Bringing the magic to a charity art trail in Bristol
How do you design the 'Best Summer Ever'?
Unicornfest was a city-wide celebration bringing colour, creativity, and community back to Bristol with a charity art trail supporting Leukaemia Care. With over 60 life-sized unicorns decorated by talented artists and placed across the city, the trail aimed to engage families, raise vital funds, and mark a joyful return to public events.
The brand needed to feel vibrant, welcoming, and full of magic. We were tasked with creating a visual identity that could stretch across physical, digital, and campaign touchpoints.
Strategy & Discovery
The project began with a brand strategy workshop to define the vision, values, and creative direction. Through moodboarding and close collaboration with the Leukaemia Care team, the goal became clear: design a brand that felt like the best summer ever. Bright, bold, and made for the whole family, with a tone that balanced fun with purpose.
These early sessions shaped every aspect of the identity and helped align the team around a shared creative vision.
Logo & Identity Development
The logo was inspired by classic outdoor adventure badges, setting the tone for a trail of discovery across the city. At its heart is a surreal take on the Clifton Suspension Bridge, a nod to Bristol’s landmarks, reimagined with a playful twist to capture the magic of the event.
Designed in collaboration with a co-designer, the identity embraced a bold, joyful “more is more” approach to colour and energy. The final result balanced collectability, imagination, and unmistakable Bristol character.
Visual Language
A vibrant, festival-inspired palette and a set of playful illustrations brought the brand to life across every medium. An amplified rainbow colour palette was chosen to bring energy and optimism, with the rainbow motif appearing throughout the illustrations as a symbol of better times ahead, especially relevant following the pandemic. A set of custom stickers extended the visual language from the logo and became a versatile addition to the brand suite - used in social posts, a sticker sheet, and even on cupcakes at the launch event!
The visual identity was designed to be flexible and engaging, working seamlessly across digital platforms, print materials, and merchandise.
Website Design
The website was designed to build excitement for the event by showcasing the artists, displaying sponsors, and sharing all essential event information. It brought to life the imaginative and energising visual style created for the brand, featuring custom illustrations and stickers that captured the vibrant summer spirit.
App Design
The app was built for use during the event, helping visitors navigate around the city and scan QR codes to collect them all in a digital unicorn stickerbook. The augmented reality feature included a Funko Pop-style box that users could unwrap to reveal the digital version of the unicorn. We designed the app experience to be intuitive and engaging for all the family, while keeping the novelty and fun factor high.
Brand in Action
From a physical trail map to a full range of merch available in the Uniconfest Pop-up Shop in Cabot Circus. The brand could be seen across the city all summer, including hoodies, water bottles, and colouring books, all contributing to a memorable experience. Templates for social media, event signage, and print advertising helped bring a consistent visual language to the entire campaign. The joyful spirit of the identity shone through in every detail.
Outcome
Thousands of people interacted with Unicornfest and helped raise significant funds and awareness for Leukaemia Care. With over 300,000 app opens and national media coverage, the trail became a joyful symbol of post-Covid connection and a bold celebration of Bristol’s creativity and community spirit.