Bringing a French Twist to the Bath Boules Event
Bonjour!
Bath Boules is a long-standing community event in Queen Square, bringing together local businesses, charities, and citizens for four days of friendly competition, street food, and celebration. For the 2021 event, we partnered with the organisers to develop a refreshed visual identity, app design, and suite of event assets. That year’s theme 'Franglais', called for something light-hearted, fresh, and full of character.
Evolving the Brand
The identity was designed as an evolution of the previous year’s logo, something that would feel familiar to the community, but unique for 2021. We leaned into the kitsch, humour-filled spirit of the event, using hand-drawn illustration and bold colours to set the tone. Offset colour-blocking mimicked the movement of boules in play, giving the visuals a dynamic, animated quality that matched the energy of the event.
Colour System
Working from the red, white, and blue of the French flag, we introduced a brighter, more playful palette. Cream replaced white to soften the contrast and bring warmth, while complementary tones like Baguette Beige and Merlot Red added nuance and personality. The result was a colour system that honoured the event’s theme while feeling both rich and festive across digital and physical applications.
Illustrations & Visual Style
Inspired by our moodboards and conversations with the Boules team, we built a hand-drawn illustration language that mixed English and French references with festival-style fun. Characterful icons, food and drink elements, and playful graphics populated the wider system, appearing on everything from posters to plastic beer cups. These illustrations brought humour and accessibility to the brand, helping every asset feel part of a shared experience.
App Design
To enhance the in-person experience, we designed a simple and accessible event app. The app allowed attendees to view the live leaderboard, track scores in real time, and read up on the teams competing over the four-day tournament. It also housed practical information: maps, food vendors, sponsors, and charity details, ensuring attendees could navigate the event with ease. The app worked seamlessly throughout the event, and was even reused in subsequent years.
Event Assets & Print Materials
We supported the Boules team with a wide range of promotional and event assets. From signage to reusable cups, banners, badges, and digital templates, the identity came to life across Queen Square. The brand proved flexible and memorable, visually bold enough for a festival setting, while retaining enough charm to feel personal. It captured the essence of a sunny, sociable city gathering for a good cause.
Brand in Action
The brand’s hand-drawn style and colour palette lent itself perfectly to physical formats. We explored promotional concepts like event merchandise and themed print pieces, creating assets the Boules team could deploy across channels.
Our work helped support a unified experience across social, digital, and print touchpoints, making the event more visible, and more cohesive, in the eyes of sponsors and attendees alike.
Outcome
The 2021 Bath Boules was a huge success, raising money for local charities and bringing joy to the heart of the city. The identity was warmly received and became a memorable part of that year’s event.
The app functioned smoothly throughout, and both the digital and print assets were reused for the following year. We’re proud to have contributed to such a joyful, community-first project, and to have helped Bath Boules continue its legacy of doing good through good fun.