11 reflections on rebranding the Bristol Beacon
New Bristol Beacon logo developed by Rising creatives
Greg Keen, Jasmine Thompson and Rosa ter Kuile joined Saboteur Studio to develop the visual branding of the Bristol Beacon, formerly Colston Hall. Here's what they learnt along the way.
1. What drew you in to join this project?
Greg Keen: One of my first jobs since moving to Bristol was at Colston Hall. I’ve also attended the venue many times for gigs and festivals, and always wondered how it could be improved - I found it wasn’t the most inviting space. When I became aware of the atrocities associated with the Colston name, and being an artist who’s really invested in Bristol’s music scene, I knew I couldn’t miss out on a project so important.
Rosa ter Kuile: It was a no-brainer! It’s such a significant moment of change and re-direction - so i was really interested to be part of the conversations and creative direction around that. The name had already been decided, so we were focussed on the visual aspect of the branding.
I was also curious to see the behind the scenes of a design agency, how you go about branding such a huge project…it’s just so big!
Jasmine Thompson: I was interested in this project from the get-go. Obviously I was aware of Colston Hall and it’s long history/ political connotations, so having the chance to be involved with the rebrand after the name change was something I had to jump on. Rebrand work is also something i realllly wanna get more into, so it was a perfect chance to play with design as it was such a blank canvas.
2. What were your expectations for this job?
Greg: To be honest, I went into it with no expectations other than to test myself. It was really refreshing being a part of such an open creative process, and working with a music trust, a design agency and other artists all at the same time was a new one for me.
Rosa: I knew I’d be challenged - most of my work has an illustrative quality to it, so I was nervous that my design skills might not fit the bill. I think I also started out expecting the whole brand to be finished in the 3 months, but that wasn’t the case.
Jasmine: I didn’t really have any. As it was a pretty open brief and nobody really knew where this was going to go, it was hard to visualise what routes the project would take. There were no expected outcomes or aesthetics to really follow. Normally there are so many parameters and rules when it comes to designing anything for an organisation, so these circumstances were definitely unusual.
3. What worries did you have working on this project?
Greg: The brief being broad and flexible was a double-edged sword at times. There were moments where I had so much choice and so many ideas that I had no idea if what I would present at the end of the week was ‘right’. But there really were no wrongs, and everyone at Saboteur and Bristol Beacon were super supportive. I also had a lot of anxiety about video calls and, to begin with, found them pretty stressful, especially when presenting work. Often, my mental health prevents me from even applying for this sort of job, but Saboteur and Rising especially were incredibly supportive and had a real understanding of mental health.
Rosa: Mmm…i think nearing the end of the project I felt like i wanted more critical feedback, or set deliverables. Freedom can be stifling too!
Jasmine: Being left out of the conversation. So many times I’ve had my skills or voice called up to contribute to the development of a project and I’ve never seen the outcomes. No proof my time or energy has been taken into consideration. So naturally I was afraid that would be the case. Our involvement has been during the initial stages of the design work, so it’ll be interesting to see how much of our input and design work makes it into the final cuts.
4. What’s it really like to work with a ‘big’ client?
Jasmine: it didn’t really feel like it was. It’s a huge job so there’s big pressure on everyone involved to get this thing right. But there was also time to really dig into what this rebrand means, and how Bristol Beacon should be represented going forward. So it felt very explorative.
Rosa: There’s loads of people involved! At one point we had a call with all the Beacon people, and there were about three pages on Zoom. It was great to see that they were as excited for it as we were.
Greg: I think because we had Rising and Saboteur acting as a sort of middle-man, it didn’t feel like we were working with a big client. I feel lucky to have minimal admin work on this project! Even when we were in a Zoom call with senior people at Bristol Beacon, it was all pretty friendly and everyone seemed to support the openness of the process.
5. Let’s talk imposter syndrome. Did you experience it & how do you overcome it?
Greg: There was no real feeling of imposter syndrome this time. It’s something I often struggle with, but I felt well-suited to the project, and the brief was flexible so it really lowered my anxiety. Knowing that there was no expectation of perfection and that rough and abstract ideas were welcomed put me at ease.
Rosa: I’m trying to accept that imposter syndrome is just something I will always feel to some degree. I didn’t go to uni or have formal education for creative work, and never learnt how to use Adobe products ‘properly’. So I’m always self-conscious that the way i create and deliver work isn’t right.
So i try to talk and hype myself up like a motivational instagram post. You Belong! You Got This! This is YOUR space!
But yeah. Still working on that one. The thing that comforts me is learning is that everyone, at every level, is dealing with it.
