East Street Arts’ new brand focus and identity helped turn around stakeholder perception of the organisation, leading to an additional £4,842,178 of funding being secured and 13 new jobs created.
Leeds-based enterprise, East Street Arts had been bringing art into the community and the built environment for 20 years. But by 2012, against a backdrop of public funding cutbacks, it was struggling to secure the funding needed to scale its societal impact.
To attract more funds, East Street Arts collaborated with Thompson Brand Partners to re-discover its purpose. Through research and deep questioning of its role, a motivating brand purpose emerged, and a striking new visual identity was created, significantly improving the organisation’s visibility.
The reinvention sharpened East Street’s focus, enabling it to be more discerning about the programmes it gets involved in and transforming stakeholder recognition of the role it plays in the Leeds City Region.
Having previously been perceived as too small for larger funding streams, in the years following rebrand East Street Arts annual funding income grew 370% above previous levels, and it’s been reinvested in helping artists, as well as art-programmes to make Leeds a better place to live in and visit.
