Hundreds of VIPs, dignitaries and travel journalists visiting Birmingham to enjoy a spectacular summer of sport have been given a specially-created West Midlands Colour Palette as a reminder of their time in the region.
We were proud to be asked to create the West Midlands Colour Palette as a gift for visitors to the Midlands. They received the artworks alongside a new brochure celebrating and promoting local attractions, visitor destinations and fab places to eat and drink.
With so many great places to shout about, the Colour Palette design was tweaked to allow for seven colour swatches instead of the usual six, each showcasing a popular heritage site or world-famous location in the seven local authorities that make up the West Midlands.
Each West Midlands Colour Palette print came with an accompanying greetings card to explain more about each reference point.
The West Midlands prints were handed out at the same time as the super-sized Royal Leamington Spa Colour Palettes being installed in the underpass at Leamington Spa rail station.
The seven Leamington Spa palettes will have been seen by thousands of visitors to the town during the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.
The West Midlands Colour Palette in full:
Big Cat Green – Solihull
Known as ‘the town in the country’, Solihull is a thriving centre where urban living meets idyllic rural villages packed full of heritage and charm. It has long been recognised as the ‘home of Land Rover’ – a brand synonymous with the colour green – with millions of Land Rovers produced at the Solihull factory since 1948. Visitors to the Jaguar Land Rover Experience today can take a factory tour of the state-of-the-art facilities or jump behind the wheel for a unique off-roading experience.
Aquatics Turquoise – Sandwell
Nestled in the heart of the Black Country and renowned for its industrial heritage, Sandwell today is a haven of green spaces and award-winning parks. Just west of Birmingham city centre, Sandwell was chosen as the site for a brand-new Aquatics Centre for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. The £73m development, featuring a 50m Olympic-sized swimming pool and 10m diving boards, will be home to all aquatics events at Birmingham 2022.
Sky Blue – Coventry
The UK’s City of Culture 2021, Coventry is a diverse, creative hub with heritage landmarks nestled next to exciting new attractions. The city has been synonymous with the colour blue since it was a centre for the weaving trade in medieval times, when it was famous for cloth dyed a particular shade of blue. Today, the city’s connection to the colour continues with Coventry City Football Club, nicknamed the ‘Sky Blues’ due to the colour of their home strip.
Jewellery Gold – Birmingham
A cultural heartland at the centre of the UK, Birmingham is world-famous for being the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution and ‘the city of a thousand trades’. Jewellery production was one such trade that boomed in the 18th century and with hundreds of specialist retailers the area still remains the UK’s centre for Jewellery today. Visitors to the city can get a glimpse into the life of a jeweller at the Museum of the Jewellery Quarter, a perfectly preserved workshop from 1981.
Castle Stone – Dudley
Steeped in history and packed with heritage attractions, Dudley attracts visitors from all over the world. The town is overlooked by the ruined silhouette of Dudley Castle, an 11th century landmark which today sits within the grounds of Dudley Zoological Gardens. Once a manufacturing powerhouse, Dudley is also home to the Black Country Living Museum boasting 26 acres of reconstructed buildings depicting industrial Britain and filming location to the hit series Peaky Blinders.
Leather Tan – Walsall
Forming part of the famous Black Country, Walsall is a market town with a fascinating past. It is an area famous for its craftsmanship, where metal working flourished and leather making was pioneered, giving Walsall the title of ‘Leather capital of the world’. Located in a beautiful Victorian factory building, visitors can discover more about ‘The Town of 100 Trades’ and the history of leathermaking at the Walsall Leather Museum.
Wightwick Brick – Wolverhampton
A vibrant city internationally renowned for its world-class sport and culture, Wolverhampton is also home to unique visitor attractions not found anywhere else in the UK. Wightwick Manor and Gardens is one of the few surviving examples of a late Victorian private home furnished under the influence of the Arts and Crafts movement with interiors cloaked in William Morris designs and adorned with Pre-Raphaelite art. The exterior of the manor is equally striking with its ornate barley twist brick chimneys and terracotta brickwork.
The Colour Palette Company can create super-sized public art, bespoke designs or marketing and tourism gifts. Email hello@thecolourpalettecompany.com to find out more.