What Hemingway Design does

Hemingway Design is a privately-held UK multi-disciplinary design consultancy founded in 1983 by Wayne and Gerardine Hemingway and headquartered in Wembley. The firm operates across seven integrated service lines: place branding, brand identity, urban design and visioning, placemaking and events, regeneration, exhibition design, and uniform design. Its primary customers are UK local authorities, housing associations, developers, cultural organisations, charities, and purpose-driven brands, with whom it engages through competitive tenders and direct commission on a project-fee basis.

The firm distinguishes itself through a methodology combining strategy, community engagement, co-design, and full design delivery — anchored by an ethos of 'improving lives through design.' Beyond client commissions, Hemingway Design co-produces and curates its own cultural events and festivals including the Vintage Festival, Festival of Thrift, National Festival of Making, First Light Festival, Urban Village Fete, and We Invented the Weekend, and co-founded the multi-charity retail concept Charity Super.Mkt with TRAID. Notable marquee engagements include the Thamesmead place brand for Peabody, the MediaCity placemaking programme for Peel/Landsec, the Humber Place Brand for Future Humber, the York place brand (the UK's largest place brand engagement project), and uniform designs for Transport for London, the National Portrait Gallery, and Royal Museums Greenwich.

Hemingway Design operates as a small (1-10 employees), founder-led practice without outside institutional investment or external funding. Revenue is generated through professional services fees on bespoke commissions, with no publicly disclosed pricing. Three CIC organisations co-founded by the firm (Festival of Thrift, National Festival of Making, First Light Festival) hold Arts Council England NPO status, providing indirect subsidy for cultural programming that doubles as portfolio marketing for the consultancy.

Name

Hemingway Design

Legal name

Hemingway Design

Website

https://hemingwaydesign.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Hemingway Design is a privately-held UK multi-disciplinary design consultancy founded in 1983 by Wayne and Gerardine Hemingway, serving local authorities, developers, housing associations, charities, and cultural organisations with place branding, urban design, regeneration, interior architecture, brand identity, exhibition design, and event curation services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Placemaking and Design Consultancy

NAICS

Architectural Services (54131), Interior Design Services (54141), Graphic Design Services (541430)

SIC

Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Exhibition, Retail & Experiential Design (BPAHAKAL), Interior Design Services (BPAHAKAB), Environmental & Experiential Brand Design (Retail/Exhibit/Signage) (MPAAAEAG)

Keywords

• Place branding
• Urban design
• Regeneration masterplans
• Brand identity
• Placemaking events

Headquarters

HQ city

Wembley

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Design Consultancy and Project Fees: Hemingway Design generates revenue through commissioned design and consultancy projects for public and private sector clients, including place branding, urban design, regeneration masterplans, interior architecture, brand identity, uniform design, and event curation.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Hemingway Design is a multi-disciplinary design consultancy that delivers place branding, urban design and visioning, regeneration masterplans, brand identity, interior architecture, uniform design, and event curation for UK public and private sector clients. The practice is distinguished by deep specialisation in community engagement, co-design, and placemaking, and produces its own festivals and concepts (e.g., Charity Super.Mkt, Festival of Thrift, First Light Festival) that demonstrate its social-impact design capabilities.

Product overview

Hemingway Design is a multi-disciplinary design agency operating as a single unified service offering rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. Their portfolio spans place branding (creating brand identities for towns, cities, and regions), brand identity design for organisations, urban design and visioning, placemaking and event production, regeneration projects, uniform design, exhibition design, and interior architecture. Beyond client services, they have created and produce their own events and festivals including the Vintage Festival, Festival of Thrift, First Light Festival, National Festival of Making, Urban Village Fete, and We Invented the Weekend. They also co-founded Charity Super.Mkt as a sustainable retail concept. These offerings are distinct service lines and creative projects rather than modular software products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Place Branding

Quantifiable outcome

• Charity Super.Mkt first pop-up at Brent Cross: 40,000 items sold, 11.36 tonnes textiles saved from landfill, £374,454 raised for charities, 7% footfall uplift for shopping centre.
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers42 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

