Bradford 2025 launches rebrand for UK City of Culture

Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture today (Tuesday) made a host of major announcements during a special event in the city – kickstarting the countdown to Bradford district’s game-changing year as UK City of Culture in 2025.

Bradford-born singer-songwriter, Zayn Malik, as the Bradford 2025 Ambassador. Malik was born and raised in East Bowling, Bradford, and still has strong connections to the city.

Throughout the year, Zayn, along with the people of Bradford, will celebrate the district as the UK’s City of Culture. As Bradford’s 2025 Ambassador, Zayn will be taking part in some citywide activations and special projects that will celebrate all that the area has to offer, focusing on the rich diversity, culture and youth of the city – all to be announced later this year.

Malik said: “Bradford is and always will be home to me. I’ve travelled all over the world but my roots and family remain in Bradford. Now we can celebrate this great city and the people who live and work here with the rest of the world.”

The new Bradford 2025 brand created by Leeds-based design studio Rabbithole includes a new ‘Love Bradford 2025’ logo, which works Bradford’s BD postcode prefix into a heart emblem.

Plans were also revealed for Bradford 2025’s Volunteer Programme which aims to recruit 3,500+ people of Bradford to be the welcoming faces of the district and help out behind the scenes at more than 1,000 shows, exhibitions and events in 2025. The programme is open to businesses keen to take part through their corporate social responsibility initiatives, and to members of the public who can volunteer as much, or as little, time as they have available.

Daniel Bates, Executive Director of Bradford 2025 said: “To welcome Morrisons as a Major Partner alongside the Bradford City AFC partnership, and new Bradford 2025 Supporters TL Dallas and ITC, is a fantastic show of confidence in our designation as UK City of Culture. Together, we have exciting plans for ways in which we can reach thousands of people across the district and nationally to create further excitement and anticipation for what will be a once-in-a-lifetime celebration.

“Our people powered the winning bid and through our Volunteer Programme we’re inviting them to play a part in delivering what we hope will be a transformational year for all of us. Along the way we’re inviting everyone, from artists to businesses, from schools to community groups, to help us bring to life a year of culture that could only happen here.’’

City-based supermarket chain Morrisons, which is backing Bradford 2025 as a major partner having also supported the bid campaign, is one of the first companies to use the new brand in an imaginative way. A Bradford 2025 delivery van will be making deliveries to people’s homes across the district in the coming months and throughout 2025. Morrisons will also be championing Bradford 2025 to its staff and thousands of customers who shop in its stores every week.

Rami Baitiéh, chief executive officer of Morrisons, hailed it as a ónce in the generation event for Bradford and added, “We know that we must also take advantage of this moment on a national scale – all eyes will be on Bradford next year and as a national retailer we are looking at how we can raise the profile of UK City of Culture to our customers further afield.

“Given our role as a food maker, we are exploring ways in which we can showcase the district’s diverse culinary heritage, including new products celebrating Bradford created at our innovation centre in the city, which officially opens this week.”

A new partnership with Bradford City AFC has also been announced. The Bantams will be displaying the Bradford 2025 name on its kits and the Bradford 2025 logo across tickets, social media, the stadium big screen and the team coach.

Bradford City AFC chief executive Ryan Sparks said, “We will be carrying wording with a nod to the UK City of Culture below the crest on our playing shirts for the next two seasons, which will be worn with huge pride in what Bradford has accomplished. The new brand looks fantastic and is one we are excited to be working with and implementing across several areas of the club over the coming years.”

Other local businesses including Bradford-based independent insurance broking and risk management company TL Dallas and telecommunications company ITC were also named as official Bradford 2025 Supporters.

Nasar Hussain, founder and managing director of ITC, said, “As we get closer to 2025 it’s evident that this whole process has been a catapult for inward investment, improvements to infrastructure and a general feel-good factor in the district. I’ve been an advocate of the project and continue to ensure our ambitious businesses as well as people in the community continue to take advantage of the wonderful opportunity we have to tell our story.”

Businesses and organisations of any size and any location can get involved and help to support Bradford 2025 in a variety of ways including sponsorship and partnership packages. To find out more email matthew.dakin@bradford2025.co.uk