Some projects stay with you long after the work is done. Last week, we were privileged to attend a very special celebration at South Street Baptist Church in Brierley Hill, honouring the life and legacy of George Cosens, the UK’s first Black pastor. It was a proper reminder of why history is worth preserving and why the stories of pioneers like George deserve to be told well.
As part of an ongoing research project into George’s life, we were asked to contribute something that would help bring his story to life in a way that could grow over time. We created an interactive digital timeline mapping the key moments of his remarkable journey, designed so that members of the public, researchers, and the wider community can add new details as more information comes to light. It is a living record. Something that honours the past while staying open to the future.
The event itself was genuinely moving. We got to meet members of the congregation, listen to local schoolchildren talk about the work they had done to uncover and celebrate George’s story, and hear from the research team about how they pieced it all together. There was something incredibly powerful about seeing a whole community rally around one man’s legacy, determined to make sure his contribution was not forgotten.
For us, it was a brilliant example of what good design can do beyond a brand or a website. History needs a home. Stories need structure. And when you can create something that not only displays that history but invites people to contribute to it, that feels like a real privilege. We are proud to have played a small part in preserving the legacy of a true trailblazer, right here in the heart of the Black Country.
