York Unlocked was founded by Kathy M King in 2022 to open York’s architecture and urban landscape to the public. Through her drive and leadership, along with an amazing list of supporters and volunteers it has very quickly become a Registered Charity [Number 1201895].
This was an immersive project that got us out and about in our own city – allowing us to see it differently and experience the details.
York Unlocked opens the most interesting and significant buildings in York to the public completely for free. It’s a weekend festival that allows residents and visitors to see York in a new way, and aims to educate and inspire a love of architecture.
The events for York Unlocked have been running through the month of October since 2022. This year it is across the weekend of October 5th and 6th, with a wide variety of activities across the city. Check out the website and also download their event app via the site.
York Unlocked is inspired by the success of Doors Open Days and Open House events across the UK and Europe.
We wish Kathy and the York Unlocked team many, many years of success with this brilliant new asset we have to celebrate a new perspective of the city.
The festival encourages residents and visitors alike to experience familiar places through fresh eyes and uncover hidden treasures!
The team were lucky enough to work with Kathy in advance of the launch in 2022 to devise a logo mark and set the tonality for the start up phase of the festival, with a focus on the programme and promotional items.
The logo mark is inspired from the intricate make up of the buildings and the spaces between them within the compact city centre of York. The small streets and snickleways provide pathways and forms that can appear to mould into shapes. Along with the different rhythms of undulating rooftops, ancient walls and carvings across the city of Yorks architecture we devised the bespoke and playful ‘Y’ and ‘U’ letterforms that locked together, not quite touching to highlight the pathways and journeys that can be taken inbetween.