Ashmolean Museum
Edinburgh International Festival
Garage Museum of Contemporary Art
IWM (Imperial War Museum)
Lisson Gallery
Philadelphia Museum of Art
RA (Royal Academy of Arts)
Roundhouse
Royal Court
RSA (Royal Society of Arts)
Smithsonian’s Freer|Sackler
SMK (National Gallery of Denmark)
The Whitworth
UCL
V&A
WNO (Welsh National Opera)
Edinburgh International Festival
Reasserting its place on the world stage
Where did we start?
By 2007, in its 60th year, Edinburgh - the world’s first international festival – was not only sharing the world stage with cities as widespread as Manchester and Melbourne, but also its own home ground with a confusing plethora of other arts events – including jazz, film, books, art and the Fringe. The question for the new director, his energetic team and the city council seemed inevitable: ‘was the Edinburgh Festival’s crown slipping?’ Invited to create a new brand that would help EIF hold and strengthen its position, our research uncovered three challenges: it was the city’s original festival, but it was overshadowed by the Fringe; it had an elite, worldwide reputation, but its identity was confused; it had a young and vibrant team, but a stuffy old image.


What did we do?
We began by helping EIF articulate its ambition: to be recognised by its peers and public as the international festival; international in what it does (drawing on every culture as a source and inspiration) and international in how it does it (recognising itself and its audiences as global citizens). This ambition was to be achieved by crafting a festival that takes its audiences on an intense journey celebrating creativity. The idea that lies at the heart of the new brand is ‘transforming people + place’. By saturating the city with its vibrant personality, EIF transforms Edinburgh and creates a cultural environment in which people can be transformed.
What's the impact?
Launched in January 2009, with a distinctive new identity and comprehensive guidelines, the new brand is already re-defining EIF’s position at the heart of the Edinburgh Festival.
“The brand has given us a unifying recognition year on year and is the anchor that allows us to go in different directions. It has given us increased recognition and the new identity gives us a consistency across all our shows, but is flexible enough to allow the individual character of the show. The brand has also helped us in terms of funding, we have a professional public appearance, brand feeds into that by generating a sense of trust and respect.”
Jackie Westbrook, Marketing & Communications Director, Edinburgh International Festival
Design: Hat-trick Design