24 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• St. ModwencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHemingway Design has a multi-project relationship with St. Modwen, including the Longbridge place brand identity and the interior design of their Birmingham and London offices. The Longbridge project involved creating a distinctive identity to guide future development and attract diverse communities.
• PeabodycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPeabody, as London's most influential housing association and master developer of Thamesmead, appointed Hemingway Design to create a place brand to communicate the vision for Thamesmead as London's New Town. This is a flagship regeneration engagement.
• Peel / Landsec (MediaCity)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOver a 4-year relationship (including ownership shift from Peel to Landsec), Hemingway Design developed the MediaCity place brand, placemaking strategy, Box on the Docks pandemic-response initiative, and We Invented the Weekend festival — a major ongoing placemaking programme.
• DC ThomsonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn collaboration with Beano publishers DC Thomson and Southbank Centre, Hemingway Design curated and designed Beanotown — an immersive exhibition celebrating 75 years of The Beano comic.
• Southbank CentreminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with DC Thomson and Hemingway Design to co-produce Beanotown exhibition at Southbank Centre, and hosted the Vintage at Southbank Centre festival in 2011.
• SheltercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHemingway Design has worked with Shelter on boutique store interiors since 2016, including the flagship Boutique by Shelter at Coal Drops Yard. The relationship also influenced Charity Super.Mkt and Re.Pair Lab projects.
• TRAIDcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHemingway Design co-founded Charity Super.Mkt with TRAID CEO Maria Chenoweth and has also delivered TRAID's brand identity refresh (2024) and Shepherd's Bush store refurbishment. The relationship is ongoing across multiple store refits.
• LandseccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLandsec commissioned WasteLess Wonderland festive market and Re.Pair Lab fashion pop-up at Trinity Leeds. Also co-producer of Urban Village Fete with Greenwich Peninsula (Landsec/Landowner).
• Real Ideas OrganisationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAppointed as overall aesthetic lead consultants and interior designers for Plymouth Market Hall — a 200-year-old building transformed into a digital innovation and learning hub.
• ArgentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArgent (developer of King's Cross and Coal Drops Yard) appointed Shelter as the first charity retailer anchor tenant, advised by Hemingway Design. Also partnered on The Drops monthly design-led market at Coal Drops Yard.
• Future HumbercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFuture Humber commissioned Hemingway Design (with CTConsults) to develop the Humber Place Brand — a comprehensive engagement and brand identity project for the Humber region undergoing transformation towards Net Zero.
• CTConsultscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term collaboration partner on multiple place brand projects including York, Berwick-upon-Tweed, Thetford, Redruth, The Works Swindon, and Humber. CTConsults brings engagement strategy and consultation expertise.
• Creative Tourist ConsultantsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered on the York place brand project alongside For the Love of Place, contributing to what is described as the UK's largest place brand engagement project.
• For the Love of PlaceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on the York place brand alongside Creative Tourist Consultants and Hemingway Design.
• Flipside (Genevieve Christie)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFlipside's Genevieve Christie co-founded First Light Festival with Hemingway Design, serving as the passionate and creative local leadership that has been integral to the festival's success in Lowestoft.
• Greenwich Peninsula (Knight Dragon)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGreenwich Peninsula appointed Hemingway Design to create a signature placemaking concept, resulting in the ongoing Urban Village Fete (10+ years) and SAMPLE market event, which helped establish the Design District.
• James Shaw (Designer-Maker)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLondon-based designer-maker James Shaw was commissioned to create feature pendant lighting, furniture, and accessories for the Traid Shepherd's Bush store using shredded unsaleable textiles combined with plant-based binder.
• Charlie Boyden (Designer)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerDesigner Charlie Boyden collaborated on the Traid Shepherd's Bush project to transform fit-out offcuts and salvaged materials into new book shelving and visual merchandising display plinths.
• Stella Hall (Festival Director)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFestival director Stella Hall led the 2012 Preston Guild and co-created the Festival of Thrift concept alongside Hemingway Design, bringing curatorial and production expertise.
• Laurenceass Zawadzki and Elena Jackson / Deco Publique (National Festival of Making)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLauren Zawadzki and Elena Jackson of Deco Publique provide the passionate creative leadership for the National Festival of Making CIC, which Hemingway Design co-founded and in which co-founders serve as board members.
• Hunters (Architects)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerArchitects Hunters joined the Evenlode regeneration team in Maidenhead following the public consultation and design phase led by Hemingway Design.
• French + Tye (Photography)minorOthersPhotography partner for Traid Shepherd's Bush project documentation.
• Auto Trader (We Invented the Weekend Title Partner)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerAuto Trader served as Title Partner for We Invented the Weekend 2024, raising £250,000 in sponsorship income and contributing to the event's expanded scale.
• BBC, The Lowry, University of Salford, and 100+ organisations (We Invented the Weekend partners)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerWe Invented the Weekend is supported by a consortium of partners including BBC, The Lowry, University of Salford, Salford City Council, and hundreds of community organisations, making it a multi-sector collaborative event.

Scale indicators21 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Heatherwick Studio: London-based, founder-led multi-disciplinary design studio working across architecture, urban design, exhibition design, and product design. Comparable to Hemingway Design in combining place-based, social-impact storytelling with a founder-driven brand and cross-disciplinary remit.
• Publica: London-based place strategy and creative consultancy developing place brands, cultural strategies, and public realm projects for local authorities. Closely overlaps Hemingway Design's place-brand and engagement-led regeneration offering.
• Land Design Studio: UK consultancy focused on place strategy, engagement, and place making for local authorities and developers. Comparable through shared place-brand methodology, local-authority client base, and emphasis on community-led regeneration.
• Prior + Partners: Specialist UK place brand and placemaking consultancy producing place narratives, identities, and engagement programmes for towns and cities. Directly comparable to Hemingway Design's place-brand and culture-led regeneration work for UK councils and developers.
• Turner Works: London-based placemaking and design consultancy focused on urban regeneration, place identity, and community-led design. Highly comparable to Hemingway Design in combining place branding, urban design, and stakeholder engagement for UK public sector clients.

Broad incumbents

• BDP (Building Design Partnership): Major UK multi-disciplinary architectural practice with strong urban design, regeneration, and placemaking capabilities. Comparable in service breadth but operates at significantly greater scale and across broader sectors.
• John McAslan + Partners: London-based architectural practice with significant heritage, regeneration, and masterplanning work for public sector clients including Network Rail and cultural institutions. Overlaps Hemingway Design's regeneration and public realm portfolio at larger project scale.
• Allies and Morrison: Established London-based architectural practice with strong urban design and masterplanning portfolio, including regeneration projects for UK public bodies. Comparable in urban design and regeneration service lines but with a larger team and broader commercial portfolio.
• Foster + Partners: One of the UK's largest architectural practices, working across masterplanning, urban design, and built environment projects globally. Overlaps with Hemingway Design's urban design and regeneration services but at significantly larger scale and project size.

Emerging players

• Useful Projects: UK-based consultancy working on place strategy, community engagement, and cultural planning for councils and developers. Comparable through shared place-brand methodology and local-authority client base, though operating at a smaller scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/hemingwaydesign
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hemingway-design
• Instagraminstagram.com/hemingwaydesign

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hemingway Design