Background
This annual book festival held in my home town of Newark is now an established event in the literary calendar, not just here in the UK but also much further afield. Bringing in authors, poets, guest speakers and genuine lovers of literature from all around the world.

Brief
The brief was to take the original identity of the Newark Book Festival and raise it up to be more befitting of the status the festival had achieved over the years. Allowing it to sit shoulder-to-shoulder with the other established literary festivals with a clear and reconisable identity.

Solution
The idea to create the initial letter ‘N’ using three books leaning against each other actually came to me years before. I’d noticed and visited the festival on previous years and thought that adding that extra iconic element could really lift the logo, but it wasn’t until 2023 that I had the opportunity to sit down with Sara Bullimore — the creative powerhouse behind the festival and many other events through her work with Newark Creates — and discuss ways that I thought the NBF identity could be developed and enhanced.

Along with developing the NBF logo, I also helped to create graphics to promote that year’s theme as well as numerous other brand assets to promote the festival, the individual events and the visiting authors taking part.

My favourite part of the project had to be the development of the identity and visual assets for their inaugural Young Ambassadors programme. Not only was I pleased with how well it worked visually, but I was proud to see my eldest daughter (who is an avid book reader herself) get involved in the programme and become a Young Ambassador for the Newark Book Festival.

Which ultimately meant that we got to hang out together over the festival weekend and get involved with a few of the events, all while she proudly wore her YA t-shirt with my design on it, and I wore my NBF branded t-shirt.