The Brief
The team at 42nd Street, a youth support service based in Manchester, were looking to create a website for a new arts project celebrating the little-known Ancoats Art Museum. The project, A Different Spirit, aimed to bring to life the history of the museum and the role it had played in promoting wellbeing and social change in the local community over the past 130 years. The website needed to reflect this history, and critically, put young people at the centre of the creative process.
Working Together With Young People
Despite having a relatively low profile Ancoats Art Museum is a cherished part of Manchester’s rich cultural heritage, so we were thrilled to play a part in increasing awareness and highlighting the role the museum has played within the local community.
We wanted to reflect the museum’s historical role in supporting wellbeing through cultural activity, bringing this work up-to-date for the 21st century.
As a charity working to improve the lives of young people under stress and experiencing mental health issues, it was important to the team at 42nd Street that this audience was engaged throughout both the wider arts project and on the website UKC Company was building.
For us, this wasn’t simply a web design project: it was an opportunity to engage and inspire a new generation of creatives.
To do this we designed a unique approach, built around direct collaboration with 42nd Street volunteers. Our aim was not only consult them throughout the project, but to actively support their own knowledge of design, branding, website development and content creation.
By taking this approach, we wanted to give young people an introduction to the creative industries that might, in turn, help them in their future careers.
Working with 42nd Street, we identified three young people from the local community who were keen to get involved, and they effectively become members of our creative team throughout the project.
As users of the 42nd Street service, each of the young people faced their own personal challenges, and it was essential that our team was sensitive to these needs as we worked with them.
Creative Workshops
To deliver the project, we scheduled five workshops with the volunteers, designed to take them through the entire process from brand development through to creating, launching and maintaining a website.
Within the workshops we wanted not only to draw out and challenge the volunteers’ creative ideas at each stage, but to also give them a detailed understanding of the key elements within creative projects. The workshops were designed to give them ‘hands-on’ knowledge of working in the industry, and followed the typical flow of a branding and web design project.
The workshop sessions covered five key areas:
- Brand Development
- Content Creation
- User Experience Design
- Web Design and Development
- Maintaining a Live Website
Our creative team delivered the sessions, passing on their insight and knowledge to the young volunteers whilst collaborating with them to develop their ideas for the brand and website. After each session they were encouraged to carry out their own research; such as identifying brands that inspire them, or examples of websites that they find enjoyable to use.
Between the workshops, UKC Company’s creative team took the results of each session and developed these ideas further. The results were fed back to the volunteers and their input was incorporated back into the work.
We found that this two-way approach was truly inspiring for our creative team: the young people channelled energy, ideas and fresh perspective into the project. We treated them as equals throughout, with their input driving he direction of the work. Our commitment to the young people is ongoing, we are providing support and guidance to them as they manage with the live site.
Collaborative Approach = Success For All
The brand and website launched in March 2014, and the feedback from the client was fantastic:
“Working with UKC Company has been a pleasure. They have a really flexible approach and were willing to adapt their habitual working methods to whatever ways we best understood the web development process. To deliver a website and visual identity, they worked with a group of young people from our organisation and made this process clear, interesting and fun, really engaging with the group and responding to their ideas with creativity and professionalism. The technical and creative teams know how to turn the rawest of ideas into a well functioning, great looking website.
Both the staff and the young people at 42nd Street are delighted with our project website and visual identity, and I have no hesitation in recommending UKC Company.”
Julie McCarthy, Cultural Producer – 42nd Street
Working with members of different communities can achieve outstanding results: especially when you truly involve them in your processes. UKC Company have extensive experience of creating projects that work with people, rather than to people.
Engagement can make a real difference: want to know how? Speak to UKC Company.
About UKC Company
We’re a full service creative agency. With an emphasis on the service.
We create beautiful designs, we craft digital solutions, and we help brands communicate with their audiences.
Interested in UKC Company? Get in touch now to start the conversation.