Jasmine: in this particular job, no. But generally, YES! We could work in ways which played to our strengths and styles, and imposter syndrome usually gets me when I’m out of my skill set. As long as I’m doing something I’m comfortable in, I never feel like an imposter! But you can’t stay in your comfort zone forever. So when it hits me if I’m in a new place or trying something new, I just remind myself it’s a learning curve, and sometimes it takes time. I’m learning to actually trust the process, not just say it all the time.
Rosa ter Kuile, Jazz Thompson on stage with host Alexa Ledecky at ‘Make Space for Rising’ takeover event at the Bristol Beacon
6. What specific thing did you learn on this job?
Greg: The value of collaborating! More a reminder of how beneficial it is, especially on big identity projects like this. I have been so used to working independently, and one of the main reasons I wanted to be a part of this was for the opportunity to collaborate with other artists and a design studio. I hope I get the chance to collaborate more in the future!
Rosa: I found the the Overlay tool on Illustrator. And used it loads.
Also: the importance of having someone on the team like Nick from Saboteur, who can radiate enthusiasm and positivity for everything.
Jasmine: That I can legit produce posters in the masses, haha! Good and terrible ones. I have honestly never made so many.
7. The Beacon, Saboteur & Rising Arts Agency! That seems like a lot of cooks in the kitchen...
Greg: I felt the partnership worked well. Inevitably, it came with difficulties. With several different organisations involved, at times it was hard to communicate or know who to talk to. It’s that thing of having too many options rather than not enough, though. Having someone at Rising looking out for us at all times made me feel really secure.
Jasmine: It had it’s pros and cons, as with anything. It was such an open book, I found it pretty hard to start. Like where do you start when there’s no start point? So yeah, the first couple of weeks took some getting into things but then I found my feet.
The Beacon is currently undergoing a multi-million redevelopment / image credit Bristol Beacon
8. Most memorable moment?
Greg: Honestly there are too many. Working with two super talented folks was amazing. I think the most memorable for me was trying to inject some fun into the toilet signage, and trying to relate it to music. There were some hilarious outcomes.
Rosa: The site visit! And the fun creative briefs. The thing i take with me from the project is kindness and care that went into the team and the work.
Jasmine: Besides working with Greg & Rosa- who are amazing- probably the site visit at the start. It was so cool seeing underground and the old parts of the building you don’t normally get to access. We also visited the roof and I was literally terrified, ha! Another thing I’ve learned is I’m scared of falling from heights so all that ladder climbing was the ultimate test.
9. Why should more design agencies work with young people?
Greg: There’s such a huge focus on being experienced in order to gain work, which is understandable - after all, the person hiring you is investing time and money in you. But I truly believe that young people have so many forward-thinking ideas and unique perspectives that might not be accessible usually. And there’s that challenging paradox of needing experience to get experience. More opportunities should be open for young creative people, especially to work in an open and collaborative way.
Rosa: I think it changes things up. In this context it was also important to have young people form Bristol involved in the process- because Saboteur are based in London.
Jasmine: So many reasons! But mostly because we are the future. Our ideas are so fresh. And our talents are so often overlooked. We just need to be given opportunities to present them and show what we got.
10. What do you take away from this project that you’d like to implement in your future work?
Greg: The slow and thoughtful approach. This project has reminded me how important it is to pace yourself in order to squeeze all of those juicy ideas out. It’s all too easy to rush through the ideas stage and start creating, but we constantly went back to our early research and used it to inform the final stages. Because of this, we didn’t lose those first insights which are often the most valuable.
Rosa: How to present your work to a client, and lead them through the creative arc.
Jasmine: taking a more free approach to design development and creative thinking. When unsure, strip things back and start from the bottom up. It’s easy to over complicate a concept or idea, sometimes the simple, clean ones are the winners.
11. Tips for Zoom collaborative projects?
Greg: Try to ignore the weirdness of sitting in a room talking to a camera. If you’re like me, you’ll find it awkward and unnatural, but I find it helps to have everyone on screen at the same time (rather than only whoever’s speaking) and pretend you’re in the same room. Odd silences and talking over each other will just happen! Don’t worry about it, everyone’s on the same page.
Rosa: Don’t call from public wifi outside a cafe. The first meeting we had I was stuck in Bath, calling from outside a cafe whilst it was raining. It wasn’t ideal to get to know everyone like that.
Jasmine: Accept the fact it will be challenging. My relationship with tech has been severely tested last year lol, so things won't run as smoothly and you won't have as much contact as you normally would. So my tip would be: allow extra time.
Anything else?
Greg: Rising offer so many amazing opportunities and I genuinely appreciate everything they do. Sign up to their newsletter and keep an eye out! I believe that as a team we nailed the brief, and I can’t wait for it to be launched.
Rosa: Just feel very grateful to Rising, the Beacon, Saboteur, Jazz and Greg for making this all happen.
Jasmine: Big love Rising for making these collabs happen.
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