HarperCollins, one of the world’s most foremost book publishers has opened the doors to its first Manchester-based division; HarperNorth. The newly established Northern Quarter office will be home to an experienced team who join from publishers such as Manchester University Press and Penguin Random House, led by Oli Malcom, who has been promoted to Executive Director.
The team have appointed Glorious Creative after looking for a logo both in tune with the brand’s existing identity and evolved enough to reflect the new venture. One of Manchester’s most established branding & design agencies, Glorious has extensive experience in working with clients from the arts and creative industries and designed the This is the Place book to raise charity funds following the 2017 Manchester Arena attack. Esteemed projects have also included work for Tate Liverpool, The Whitworth Art Gallery and Cheltenham Festivals, as well as a range of growing startups, SMEs and market leaders from across the UK.
HarperNorth briefed Glorious to create a strong, bold symbol and one that alludes to Northern identity. Glorious used the brand name initials ‘H’ and ‘N’ as a starting point for the iconography. The outcome was a symbolic logo, one that eludes to the north’s industrious past and illustrious future – a simple single stroke design representative of factories, mills, rivers and waterways. The expansive variety of genres set to be published under the new Manchester imprint meant the branding needed to be inclusive and required a logo design that would sit well on a variety of book spines.
HarperNorth will span fiction and non-fiction, from debuts to established names, harnessing their extensive global network to give diverse writers a wide readership. Now accepting submissions, the aim is to search out and support talent from across the North West and surrounding counties.
‘Glorious understood us immediately – they brought fresh ideas, creative energy, authenticity and flexibility to the project. We have already had a huge amount of positive feedback on the new logo, which we believe both roots us in the region and positions us as future-focussed. We’ve had a great rapport with the team at Glorious and look forward to continuing our working relationship with them as part of our collaboration with talent across the North,’ – says Genevieve Pegg, Publishing Director, of the successful partnership between HarperNorth and the Glorious team.
Mark Ross, Managing and Creative Director at Glorious says ‘We’re experienced in helping brands new to the North West connect with the local heritage and to a Northern audience. Supporting regional writing talent and bringing HarperCollins’ new imprint to the North is a great initiative, and one we’re very proud to have been involved with.’
Veterans of Manchester branding and design, the Glorious Creative team are always eager to help brands bring Northern roots to the surface of their identity.
HarperNorth is set to publish the first title with the new logo this autumn.
