Restoration Station

Run from their workshop on Shoreditch High Street, Restoration Station is a fantastic social enterprise that provides training and work experience to people recovering from addiction through the upcycling and restoring of vintage and designer furniture.

I was asked to develop an identity that would help communicate the offer both to potential customers and also supporters—helping to secure a vital source of funding. Whilst Shoreditch is full of furniture retailers with vintage inspired and ‘hipster’ shops, products and brand identities, I felt it was important to avoid following following this trend as a similar approach would simply get lost among the competition and Restoration Station lacked the resources to effectively compete on this level.

Instead I developed a solution that not only stood out from the approach of their neighbours but also worked within the context of restricted marketing budgets which make photography, print finishing and other external resources are a luxury they can rarely afford. A custom alphabet—inspired by the craftsmanship of carpentry—was created which is applied boldly throughout communications and is partnered with an honest and human tone of voice to create a distinct, easily applied identity.