Thamesmead is an area on the eastern side of London, just beyond Woolwich. Housing group Peabody is leading the regeneration of the area – most of which was built from the 1960s onwards.

Since 2017 Peabody has been investing in a brilliant and ambitious multifaceted cultural programme in Thamesmead, including site-specific theatre, exhibitions, dance, acrobatics, new arts spaces, the Thamesmead Festival, murals and permanent artworks – all created in tandem with the local community.

Peabody came to me to put together a publication, Hometown Pride, which could showcase what they’ve done, and share the principles and practices they’ve developed, as well as the lessons they’ve learned.

The brief was for something that followed their brand guidelines, but with a more creative edge. Part of the work was to go through their impressive image archive to find photographs that really told the story. The publication also needed to tell their story in detail, but without feeling cluttered.

The publication was launched first as an online .pdf, and then we printed physical copies too. These were printed on Revive Offset, a good quality 100% recycled uncoated stock that has Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification. They were printed by the good folks at Impress Print, a B-Corp certified printer with ISO 14001 environmental certification, based close to London. The booklets were PUR bound, which uses less adhesive than standard glue binding, and while very strong, is also easy to separate for recycling.

I designed the booklet with a partial dust jacket, so that the cover image could be removed, revealing the voice of a local resident beneath. I then selected the boldest and most dynamic of their images to tell a clear, compelling and engaging story of their work.

Hometown Pride was produced in partnership with MAP Strategic Communications.