WHAT associates

28/11/2025

Great to be at the Ipswich City of Culture launch this morning, led by Jack Abbott, Mark Ashton and the great team responsible for moving this forward.

Culture means different things to different people, but one thing it definitely isn’t is an elite club. It’s all of us. It’s how, as a town, we behave, what we facilitate and what we stand for. This morning was about starting things off in the right way, informing us of the process and getting us thinking about the positive impact and contribution we can make. We’re excited for this!

21/11/2025

We’ve just spent three days in the North East, Newcastle and Gateshead.
They get culture!

We enjoyed…
Loyle Carner at O2 City Hall.
Declan O’Rourke at The Glasshouse.
Dance City (one of only 6 DanceHouses in the UK alongside our own DanceEast)
The BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, a flour mill rejuvenated as an art space and centre for young creative talent.
The Biscuit Factory area full of independents, makers, studios, cafés, real creative buzz.
St James’ Park and Newcastle University in the centre of the city.
Department stores, shops, restaurants and bars. Christmas pop ups, markets and stalls.
And finally, a stop off at The Angel of the North sculpture by Anthony Gormley.

Our hotel looked out on the colourful Gateshead Millennium Bridge which was funded by the UK Millennium Commission and European regeneration programmes, deliberately designed to spark cultural renewal along the river. And it’s worked.

If Ipswich can champion culture with the same confidence and support for young talent the ripple effects will be huge.

11/11/2025

Christmas looks spectacular with !

We’ve had the pleasure of working with FARO since 2021 and this year’s collaboration has been one of our favourites yet. Together, we’ve evolved their identity and created a new Autumn/Winter brochure.

At the heart of FARO is a belief that beauty should never come at the cost of people, tradition or the planet. Sustainability runs through every part of their process, from design to production. Every piece represents a partnership between FARO, their artisans and their customers ensuring fairness, preserving ancient skills, and supporting communities in India.

We’re working alongside a brilliant team at Faro:

Founders / Sisters: Farheen & Ozma 
Design, Photography, Branding: 
Stylist, Film, Photography: 
Stylist: Annie Aldous
Model:

Location Host: Nicky Banks
Flowers: 
Labrador: Oscar


06/10/2025

We’ve been photographing over the past 3 days. Yesterday’s highlight was a red Routemaster on the Cornhill! Author , festival patron, delivered with incredible energy. We loved it!

Love the ambition of the bus venue, the impact of the brand red ❤️ and how great our town looked surrounded by festival volunteers, visitors, shoppers and football fans. What a day for Ipswich!

Huge congrats to Andrew, Cathy, Emma & Tony and everyone who made the book festival happen. No big budgets. No grants. Just four passionate people, local partners, sponsors, volunteers and a community making something special happen. Chapter 2 ?






📸

23/09/2025

21/09/2025

Only two weeks to go until the October 3-5 and be prepared for a colourful takeover!

We had this date in mind when we created their brand identity, taking inspiration from the Liquidambar tree in Christchurch park, because we knew in October it will start bursting with colour ❤️💛

Look out for it if you’re visiting Ipswich for the festival. It’s just behind the big pond, towards the war memorial. 🎨

13/09/2025

This isn’t officially a WHAT project, but Tim & I are kicking it off. We want to show how great the parks are in Ipswich and how we live our lives in them, together. We’re looking to co-create and collaborate with the town to share stories, art, photography, ideas … to get people connecting Ipswich & Parks 💚

We’ll be sharing more info, creative prompts, story call outs as the weeks go on. We’ve all ready had so many people contact us to share ideas and stories. This is something we care about, we want to raise the perception of our home town and celebrate everyone who lives here.

Please follow
Tag: and get involved!
ParklifeIpswich.co.uk

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05/09/2025

We’re very pleased to share this project with bringing together accessibility, sustainability and community impact in one refreshed approach. It’s been great collaborating with their brilliant team. We’re excited to see how people respond to this refreshed approach…

Some highlights from the refreshed approach:

• Accessibility first: Designed with RNIB Clear Print guidelines.

• Sustainable: Reduced print run with an interactive digital alternative.

• Smarter tools: QR codes track engagement and bookings.

• Charity spotlight: Celebrating DanceEast’s community impact across Ipswich, Suffolk & the East.

• Dual covers: Move (participation) and Be Moved (performance), equal prominence and inviting audiences to flip between them (with a little movement).

• Clear navigation: Colour-coded sections for Performance, Classes & Workshops and Giving.

• Less copy, full images: Making dance feel open to all.

• 3 words per performance: Easy shorthand for event styles.

• Joyful brand update: New colour palette & typography.

• Self-mailer format: No envelope or plastic bag required.