Prestigious award for The Living Heritage of the River Don
In 2016 I was commissioned by Don Catchment Rivers Trust (DCRT) to create a brand style for a major initiative within the Don catchment area – The Living Heritage of the River Don.
A highly ambitious project – its objectives were to reconnect people, communities and decision makers back to the river Don – by:
- enhancing and celebrating the rich natural, built and industrial heritage of the Don.
- Changing beliefs and attitudes so that the River Don and its heritage are better valued as a major asset to South Yorkshire and better protected into the future.
In January 2020 I’m delighted to hear that the achievements of the project have been recognised with the award of the Prix Charles Ritz.
For many years, this prestigious prize has been awarded in France, to highlight projects that focus on improving wild fish populations in harmony with their natural environment, and reward those who enhance their local river habitat.
In 2019, the International Fario Club made the decision to extend the Prix Charles Ritz to the UK for the first time, as a special biennial award.
A total of 11 projects from across England and Wales were scrutinised by a panel of expert judges.
All agreed that the Living Heritage of the River Don project reflected the innovative nature of contemporary urban river restoration, with its blend of technical excellence, partnership working, community engagement, long-term monitoring, and above all fish passage improvement – so that salmon are now reappearing in the post-industrial heart of Sheffield after an absence of 200 years.
Our involvement with the project
Having worked with the DCRT since 2012 I am delighted to see their hard work receive the recognition it deserves. I was fortunate enough to be commissioned by the Trust to create the brand style for The Living Heritage of the River Don project.
During the 3 year lifetime of the project I have applied the brand style to a wide range of marketing materials including; websites, leaflets, posters, folders and banner stands as well as over 20 diverse public information points.
Many of these public information points can be found on the Don Valley Way – an important part of the The Living Heritage of the River Don project.
The Living Heritage of the River Don brand is designed to work in harmony with the over-arching DCRT brand style that I created for the trust in 2014.
What our client said
“The design of the logo and overall branding of the project are key elements to successfully building awareness of the Living Heritage of the River Don. We believe the logo designed by Genie Creative positions us perfectly – it cleverly conveys a diversity of messages in a contemporary way without being overly complex. We love its “approachable” and positive feel and that it is very distinctive. On top of all this though, we really appreciate that it is designed to work in many ways; as a primary logo (in landscape and portrait) and as a supporting icon for when the Living Heritage of the River Don is not the lead”.
