Measured, cut and designed by hand.
Shoetown 2027 is a two-day festival of shoemaking at Northampton Museum & Art Gallery on 15–16 May 2027, celebrating Northamptonshire’s world-famous boot and shoe industry. Nephew, a branding and design studio based at Vulcan Works in Northampton, has designed the Shoetown identity and built the event website.
Northampton has been making boots and shoes for the best part of a thousand years. Walk into any decent menswear shop in Tokyo, New York or Milan and you’ll find the Northampton town name stamped inside the best footwear on the shelf. And yet, until now, the town has never had its own event to celebrate it.
That changes next May with Shoetown 2027. And we’ve had the honour and privilege of creating its brand identity.
Why Shoetown, and why now?
The idea came from Chris Woodford and the team at Crown Northampton. After trips to New York and other events celebrating the craft further afield, they kept coming back to the same question: why doesn’t Northamptonshire have one of these? This is the heartbeat of the boot and shoe world. We should be celebrating it at home.
So Crown founded Shoetown, shaping it with makers across the county and with the support of West Northamptonshire Council. Cheaney, Crown Northampton, John Lobb, Sanders, Springline and Tricker’s are already confirmed. It’s the first time many of these names have come together under one banner.
The brief was easy to write and much harder to answer: create an identity that belongs to the whole town and the whole industry, not to any single maker.
Start with the history
When you create an identity for an event like this, its construction and design have to come from a place of research and history. You’re always looking for something to hang your hat on: elements that can be interpreted through the mark itself and through the visual language that surrounds it.
Shoetown gave us the chance to build something that represents the town and the industry at the same time, with enough flex and agility in it to show up anywhere, from a luxury print campaign to a family day out.
How the Shoetown logo is built
The Shoetown logo is constructed from three layers, each pulling its weight.
Townscape
Across the top runs a silhouette of Northampton itself: the Francis Crick DNA sculpture, the Carlsberg brewery, the Guildhall, All Saints Church, the Lift Tower and the Barratt Footshape Bootworks. A mix of the civic, the industrial and the slightly unexpected. Exactly like the town.
River Nene
The line that separates town from shoe is the River Nene. It doubles as the topline of the shoe, sweeping from heel to toe the way the river winds through the county that grew up around it.
Shoe silhouette
Underneath sits a classic Oxford. We deliberately kept it generic so it doesn’t favour any one maker’s last or style. Shoetown is a celebration of all of them.
The wordmark is set in classic serif capitals and paired with a deep oxblood-burgundy on a warm cream: the colours of polished leather and an old shoebox label. Familiar, confident and built to last. A bit like the shoes.
One identity, three expressions
A festival like this has to speak to a lot of people at once: collectors who’ll fly in for a pair of hand-welted boots, families looking for something to do on a Saturday, and a whole generation of kids who might not yet know what goes on behind the factory walls. So we’ve been exploring how the visual language can flex across three expressions. These are early concepts and very much a work in progress, but they show the range the identity is built to cover:
- High luxury. Craft photography from the clicking room, with the wordmark in gold. Quiet, premium and all about the hands that make the product.
- Heritage. Cream stock, a red italic serif and a line-up of timeless classics from the county’s makers. “Here’s to the timeless classics.”
- Youthful expression. A bright, illustrated townscape in bold colour. “Welcome to Shoetown.” Made for families, schools and anyone discovering the trade for the first time.
Four words hold it all together: branded, craftsmanship, colourful, nostalgic. Expect these concepts to evolve as we head towards May.
Rolling it out
The identity was unveiled to makers, partners and press at the Shoetown launch at Northampton Museum & Art Gallery on 29 October. Alongside the identity, we designed and built the event website, visitshoetown.com, in Webflow, including a media kit so partners and press can grab the logos and get the brand right first time.
See you in May
Shoetown 2027 takes place at Northampton Museum & Art Gallery on 15–16 May 2027. Expect live shoemaking demonstrations, panel discussions, rare pieces from the museum’s nationally significant footwear collection, family activities, and the chance to meet the makers and buy direct from them.
On a personal note, this one means a lot. It’s a real highlight to be working with, and supporting, the industry that put our town on the world stage. A positive step forward for everyone involved and for Northamptonshire.
Shoetown is on the map.
Shoetown 2027: quick questions
What is Shoetown?
Shoetown is a celebration of Northamptonshire’s boot and shoe industry and the people behind it. It was founded by Crown Northampton, is being shaped with shoemakers across the county, and is supported by West Northamptonshire Council.
When and where is Shoetown 2027?
Shoetown 2027 takes place on 15–16 May 2027 at Northampton Museum & Art Gallery in Northampton town centre.
Which shoemakers are taking part?
Cheaney, Crown Northampton, John Lobb, Sanders, Springline and Tricker’s are confirmed so far. Visitors can watch live demonstrations, meet the makers and buy shoes direct from them.
Who designed the Shoetown logo?
The Shoetown logo and brand identity have been designed by Nephew, a branding and design studio in Northampton. Nephew has also designed and built the official website, visitshoetown.com.
Where can I find out more?
Everything you need, from the programme to how to get involved, is at visitshoetown.com.
Identity and website by the Nephew team. Planning or marketing an event? Let’s talk.
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