Hasta La Ideas

Dave Sedgwick has designed a new logo, website and brand identity for Manchester bar and arts venue 2022NQ.

The space – now known as Twenty Twenty Two – re-opens today with a new ping pong room housing sculptures made out of ping pong balls by artist Liam Hopkins and a wall showcasing work from up and coming artists.

To celebrate its re-launch, Twenty Twenty Two is also hosting a free exhibition of ping pong themed design and illustration work.

Sedgwick has worked with the venue since its launch in 2012. The 2022 and NQ in its original name refers to the bar’s street number and location in the city’s Northern Quarter, but Sedgwick felt it was confusing and “a little old fashioned.”

“People have struggled with the name for the past 12 months calling it a multitude of things from ‘two oh two two’ (SIC) and ‘Two thousand and twenty two’ etc etc. It was just not working,” he says.

“The venue itself is difficult to find due to its location on a side street, so to also have a name which wasn’t memorable seemed to be an issue. I decided to look at the words and started to work with Twenty Twenty and Two,” he explains.

The new logo uses the three Ts from Twenty Twenty Two in a stair formation, referencing the building’s underground location. Sedgwick has also introduced a new brand type – New Zealand foundry Klim’s Calibre – and designed ping pong-themed posters and signage.

“In terms of how the brand will develop, we are in early days, [but] I want it to be flexible,” says Sedgwick. “The venue space is ever changing, with all sorts of things happening on a regular basis and a rigid brand identity doesn’t seem to favour it. It’s important we keep to some rules though and these will become apparent over time on posters, signage and promo work,” he adds.

The ping pong exhibition, titled pongping, opens on February 6 and features work by more than 20 creatives including Si Scott, Design by Atlas, Studio Opposite, Craig Oldham, Teacake and Manchester collective Empre – for details, see twentytwentytwo.co.uk.

Posters by Dave Sedgwick, Foreign Policy & Barney Ibbotson