Welcome to the latest update from Kinver Parish Council. As part of our campaign to revitalise the High Street, freshen up the village’s image and attract more visitors, we have embarked on an exciting venture to create a new brand image for Kinver with an innovative twist…..partnering with graphic design students at the University of Wolverhampton.
To help finance the project, we successfully applied for a grant from Fibre Heroes, the fibre optic broadband installation business. This project has been self funding thanks to this grant and the goodwill of many volunteers. To promote the website further and increase awareness amongst potential visitors, we still have plans which will require more sponsors, so please let us know if you can support us. This could be offering to help develop the merchandise or making a financial contribution. In return we can offer to feature your logo on the website.
In 2023, Cllr Siôn Charlesworth-Jones(former Chairman of the Leisure & Amenities Committee) and Cllr Dave McGirr started the ball rolling with an introductory meeting with 2 senior lecturers from the University of Wolverhampton’s Graphic Design department, Stephen Paxford and Marc Austin. The aim was to create a win/win outcome…. to harness the creativity and fresh perspective of the students. And provide the students with a live project that could be applied in practice.
Empowering Tomorrow’s Designers
Under the mentorship of their lecturers, the students extensively researched Kinver’s heritage and character, visiting a few of the local hostelries in the process. They set out to create a full set of brand guidelines that captured the spirit of the village.
The Presentation
After months of brainstorming, sketching, and refining, the students presented their concepts to us. Each design was a testament to the students’ creativity and dedication, showcasing a diverse range of styles and interpretations. Including modern minimalism and historic references to Kinver’s heritage, the designs reflected the richness and diversity of the village itself.
And the Winner Is…
Following a rigorous evaluation process, including 11 excellent presentations all with their own merits, we selected the winning design by brothers Nathan and James Hollyhead, who received a prize of £200 as recognition for their outstanding contribution. The other participating students received a glowing testimonial to add to their credentials and to support future employment opportunities.
A Logo for the Community
The new logo will be initially published on the new Visit Kinver website and we are looking to launch an online merchandise catalogue to promote Kinver branded items such as shopping bags, umbrellas, notepads, t-shirts, etc. Additionally, local businesses will have the opportunity to license the logo, further strengthening the sense of community and pride in Kinver. We have created an image featuring the new logo on our van (see headline photo)to demonstrate how it would look if we used it on a replacement vehicle.
The Kinver Business Association have been supporting the project, thanks to Nicola Wood(Kinver Design & Marketing) and Jonathan Lloyd(The Bay Tree Restaurant) for participating as members co-opted onto the working group. A Visit Kinver leaflet is being produced to circulate to surrounding areas to encourage more visitors to experience the shops, pubs, cafes, restaurants and visitor attractions in our village. If you have any questions or comments, please send them to us at Contact us | Visit Kinver