The Hat Factory Arts Centre

A design reset for Luton’s key cultural venue

The brief

The Hat Factory Arts Centre, located in Luton’s Hat District, is a cultural venue offering spaces for performances, workshops, and community events. The centre supports local talent and provides a hub for creative activity, contributing to Luton’s cultural landscape.

For the grand reopening of the Hat Factory Arts Centre, the aim was to develop a visual identity that reflected the centre’s creative focus and attracted visitors during the launch weekend. The project needed to showcase the renovated social spaces and facilities while establishing a design that could be used consistently across future communications.

Our approach

From establishing the Hat Factory’s new visual identity to designing bold graphics and supporting launch materials, we focused on creating a look that is striking, cohesive, and adaptable across multiple touchpoints. Hover over the flip tiles below to explore each step of our design process.

Visual identity development

We created a cohesive visual identity for the Hat Factory, combining bold typography and geometric graphics to reflect the venue’s creative and contemporary character.

Mock-up showing the front and back of the hat factory flyers.

Audience-focused design

The post-punk aesthetic was designed to appeal to match the centre's mission to inspire and engage a modern, creative audience, from local artists to general visitors, emphasising the centre’s energetic, innovative personality.

An image of a poster from the hat factory relaunch poster on an easel.

Applying the design

The identity was applied to flyers, display boards, window vinyls, venue signage, screens, and social media graphics, ensuring a consistent look and feel across all channels.

Campaign identity

All materials were coordinated as part of the launch campaign, creating a unified visual message that promoted the grand reopening and reinforced the Hat Factory as Luton’s cultural hub.

“Working together with The Graphic Design House really fulfilled our vision of what the art centre launch will be here in Luton. The designs Mark and the team delivered really hit the core of who we are and how we work… It was like working with mind readers, the team knew what was in our heads and how we wanted to bring the Hat Factory alive.”

Emma Finney
Marketing Campaigns Co-ordinator
The Culture Trust Luton

Results & next steps

The visual identity and launch materials successfully supported the reopening of the Hat Factory Arts Centre. The campaign attracted attention from the public and local media, including coverage by the BBC, and reinforced the centre’s presence within Luton’s cultural sector. The materials provided a clear and consistent brand identity that can be applied to ongoing events and communications, helping the Hat Factory continue to engage the local creative community.

We will continue to support the Hat Factory Arts Centre by maintaining the visual identity across new marketing materials and campaigns, ensuring the venue remains a prominent cultural hub and continues to attract and engage audiences.

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