Campaign Championing London's World Leading Creative Industries Launches at Frieze Art Fair
London’s leading artists and art world figures, gallerists, museum directors and auction houses are uniting to launch a new creative campaign, LONDON CREATES, at the 20th anniversary of contemporary art fair Frieze London today (11th October).
LONDON CREATES, a brand and campaign created by M&C Saatchi London, is being championed by the Evening Standard and the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, to support London’s place as a world-leading creative capital.
LONDON CREATES has been developed to celebrate the capital’s world-leading cultural and creative industries following a challenging few years due to the impact of the pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis. It will initially focus on the promotion of London’s visual arts sector, with the ambition to extend to other areas of the arts in which London leads – fashion, film, theatre and music.
M&C Saatchi London was responsible for developing the LONDON CREATES brand, campaign and communications strategy.
Will Bate, senior art director, M&C Saatchi London, said, “London is a dynamic and diverse nucleus for creativity, so our task was to create a brand which would capture that dynamism, and nod to the city’s cultural past, present and future. LONDON CREATES is a bold, active statement which can be used in a plethora of ways by everyone from a small neighbourhood gallery to the Mayor of London’s office.”
The LONDON CREATES brand name is designed to be flexible and open-source, to enable it to be harnessed and adapted by London’s diverse creative and cultural organisations and individuals. Working as a standalone brand, it can also be used as a prefix to form lines such as 'LONDON CREATES IMPACT' or 'LONDON CREATES ART'.
The bold, digital-first animated logomark features blocks coming together, to represent the dynamism and ever-changing nature of London’s creative community. This is also reflected in its vibrant colour palette.
The brand and campaign will be officially launched by Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan at Frieze in The Regent’s Park today. To mark the launch, the Evening Standard is publishing a special edition of the paper, with two limited edition posters created by artists Gilbert & George.
Broader campaign activity is rolling out across press, out-of-home, social and digital channels, supported by a mural in Shoreditch, created in partnership with Global Street Art.
Christi Tronetti, head of growth, M&C Saatchi London, said, “Our challenge was to develop something to unite this diverse creative community. The result is a dynamic, flexible brand and campaign which we hope will be embraced by London’s creative industries and help them to continue to thrive as some of the best the world has to offer.”
Justine Simons OBE, London’s deputy mayor for culture and the creative industries, said, “Creativity is built into the fabric of our city. Our artists, the diversity of voices here and the infrastructure that underpins them is what makes London such a dynamic creative capital. We are proud that artists are at the heart of our city, with hundreds of museums and galleries, leading international auction houses, commercial galleries, affordable studio spaces, and major public art commissions such as the renowned Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square. We want to welcome everyone to experience our city afresh and will continue to do all we can to support our creative industries and help them thrive as we build a better London for all.”
Dylan Jones, editor in chief of the Evening Standard, said, “Culture and creativity are the beating hearts of London – they are the beacons that define and drive us. The Evening Standard is delighted to be supporting this campaign that champions London’s role as the world’s most creative capital.”
Eva Langret, director of Frieze London, said, “London is a global capital of for the arts and has a history and infrastructure like no other. This year our 20th anniversary gives us the opportunity to celebrate the cultural diversity of the city and recognise the influence that we have across the world. The innovative edge of the city is unparalleled and continues to evolve, attested to by the new institutions and galleries that drive our creative spirit.”
Jane Boardman, CEO, M&C Saatchi Talk, said, “We are honoured to be part of this important project - London is an ‘art magnet’ - a city of new, exciting talent, a melting pot of people and creativity. Whether creativity is born here, or drawn here by the London magnetism, it’s a city that appreciates, showcases and gives opportunity to creative talent. London is, and has always been, a city of infinite opposites. The rebelling and friction is part of our creative success, as this rubbing of opposites takes our creativity to new exciting places. Like a magnet, London attracts, nurtures and creates the best talent which it then launches back out into the world.”
Laura Citron, CEO, London and Partners, said, “London attracts the best talent and businesses because it is truly one of the world’s most exciting, creative cities to live and work in. This is largely thanks to our unmatched heritage, thriving arts and culture scene not to mention our world-leading business ecosystem. The convergence of these elements makes London the city of choice for people, businesses, and investors from all over the world and are a huge driver of London’s prosperity and resilience.”
Lee Bofkin, co-founder and CEO, Global Street Art, said, “Global Street Art was founded in London in 2012, we have been shaped by London, and we continue to contribute to London today in our own small way. London is an amazing, resilient city and the creative communities that thrive here have been at the forefront of culture for centuries. London creates artists, London creates rebels, London creates joy and London creates the future. Read together or separately, we passionately believe in this spirit and in the London Creates campaign.
