Bristol Comedy Garden, one of the UK’s most popular comedy festivals, has recently undergone a playful rebrand. The rebranding marks the first in a series of comedy festivals across the UK. The new maximalist identity is a “playful fusion of good times and belly laughs.” Let’s take a closer look at the new identity and what inspired it.
A Subtle Approach to Laughter
The event company, Fifty Seven Festivals, partnered with Oat Studio to create a new identity that projects personality-packed events featuring some of the biggest names in UK comedy. Oat Studio and illustrator Zac Fay took a more understated approach to visualizing laughter in the new Bristol Comedy Garden identity. Instead of using obvious imagery, they embedded the suggestion of smiling into the typography itself. The curvy wordmark and moon-shaped descenders on the y’s and g’s create a playful and whimsical vibe that hints at the festival’s fun and lighthearted atmosphere.
Illustrations Take Center Stage
The rebranding heavily relies on illustration, featuring fantastical images of plants, flowers, foliage, and animal-human “hybrid characters.” Oat Studio and Fifty Seven Festivals were looking for something creative but not too childish, and they found the perfect match in Melbourne-based illustrator Zac Fay. The resulting illustrations are fun and imaginative, adding to the festival’s quirky and whimsical tone.
A Series of Festivals with Site-Specific Identities
Bristol Comedy Garden’s rebranding is just the beginning of a series of festival rebrands that Oat Studio and Fifty-Seven Festivals have planned. To create unique identities for each festival, they use complimentary color palettes and site-specific illustrations to suggest subtle differences. The goal is to grab the public’s attention and project the personality of each event, showcasing some of the biggest names in UK comedy.
Final Thoughts
The rebranding of Bristol Comedy Garden is a playful and imaginative fusion of good times and belly laughs. Oat Studio and Fifty Seven Festivals worked together to create an identity that embodies the fun and lighthearted atmosphere of the festival while still projecting a professional and sophisticated image. With a series of festivals on the horizon, each with its own site-specific identity, comedy lovers across the UK have a lot to look forward to.
