrated carrots, street lights and buildings – are used to denote the infographics, which shows how 65 per cent of the projects launched through the programme brought people together from different parts of the community. Meanwhile, a further 65 per cent of projects have focussed on buildings and indoor spaces; 52 per cent on streets and infrastructure; 45 per cent on arts and culture; 38 per cent on parks and gardens; 30 per cent on food and farming; and 16 per cent on sports and play. Other stats show how much money has been raised through the Crowdfund London programme, which includes £2.41 million raised by the Mayor and £2.44 million from 20,000 backers; £4.85 million has been raised in total.

“It was really important that the design conveyed both the motivations for the programme and the key insights that came from the evaluation,” says Jonathan Bone, senior researcher at Nesta, in the company’s announcement. “The colourful and playful style captures the experimentation that Crowdfund London has facilitated and the illustrated figures throughout highlight how the programme really is about people, and helping them come together to make a difference in their communities.”

More information about the launch can be viewed here, and you can watch the film below.