First opening in 1886, the Olympia London exhibition centre in Hammersmith has hosted the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Miss World and Stella McCartney shows. The space has just begun reconstruction into a new cultural hub which will include a new theatre, the largest since the National Theatre in 1976, and a large creative studio, among seven other new buildings.

The brand strategy and visual identity for the Olympia destination brand will be designed and created by brand strategy studio, SomeOne. The branding takes its inspiration, of course, from the iconic arches of the Olympia Exhibition Halls. The ‘Olympia’ wordmark, created with Miles Newlyn, bulges and curves, showcasing Olympia with the form of its arches. Visual assets of the brand are being created under the influence of the ‘O’ for Olympia in collaboration with weareseventeen who has developed a series of 3D CGI assets that aim to highlight the multifaceted nature of which the new area hopes to provide, tied together by the encompassing ‘O’ shape. 3D artist Ingrid Tsy is also on board.

The primary typeface, Right Grotesk by Pangram Pangram Foundry, was chosen for its variable nature and multiple weights, meaning it could be manipulated into different visual settings. The creative team also referenced vintage exhibition posters for Olympia which featured contrasting styles, and used now to provide space for emphasis. This contrast motif was carried through to the colour palette: it sees rich, dark tones combined with softer and brighter colours. The team hope that this also gives a sense of light and shadow, promoting the ‘showtime’ motif through a subtle hint to spotlighting.

The opening of the newly developed London Olympia is predicted to be in 2024.