The worlds of art, literature, science, politics, music and comedy collide at Hay Festival – a place where diverse voices tackle the political, social and environmental challenges of today. Based in Hay-on-Wye, Wales, Hay Festival began in 1987 and now runs events and projects all over the world. 

Originally assisting Hay with the design of the Global Review – a celebration of their international impact over the past year – our design team went on to create a full set of assets for the Winter Weekend and the week-long, flagship festival in May.  

As an international festival with a huge number of speakers, discussing a myriad of topics, Hay required design interventions that were immediately accessible to a wide audience. We generated a strong graphic motif that referenced the pages of an open book and could be applied to the logo and across a selection of visuals, such as posters, adverts and billboards.

We worked with artists, Róisín Henman-Kyle and Lizzie Lomax, to produce playful illustrations that highlighted the joy of reading and the curiosity provoked when exploring new ideas. The eye-catching drawings were friendly and colourful, and were pitched at a broad range of attendees.

Design work was prepared for the festival itself, including signage, festival bunting, leaflets, posters and festival branding to ensure the large site had a coherent and bold look, easily identifiable to the hundreds of thousands of visitors.