Supporting the Stories That Make a City
For many years we’ve known Vicki Meddows-Smith through our shared connection with the Chichester Chamber of Commerce, where she previously served as President. Like many of the best working relationships, the connection started through conversation, networking and a shared interest in supporting local business and the wider Chichester community.
So it was great to recently begin working together on promotional material for Chichester Living — a platform dedicated to celebrating the people, events, culture and businesses that make the area such a vibrant place to live and work.
Our first projects focused on supporting the promotion of the Chichester Summer of Culture initiative, helping to create a coordinated set of materials designed to bring visibility, energy and consistency to the campaign across multiple touchpoints.
Creating Visibility Beyond a Single Poster
One of the interesting things about cultural events and community initiatives is that they rarely rely on just one piece of marketing. People might first notice an outdoor flag outside a venue. They may then receive an invitation through the post or email. Later they could spot a poster in a café window, see a social media advert, or take part in the event itself using branded selfie frames and interactive material. Each piece has a different role to play, but together they create something much more powerful — familiarity, recognition and momentum.
For the Chichester Summer of Culture campaign we worked on a range of promotional items including:
- Outdoor venue flags
- Invitations and introductory letters
- Branded selfie frames
- Posters and adverts
Individually these are fairly straightforward design jobs. But collectively they become part of a joined-up campaign that helps an event feel established, professional and visible within the local community. That consistency matters far more than many organisations realise.
Helping Local Events Feel Bigger
One thing we often say to clients is that good design doesn’t just make something look attractive — it changes perception. When branding and promotional material work together properly, events immediately feel more organised, credible and engaging. That can influence everything from attendance and sponsorship opportunities to social sharing and word-of-mouth recommendations.
Chichester has an incredibly strong cultural identity already, with festivals, exhibitions, theatre, live music and community events happening throughout the year. Projects like this are not about “over designing” local culture. They are about supporting it visually so that the quality of the promotion reflects the quality of the event itself.
Long-Term Relationships Often Start With Small Projects
Some of our longest-standing client relationships started with a relatively small first project.
- A leaflet becomes a brochure.
- An advert becomes a campaign.
- An event graphic becomes an ongoing partnership.
What matters is understanding the wider purpose behind the work rather than simply producing artwork files.
Working with Vicki and the Chichester Living brand is another good example of how relationships built over many years through local business networks and community involvement often evolve naturally into creative collaboration later on. After more than 30 years in business, those long-term connections and trusted relationships are still one of the most rewarding parts of what we do. And as a design studio based in Chichester ourselves, it’s always especially satisfying to help promote projects that celebrate the city, its businesses and its cultural life.
