Ports Fest campaign

A bold new look for conservation impact

The brief

Ports Fest is an award-winning cultural festival in Portsmouth with over 20 years of history. Formerly known as Portsmouth Festivities, the festival rebranded in 2020 to reflect its evolving programme. Ports Fest delivers multi-arts experiences across the city, collaborating with local schools and creative partners while maintaining strong community and educational engagement.

Following its rebrand, Ports Fest needed a fresh visual identity to reflect its evolution. The goal was to create a bold, versatile logo that could stand out in Portsmouth’s cultural scene, work across print, digital, and social platforms, and represent the festival’s multi-arts focus. A key challenge was to move away from previous nautical motifs and shifting colour schemes, establishing a unified, recognisable brand for the festival.

Our approach

From defining Ports Fest’s new visual identity to creating a flexible logo and supporting marketing materials, we focused on designing a brand that is bold, recognisable, and adaptable for a diverse, multi-arts festival. Hover over the flip tiles below to explore each step of our design process.

A mock-up showing someone holding 5 of the ports fest 2023 leaflets on a green background

Versatile logo design

We developed a versatile, adaptable logo that forms the cornerstone of Ports Fest’s visual identity. Designed to accommodate new illustrations each year, the logo ensures a cohesive look while remaining flexible enough to reflect annual themes.

Compact brochure

We created a compact, visually engaging brochure to act as a practical guide for festival-goers. Designed for portability and easy mailing, the brochure presents the festival’s programme in a format that is accessible, informative, and appealing.

Campaign materials

The logo was applied consistently across a range of materials including banners, social media graphics, programmes, and leaflets, providing visual cohesion while allowing creative variations for each year’s events.

Poster mock-up in a public space showing the 2023 ports fest poster

Visual continuity

By combining a consistent logo with adaptable artwork, each year’s materials maintain brand recognition while introducing enough novelty to engage audiences and encourage participation in the festival’s diverse programme.

Results & next steps

The refreshed visual identity and supporting materials have successfully established a bold, recognisable look for Ports Fest. The pocket-sized brochure in particular has become a key promotional tool, balancing convenience with impact. This approach ensures continuity across annual campaigns while allowing creative evolution, reinforcing Ports Fest as a leading cultural event in Portsmouth.

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