Studio Blackburn has created the brand identity and wayfinding system for Culture House Sunderland, a new 60,000 sq ft cultural venue and public library in Tyne and Wear that has now officially opened.

The creative brand agency developed the brand framework through a creative partnership with Sunderland City Council spanning more than a decade. The flexible visual system works across the physical architecture, printed materials and digital platforms of the multimillion-pound, four-floor building.

A new cultural hub

Culture House Sunderland sits within the Riverside Sunderland regeneration project. The venue combines art, technology and local heritage, and hosts the National Centre for Creative Smart Cities.

The building's facilities include an Immersion Gallery with 360-degree digital storytelling infrastructure, a green-screen studio and dedicated podcasting studios. Community and arts spaces include children's play zones, intimate performance spaces and a rooftop sky garden.

Leanne Littlewood, director of Culture House and head of culture at Sunderland City Council, said: 'Culture House provides our community with a new, shared "living room" where they can meet, explore, create and share experiences in a fantastic environment. We wanted to create a space where everyone feels welcome and where people can find something that interests and inspires them.'

Letterforms and architecture

The identity centres on a logo system built from the initials C and H. The letterforms work as individual icons or combine in a single lock-up to form a graphic house motif. That shape functions as the project's key visual device: it frames imagery, guides motion graphics and provides the geometric foundation for a modular internal wayfinding system.

Paul Blackburn, founder of Studio Blackburn, said: 'This critical new public space belongs to the people of Sunderland, so it was important that its identity not only reflected the energy and character of the city, but created inclusive, aspirational and stimulating experiences for everyone who interacts with it.'

The colour palette draws directly from the building's interior materials and architectural details, so the identity reads as intrinsic to the physical environment. Across digital channels, environmental signage and print, photography and motion graphics place local residents at the centre of the visual narrative, supported by an accessible tone of voice designed to encourage public engagement.

The commission extends a working relationship between Studio Blackburn and Sunderland City Council that now runs to over ten years, positioning the agency as a long-term player in the city's Riverside Sunderland regeneration.