The street-art project reimagining indie businesses
- Text by Huck
- Illustrations by Ulysses Design (main image)
Britain’s high streets lost more than 17,500 chain stores in 2020.
While Covid 19 obviously played an active role in these closures, discussions around the ‘slow death of the high street’ were rife long before the pandemic. Given the rise of Amazon and the likes, the high street was viewed by many as increasingly archaic and surplus.
A new street-art project, however, is looking to challenge that viewpoint. The series, a collaboration between 99designs by Vistaprint and Huck publishers TCO London, shines a light on how modern, forward-thinking businesses can find a home on the high street. It does this by occupying empty storefront spaces across the UK and reimagining them as the homes for fantastical, imaginary businesses.
Design by Radovan Ciobanenco.
With installations in London, Manchester, Glasgow, Bristol, Brighton and Leeds, the project covers the breadth of the country and incorporates work from artists from a range of different disciplines. Fictional businesses include MeMe (a non-fungible token gallery), Artificial Inktelligence (an AR ‘try before you buy’ tattoo parlour) and Red Location (the go-to estate agents for those looking to buy a home on Mars) – and more.
“Our global creative community fuels the success of small businesses every single day, and it’s been inspiring to see designers from all over the world bring these imagined industries to life,” says Patrick Llewellyn, CEO of 99designs by Vistaprint.
“Great design is a powerful catalyst for reinvention and new beginnings, and this project captures the essence of revival, possibility and optimism that the 99 Days of Design campaign represents.”
Design by GOOSEBUMPS.
Design by Anastasia S.
Design by kuziola.
Design by Agi Amri.
Design by Giulia Hartz.
See more from 99designs by Vistaprint in By Design, a Huck editorial series.
Enjoyed this article? Like Huck on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.
You might like
In photos: Electric nights in ’70s Japan
Tokyo–Koza — Keizō Kitajima’s new photobook explores the explosion of party culture of Tokyo and Okinawa during an era of rapid change in the country, as well as its stranger turns.
Written by: Miss Rosen
“Magazines are cultural artefacts”: magCulture’s Jeremy Leslie on the enduring importance of print
We love magazines — Despite the ever creeping digitalisation of the world and culture, physical objects are taking on different, yet vital, roles in culture today. Ella Glossop chats to one of London’s biggest proponents of the art about why we need to support independent publications.
Written by: Ella Glossop
The anti-tourism guides revealing Lisbon’s true, radical heart
We Hate Tourism Tours — The Portuguese capital sees millions of people visit a year, against a backdrop of political turbulence and a housing crisis fuelled by short term holiday lets. Jack Burke meets the crew subverting their city’s perception, while bringing lesser seen stories and monuments to light.
Written by: Jack Burke
Defiance and pride in Chicano Camera Culture
A Photographic History — A new major exhibition surveys Mexican American photography over six decades, platforming Chicano artists at a Chicano museum for the first time.
Written by: Miss Rosen
The art of paying attention: How Austria’s Alps reward slowing down
Lebensgefühl — With a growing movement of art and music rooted in the area’s mountains, trees and waterfalls, the region is showcasing the importance of the human relationship to nature.
Written by: Sophie Lou Wilson
Grainy, yearning memories of Europe’s ’90s free rave heyday
Never Alone — A new photobook from Cheyenne Clementi and Valentina Morandi presents pictures they made over seven years while touring the continent as part of the Tekno Mobil Squad soundsystem crew. It archives parties, people and a lifestyle largely consigned to the past.
Written by: Isaac Muk
