This was an interesting one for our team. Between ourselves and our friends at CTConsults, we have plenty of experience in place brands for whole towns or cities. We have experience in creating place brands for places that don’t exist yet, and for places with lengthy histories. We’d worked on heritage projects and Action Zone […]

In 2016 HemingwayDesign embarked on a project to produce a Vision for Lowestoft South Beach, with aim to rejuvenate the seafront and help enliven the town’s leisure and tourist attractions. Labelled ‘rundown and dirty’ in a recent article, Wayne Hemingway spoke to BBC Radio Suffolk’s Sarah Lilley about ‘click bait’ culture, the reality of this […]

In 2020, working with NEW Masterplanning, HemingwayDesign completed a Vision and masterplan for Andover town centre. Our team worked closely with Test Valley Borough Council, with extensive consultation with Town Council officers and members, key employers, local retailers, and the local community to secure widespread support for a comprehensive redevelopment focused on four key proposals: […]

In 2016 HemingwayDesign embarked on a project to produce a Vision for Lowestoft South Beach, with aim to rejuvenate the seafront and help enliven the town’s leisure and tourist attractions. With its extensive sandy beach, two levels of promenade, seafront parks and gardens, all flanked by handsome period buildings, it quickly became apparent that Lowestoft […]

I am not an expert on skateboarding, none of my children ever got into it, and if I were to try it I would, for certain, do myself a mischief. But I do love watching skateboarding and recognise it as an important part of youth culture and urban sport; one that’s totally durable. Now it’s […]

With 40 years in the industry, two generations, 100s of projects completed, millions of people involved, engaged and entertained, we felt it was time for a brand refresh that reflects who we are now. The thing is that we’re brand consultants ourselves. We develop brand narratives, we work on values and purpose, we collaborate on […]

The definitive history of Blackburn is Open and the build up to The National Festival of Making. In 2012, we had the idea to take what Blackburn had – empty shops in prime town centre locations, an open minded Council, unused evocative buildings, strong industrial heritage, successful diaspora – and embrace these assets to start […]

A blog about how affordable rents helped us get started and how through the markets we curate we are, in a small way, helping start-ups “have a go” by providing low cost opportunities.  I grew up in modest background to the sound of whirring sewing machines and with a mum and a nan who always […]

A young Kate Moss and low cost housing all in one blog. A couple of weeks ago we posted the above photo on the HemingwayDesign Facebook page of a housing development, The Bridge Dartford that we led the design and master planning of a decade or so ago. The comment posted by user Paul Read […]

Returning to an old chestnut – secondhand clothing and the circular economy. I love fashion (well I would with my background). I love looking at each new seasons mens and womenswear collections. But I stick with looking and very very rarely buy any new clothes (except undies and socks). I have a wardrobe (or 6) full […]

Our appreciation of the history of council housing and its value to society. In 2014 I was reminded of my first Blackburn home by Sarah Thompson who emailed me with her proposal for an interiors book about ex-council houses. When someone emails you with an idea for a book about how a new generation are […]

We have been fortunate to work with some creative and cultural icons. Sir Peter Blake is a true gent and good egg, as well as being an artist that will live forever.  I went to the official opening of Coriander Studios new printworks a couple of weeks and ended up eating with Sir Peter Blake. […]

We have always believed that anyone can have design ideas and contribute to a great end result, regardless of background or training – after all, a number of us at HemingwayDesign have no formal design training. In recent years we’ve partnered with brands who approached us to redesign their uniforms. This has led us to […]

As you would imagine we are interested in and have a passion for the history of fashion. Here we show some historical pics of Wayne and shamelessly big up a book we put out. I am loving the new book; The Bag I’m in: Underground Music and Fashion in Britain 1960-1990 by Sam Knee. It documents […]

A bit of our secondhand and circular economy history re-visited in 2015. It was the turn of the 80s and Gerardine (my girlfriend and future wife) and I were new to London from Lancashire. We were having fun – records, clothes, nightclubs – and we just fell into our business all thanks to a market. […]

In 2015 we shouted about our love of the design thinking and process behind a new national flag of New Zealand I have harped on for many years about how the power of design to impact positively on our lives and even to engage in politics is underrated. I grew up at a time and […]

The story of the creation of the Festival of Thrift which turns 10 years old in 2022  In 2011 Gerardine and I were introduced to a chap called John Orchard. He was part of a group of investors who had taken on the enormous, 2 million square foot, Paton & Baldwin’s knitting yarn factory in […]

We’ll take any chance to pop back to one of our favourite projects. I popped into our first housing development The Staiths South Bank in Gateshead in early October 2015, almost 15 years after we first started to design it. Gerardine and I have often wondered if it is the highlight of our careers. Not […]

In 2015, we were just about to launch our Transport for London staff uniform. At HemingwayDesign when we started designing the new London Transport uniform to a brief of “make the team more recognisable on platform, on concourses, in ticket offices, and for the uniform and wearer to take pride in an internationally recognisable brand but […]

But so much more yet to come… After 4 years of working on the Dreamland Margate project, after so many false starts and times when we thought that some of the enormous obstacles that presented themselves could in fact be insurmountable, the first phase of this amazing community instigated project is open. The June 2015 […]

At HemingwayDesign we work in a number of towns and cities that have suffered economically and socially over the past decades and I occasionally attend round table discussions or conferences in these towns that focus on regeneration. There is no fairy dust (as Oliver Wainwright said about what we do, possibly snidely, see here) to be sprinkled, […]

Our first brand Red or Dead was nothing if not purposeful, and we have continued to be a voice for ethical fashion. Last week I attended a screening of the new documentary True Cost and took part in a Guardian Live post-screening panel, chaired by journalist Lucy Siegle, who is one of the film’s executive producers. […]

A recurring theme – bravery is one of the most important aspects of regeneration. Last week I was tasked with giving a talk on: “Bravery and a can do attitude” at the Somerset County Council’s Staff Awards. The premise being that with all the cutbacks in central government funding, these are hard times for councils.  […]