Culture Night is an annual, all-island public event that celebrates culture, creativity and the arts. 2020 was the first year it was managed by the Arts Council which commissioned an Evidence Review, Research and Consultation for Culture Night to help understand how best it can respond to the future development needs of Culture Night in partnership with its stakeholders.

The research reviewed existing evidence about Culture Night, delivered research with stakeholders and members of the public and consulted with cultural providers and artists, with the purpose of making recommendations for its future vision and delivery from 2021.

Building on these recommendations, our task was to work with the existing Culture Night logo which was proven to be the most recognisable and only identifiable visual element of the brand identity, and to expand on it, creating a more flexible and adaptable design system, which reflected the new vision of Culture Night - A Night for Everyone. Everywhere. It also needed to be usable nationally from the very small, rural arts office to the bigger city led campaigns with a dual language requirement.

Audience members of all cultures become the heroes, with photography capturing the reactions and emotions of being part of the night and styling and lighting complementing the black backgrounds and vibrant colours of the palette.

The design system created, works from a defined background grid whereby all elements of the identity from messaging to colour, type and logo elements, sit within horizontal strips which can change height based on amount of information required. These strips can animate back and forth or remain still, messaging can cut off at the edges, all creating a ticker tape design style which brings a more contemporary and playful nuance to the overall visual affect.

The new brand identity works across a range of merchandise which creates engagement and captures the sentiment of inclusivity.

The line - One Night For All - became the rallying call for everyone to come together and join in the spirit of the event. This line featured throughout the new website which we designed with UI and UX in mind.

A comprehensive set of guidelines were produced covering a multiple of brand applications.