Hilton House is a building in the heart of Manchester’s Northern Quarter. Built in the 60s and designed by a master architect, Richard Seifert, it had been left to fade and crumble. We were commissioned to inject a new lease of life into the building for the new developers.

We started the project by recreating all the graphic element of the building that we could find – the brickwork on the roof, grid structures based on the windows along the front of the building, the wayfinding numerals and  the original Hilton House signage (Univers Extended, an Adrian Frutiger classic). 

In addition, we wanted the bring to life the buildings secondary role of a gallery space. It had been adopted over the years by street artists and exhibitions, something that we wanted maintain. We commissioned a group of local artists to create bespoke pieces, and local street editorial photographers (The Mancorialist) to capture the local businesses in the area — all to become part of the buildings story.

Brand, Design + Concept