Marlon Tate

Nestled in Bromley-By-Bow, Hackney, Jolles House is a historic building named after Sir John Jolles — City of London merchant, member of the Worshipful Company of Drapers, Sheriff of London (1605–1606), and Lord Mayor in 1615. Once a quiet landmark, it is now being reimagined through an ambitious redevelopment by Poplar Harca and Pollard Thomas Edwards architects, transforming it into a cultural and residential beacon with 70 new homes for young professionals and families drawn to culture and East London’s famously vibrant community. Ahead of its launch, Marlon Tate was tasked to develop a new place narrative, brand identity, environmental graphics, and launch campaign for the housing project.

Our strategy was inspired by the City of London itself, where past, present, and future coexist in extraordinary ways. Drawing on heritage, local vernacular, British typography, and the specificity of place, the brand identity, wayfinding, and marketing campaign reflect London’s layered history. The resulting brand identity and visual language, constructed entirely by screenprinted tiles, references the disrupted aesthetic of old and new layers of torn posters — an approach that mirrors the city’s rhythm and, perhaps, illustrates exactly how the future gets in.