Ali Hanson, Naresh Ramchandani and Opening Line bring Patch’s ‘Work Near Home’ vision to life

Creative director and designer Ali Hanson, independent consultant Naresh Ramchandani, and verbal branding studio Opening Line have teamed up to create the identity for Patch. Since 2020, the organisation has sought to bring co-working and community-focused spaces to local high streets, making ‘Working Near Home’ easier than ever. The team have produced a rebrand that is authentic to the owners’ vision, communicating their mission with warmth, sensitivity and humanity. “‘A lighthouse for local life’ is the brand idea born from the strategy process lead by Ramchandan,” Hanson tells us, reflecting on the project. “This spoke to the idea that Patch is an organisation that exists to shine a light on local community culture and is a place for people to work, discover and meet on their local high street.” From this central tenet of the brand, the team then built a fitting visual and verbal identity. First of all, alongside a familiar and inviting tone of voice, the team introduced a varied typographic language, giving Patch a selection of ‘frequencies’ to communicate with. At the front and centre of the brand is the primary signature typeface: Florian Karsten’s FK Screamer. “I felt it would work to have a logotype that has an almost architectural presence and gravitas, much like I imagined Patch spaces to have on high streets around the UK,” Hanson explains, “so a condensed lettering style felt like a natural choice.” Within the identity, the impactful lettering is combined with different building icons to symbolise each Patch location.