Arts Campaign Branding: How #Artskickers Went From Local Project to Bold Creative Movement

The Problem

#Artskickers started as a year-long community campaign celebrating local artists in East London, run by founder Angie Gough, who was planning an awards event to thank the people making a creative impact. Grassroots energy, big heart, and a superhero-themed idea she was itching to bring to life.

What she didn't have was a brand to match it. She came to me with a few DIY designs and a clear vision, but three challenges:

• The idea was bigger than the branding. A DIY logo and one-off designs couldn't carry the ambition of what she was building.
• Nothing was consistent or recognisable. Without a proper identity, the campaign couldn't be spotted, remembered or taken seriously by funders and partners.
• She didn't have the time or expertise to pull it together. She had the vision; she needed someone to shape it and give it real energy.

What Angie needed was for #Artskickers to be taken seriously, so it could pull in the funding, artists and audiences the idea deserved. Because a brilliant idea with no voice stays a local project, however much heart is behind it.

The Solution

Once I stepped in, the project grew, because the more we dug into what #Artskickers stood for, the clearer it was that this wasn't just an awards event. It was a creative movement. So I built it like one.

1. A bold, adaptable visual identity: so the campaign became instantly recognisable. Rooted in Angie's superhero theme, colourful, playful and full of energy, designed to grab attention and build emotional connection.
2. A full suite of brand assets: so the identity worked everywhere. Business cards, posters, flyers, leaflets, event invites, awards and stage graphics.
3. Large-format and out-of-home design: so the brand hit the streets. Billboard design, van wraps, stencils and print brochures that scaled from a flyer to a building.
4. Sponsorship decks: so Angie could walk into funding conversations looking every bit as serious as the work. These helped make the case that won backing.
5. Social media strategy, content and design: so the movement had momentum online as well as on the ground.

The Outcome

With a cohesive brand in place, #Artskickers became far more than a local campaign.

• A visually striking identity that made the campaign instantly recognisable
• A full suite of assets that scaled across print, digital and large-format media
• Confirmed Arts Council England funding for the 2018 event
• A bus tour across six East London locations, featuring local artists and Street Orchestra London
• Collaboration with renowned designer Morag Myerscough, who co-designed the event stage, now a permanent installation at Dalston Curve Garden
• A Shoreditch Art Wall collaboration that brought the brand to street level
• Visibility, standing and a real sense of collective pride, from van graphics to community murals

In Angie's words, it felt like #Artskickers finally had a voice. The branding didn't just look exciting, it worked hard behind the scenes to grow awareness, funding and creative participation.