Coventry Then & Now: Reimagining the Icons We Miss - Poster Place
COVENTRY THEN & NOW
Coventry has always been a city built from character, community and shared experience. Over time, venues have opened, flourished, and eventually closed - but for many people the memories linger. Places that once filled our streets, nights and weekends may be gone, yet their spirit remains alive through stories, photos and nostalgia.
At Create Onsight, we wanted to explore that emotional connection. So we launched Coventry Then & Now, a creative series where we revisit iconic Coventry businesses that no longer exist and reimagine how they might look, feel and function if they reopened today.
The aim is not simply to look back. It is to celebrate the impact these places had on the city, and to ask one key question.
“What if they reopened today?”
The FOURTH in the Series
A Shop That Brought Walls to Life
We could not continue this series with just any shop. It had to be somewhere rooted in Coventry’s creative culture. Poster Place is exactly that. For many people, it was the first place they discovered that wall art could be bold, expressive and personal.
POSTER PLACE
For years, Poster Place was a destination for students, creatives, music lovers and film fans. Located in the same building as the Apollo Theatre, it became a natural stop-off point for anyone exploring Coventry city centre. It was the place you visited to find something that reflected your taste and personality. From cult film posters and classic album artwork to abstract design and photography, it helped shape the look and feel of countless Coventry homes and bedrooms.
People remember browsing the racks, flicking through designs, debating choices with friends and walking away with a rolled poster under their arm. It was affordable, accessible and inspiring. A simple shop with a simple idea, yet one that left a lasting impression.
Eventually, Poster Place closed its doors. But its memory lives on through nostalgia, social posts and conversations between people who grew up with it as a regular part of their Saturday trips into ‘town’.
The POSTER PLACE Brand
The refreshed identity is built to be flexible, bold and instantly recognisable across physical and digital environments.
A striking and disciplined colour palette
The brand is anchored in a limited yet powerful colour system of yellow, red, stone, black and white. This keeps the visuals confident and consistent, while allowing the artwork itself to remain the hero. The simplicity gives the brand impact without distraction.
A dynamic logo that wraps around the poster
The Poster Place logo has been designed to wrap around the corner angle of a poster. This allows it to live naturally alongside any poster artwork without overpowering it. The logo feels part of the product rather than sitting on top of it, making it adaptable across packaging, signage, digital layouts and advertising.
The PP icon and graphic system
To accompany the logo, we created a PP icon housed inside a bold circular seal shape. This graphic acts as a flexible tool within the brand system, allowing messages, prices, promotions and calls to action to move dynamically around layouts. This creates visual energy across posters, shop windows, packaging and online platforms.
This shape also naturally translates to a physical sticker seal, designed to become the final fixing on posters once they are rolled and placed into tubes for delivery. A small detail that adds personality, consistency and a memorable finishing touch to every order.
Typography with structure and clarity
The type system is bold, confident and editorial in feel. Strong stacked letterforms establish instant recognition both in-store and online, while clean supporting typography ensures readability across signage, product descriptions and digital interfaces.
Photography and layout built around the artwork
Layouts are designed to give posters space to breathe, ensuring the artwork always leads. The supporting brand elements work as a framing device rather than dominating the composition. This keeps the focus exactly where it should be, on the product.
A website Designed for Clarity and Better Conversions
The Poster Place website uses a simple yet stylish design that keeps the user journey clear and focused. By removing visual clutter and letting the posters take centre stage, the site creates an easy browsing experience that naturally encourages sales. The round sale icons stand out intentionally against the rectangular poster frames, drawing attention without disrupting the layout. The result is a clean, modern interface that helps customers find what they want quickly and enjoyably.
More Than Posters - A Lifestyle Retail Experience
In the reimagined Poster Place, the range extends far beyond posters alone. Alongside prints, the store and website also offer:
Picture frames
Canvas prints
Tote bags
Branded mugs
Sticker packs
Postcards
Limited edition collaborations
Seasonal gift collections
This transforms Poster Place from a single product shop into a full creative lifestyle brand.
What Should We Reimagine Next?
If you remember Poster Place, or if there was another Coventry venue you loved and wish still existed, please let us know. We’d love to explore it next.
WEB DESIGN | GRAPHIC DESIGN | BRANDING | MARKETING
Create Onsight is an independent creative agency specialising in web design, graphic design and branding.
We have a genuine passion for ideas, problem-solving and bringing brands to life. Above all else, we love what we do and we keep the process enjoyable for everyone involved.
Our experience covers everything from brand identity and logo design for new businesses, to strategic marketing campaigns, e-commerce websites, brochures, leaflets, annual reports and much more
Need a new website or brand for your business? Contact our Creative Director, Leigh at design@createonsight.co.uk or by using the enquiry form.
