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Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture

Bringing the city together under a single, confident cultural voice.

StrategyIdentityCampaignDigital
Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture
2025

Our work for Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture was rooted in pride, honesty and belonging. Bold, warm and unfiltered, the visual identity is unapologetically Bradford. At its core, the work celebrated Bradford’s contrasts, not by smoothing out differences, but by putting them front and centre as the city’s strength.

Over twelve months, the programme delivered more than 5,000 events, welcomed over 3 million people and involved tens of thousands of local participants. Success was not measured by ticket sales alone, but by changing perceptions of the city, and opening doors to culture for everyone.

Built to be an ‘open source’ brand taken on and owned by Bradfordians, the brand represents regeneration without gentrification and has the strength to live on well beyond 2025.

Rabbithole

Tim Dee
Mark Martin
Tara Ryan
Victoria Smith
Guy Bannister
Jacob Leech

Bradford 2025

Shanaz Gulzar
Dan Bates
Harriet Hudson
Janina Mundy
Will White
Neil Armstrong

Motion

Sayeed Islam

3D Artist

Joseph Töreki

Videography

Sodium Films

Photography

David Lindsay
Andrew Benge

Shared Identity

A bold, flexible visual language made it easy for the whole city to get involved

A vibrant colour palette and strong central symbol gave communities, partners and venues something they could adopt, adapt and feel part of.

Built to evolve

Sub-brands spun out from the core identity, giving different audiences space to own it.

Each offshoot stayed connected to the main visual language while introducing variation — keeping the programme feeling fresh, recognisable and visually dynamic throughout the year.

Key Details

Over 3 million visitors across all events

UK City of Culture 2025 concluded with over 3 million people attending

80% of residents reported increased pride

Eight in ten residents said it made them feel proud of where they live, and seven in ten said it helped them feel more connected to people in their community.

50 corporate partners and sponsors backed the vision

Uniting culture, community and commerce behind a shared ambition

2,700+ volunteers enrolled to help deliver Bradford 2025


Together, they became one of the largest cultural volunteer programmes in the city’s history.

Press

“The Bradford 2025 visual identity seeks to create a sense of ‘one Bradford’, and features a heart-shaped logo inspired by local place naming conventions”

—Creative Review
See project: Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture
“Rabbithole celebrates the power of Bradfordians in their identity for the UK City of Culture 2025”

—The Brand Identity
See project: Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture
“Bradford now has a huge opportunity to really push forward and make the district a cultural jewel in the Yorkshire crown.”

—BBC
See project: Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture

Team

Year

2025

Client

Bradford Culture Company

Rabbithole

Tim Dee
Mark Martin
Tara Ryan
Victoria Smith
Guy Bannister
Jacob Leech

Bradford 2025

Shanaz Gulzar
Dan Bates
Harriet Hudson
Janina Mundy
Will White
Neil Armstrong

Motion

Sayeed Islam

3D Artist

Joseph Töreki

Videography

Sodium Films

Photography

David Lindsay
Andrew Benge