This multi-partner project required an extraordinary range of design and promotion skills of our practice. Working together with The South East England Development Agency (SEEDA), The Historic Dockyard Chatham, Basepoint Business Centres, Baynes and Mitchell Architects (London), English Heritage, we followed and added to the rigorous process of aesthetic development for this Grade II listed and a scheduled ancient monument building. After helping develop the interior colour scheme and wall art and signage for the scheme we set about creating the brand for the enterprise. This then led to SEEDA commissioning us to create a promotional scheme to help sell the spaces to start-up businesses in the creative industries of North Kent.

Lorna Dallas Conte was asked to help develop a programme of free promotional events named ‘The Business of Creativity’. They included key speakers, food, drink, networking and music, together with a series of exhibitions in the building’s new but temporary Ignition Gallery. The curated shows ran the full six month duration of the promotion.

A series of images of people working in creative fields were created for printed matter together with images of the Dockyard to be used as featured art on the buildings walls. The brand and signage was developed from wording found around the Dockyard on boats, huts, dock barriers and buoys. Much of the signage was hand stencilled by members our team, thereby being of low impact to the buildings integrity, a constant consideration. We also designed the frosted glass manifestations to echo the buildings original cast iron ceiling brackets.

The spaces in The Joiners Shop were filled with initial tenants faster than any other SEEDA funded centre in the South East. This led us to be involved in other schemes including the Ropetackle Building in Shoreham and the Hopkins built £11.3 million Butterfield Park Innovation Centre in Luton.

Curated artists:
Esther Appleyard
The Being Colaboration
Alison Blackburn
Russell Burden
Ian Campbell Briggs
Dawn Cole
Lorna Dallas-Conte
Wendy Daws
Duncan Eadie
Nick Evans
Yvonne Fuchs
Nicholette Goff
Margharita Gramega
Paula Groves
Joanna Jones
Michael Kennedy
Made in Medway
Claire Sparkes
Roy Sparkes
Stephen Turner

“In the evening I often look look out of my studio window, reflecting on the days work and considering the next move.  Nowadays others look back from the new creative space across the road in the Joiners Shop. It’s brilliant to be a part of a growing hub of physical spaces in the Historic Dockyard that are home to the vibrant voices of artists, designers and makers of all kinds.”
Stephen Turner – Artist