Ben Hui
UKC Company
0161 236 6411
The Brief
The team at 42nd Street, a youth support service based in Manchester, were looking to create a website for a new arts project celebrating the little-known Ancoats Art Museum. The project, A Different Spirit, aimed to bring to life the history of the museum and the role it had played in promoting wellbeing and social change in the local community over the past 130 years. The website needed to reflect this history, and critically, put young people at the centre of the creative process.
Working Together With Young People
Despite having a relatively low profile Ancoats Art Museum is a cherished part of Manchester’s rich cultural heritage, so we were thrilled to play a part in increasing awareness and highlighting the role the museum has played within the local community.
We wanted to reflect the museum’s historical role in supporting wellbeing through cultural activity, bringing this work up-to-date for the 21st century.
As a charity working to improve the lives of young people under stress and experiencing mental health issues, it was important to the team at 42nd Street that this audience was engaged throughout both the wider arts project and on the website UKC Company was building.
For us, this wasn’t simply a web design project: it was an opportunity to engage and inspire a new generation of creatives.
To do this we designed a unique approach, built around direct collaboration with 42nd Street volunteers. Our aim was not only consult them throughout the project, but to actively support their own knowledge of design, branding, website development and content creation.
By taking this approach, we wanted to give young people an introduction to the creative industries that might, in turn, help them in their future careers.
Working with 42nd Street, we identified three young people from the local community who were keen to get involved, and they effectively become members of our creative team throughout the project.
As users of the 42nd Street service, each of the young people faced their own personal challenges, and it was essential that our team was sensitive to these needs as we worked with them.
Creative Workshops
To deliver the project, we scheduled five workshops with the volunteers, designed to take them through the entire process from brand development through to creating, launching and maintaining a website.
Within the workshops we wanted not only to draw out and challenge the volunteers’ creative ideas at each stage, but to also give them a detailed understanding of the key elements within creative projects. The workshops were designed to give them ‘hands-on’ knowledge of working in the industry, and followed the typical flow of a branding and web design project.
The workshop sessions covered five key areas:
- Brand Development
- Content Creation
- User Experience Design
- Web Design and Development
- Maintaining a Live Website
Our creative team delivered the sessions, passing on their insight and knowledge to the young volunteers whilst collaborating with them to develop their ideas for the brand and website. After each session they were encouraged to carry out their own research; such as identifying brands that inspire them, or examples of websites that they find enjoyable to use.
Between the workshops, UKC Company’s creative team took the results of each session and developed these ideas further. The results were fed back to the volunteers and their input was incorporated back into the work.
We found that this two-way approach was truly inspiring for our creative team: the young people channelled energy, ideas and fresh perspective into the project. We treated them as equals throughout, with their input driving he direction of the work. Our commitment to the young people is ongoing, we are providing support and guidance to them as they manage with the live site.
Collaborative Approach = Success For All
The brand and website launched in March 2014, and the feedback from the client was fantastic:
“Working with UKC Company has been a pleasure. They have a really flexible approach and were willing to adapt their habitual working methods to whatever ways we best understood the web development process. To deliver a website and visual identity, they worked with a group of young people from our organisation and made this process clear, interesting and fun, really engaging with the group and responding to their ideas with creativity and professionalism. The technical and creative teams know how to turn the rawest of ideas into a well functioning, great looking website.
Both the staff and the young people at 42nd Street are delighted with our project website and visual identity, and I have no hesitation in recommending UKC Company.”
Julie McCarthy, Cultural Producer – 42nd Street
Working with members of different communities can achieve outstanding results: especially when you truly involve them in your processes. UKC Company have extensive experience of creating projects that work with people, rather than to people.
Engagement can make a real difference: want to know how? Speak to UKC Company.
About UKC Company
We’re a full service creative agency. With an emphasis on the service.
We create beautiful designs, we craft digital solutions, and we help brands communicate with their audiences.
Interested in UKC Company? Get in touch now to start the conversation.
Ben Hui
UKC Company
0161 236 6411