Ignition Works
Partnering with Kirklees Council to develop the place brand and identity for Ignition Works, the transformational regeneration site at the former Gasworks site (Gasworks Street) in Huddersfield.
Brand Strategy / Naming / Brand Identity / Messaging Architecture / Campaign / Animation / Merchandise
Studio Up North (SUN) has partnered with Kirklees Council to develop the place brand and identity for Ignition Works, the transformational regeneration site at the former Gasworks site (Gasworks Street) in Huddersfield.
Part of the emerging West Yorkshire Investment Zone and the wider Station to Stadium Enterprise Corridor, the seven-acre destination is being positioned as a future hub for health innovation, advanced manufacturing, research and development, and collaboration-led enterprise.
Appointed to create the strategic naming, narrative and visual identity for the site, SUN was tasked with repositioning Gasworks Street away from historical industrial perceptions and towards a distinctive, investment-ready proposition capable of attracting developers, occupiers and investors.
The resulting identity, Ignition Works, draws inspiration from both the site’s industrial heritage and its future role as a catalyst for innovation.
At the centre of the brand sits one defining idea: a spark.
The spark that once powered the ambitions of an industrial town now becomes a metaphor for ideas, collaboration, discovery and innovation. The concept informed not only the naming strategy, but the wider visual language, narrative and positioning developed for the destination.
‘One spark. Endless possibilities’ captures the ambition behind the development and its role within Huddersfield’s wider regeneration story. SUN developed the narrative around the belief that innovation begins with a single moment - an idea or a connection - and that Ignition Works will become the place where ideas are transformed into innovation.
Jamie Kelly, SUN creative director, said:
“This project was about creating far more than a name or visual identity. It was about helping define the future story of an important part of Huddersfield. Ignition Works gave us the opportunity to create a brand rooted in genuine history while still feeling progressive, ambitious and commercially credible. The idea of the spark became a powerful thread that connected the site’s past to its future role as a centre for innovation and collaboration.”
The brand identity has been designed to support long-term placemaking ambitions and future developer engagement, while standing apart from more traditional regeneration branding through a narrative-led approach, which is built around meaning, momentum and possibility
. The work forms part of Kirklees Council’s wider ambition to establish Huddersfield as a nationally recognised destination for investment, innovation and advanced industries, anchored by the University of Huddersfield’s National Health Innovation Campus.
The Ignition Works identity will now support future investment and marketing activity connected to the site, including launch activity and engagement with developers and partners.