HIGHCROSS SHOPPING
CENTRE
Located at the heart of one of England’s most culturally diverse cities, Highcross is more than a shopping centre. It should be a place that reflects Leicester’s energy, pride and community spirit. Yet, despite its central role in city life, the brand had become disconnected from the people it served. Our work reimagined Highcross as a platform that celebrates Leicester’s vibrancy and invites every community in, helping the centre reclaim its place as the city’s favourite destination for culture, connection and everyday life.
highcrossleicester.com
CREATED IN WITH AND FORHighcross Leicester
YEAR2024
CREATED WITH LOVE AT
bandstandMY
ROLELead designer
DELIVERABLESBrand Identity
Strategy
Tone of Voice
Guidelines
Hoarding
Templates
CHALLENGELeicester is one of the UK’s most culturally rich cities - shaped by centuries of history and a vibrant mix of Indian, Caribbean, African, Eastern European and British communities. It’s a city defined by pride, passion and identity.
Sitting right at the heart of this cultural melting pot, Highcross shopping centre should have felt like a reflection of Leicester itself. Instead, the experience inside felt generic and disconnected from the city beyond its doors. Shoppers didn’t see themselves, their stories or their culture represented, and as a result, footfall and sales were suffering.
Highcross needed to re-establish itself as Leicester’s number one shopping destination – not just as a place to shop, but as a place to belong.
SOLUTIONWe reimagined Highcross as a platform for proper Leicester. Starting with a brand model, we defined a clear, ownable positioning rooted in community, culture and self-expression.
From there, we built a bold and expressive brand world - one that blended textured, in-the-moment photography with striking graphic illustration to capture the energy, diversity and creativity of the city. The visual language was designed to feel alive and flexible, allowing Highcross to speak authentically across different moments, audiences and channels.
A comprehensive brand toolkit ensured consistency and longevity, while animated illustrations and dynamic content rolled out across social, DOOH, posters, vinyls and shop windows throughout the centre. Every touchpoint worked to move Highcross away from generic retail and towards something more meaningful and human.
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The new brand repositioned Highcross as more than a shopping centre – it became a space where Leicester could come together. A place for self-care, cinema trips and dopamine dressing, but also somewhere to linger, connect and feel part of a wider community.
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