Launched in 2011, Chalke Valley is the UK’s leading live history event. For a week every June, over 55,000 visitors, young and old, gather to hear talks, join debates and enjoy immersive experiences that bring history to life.

2024’s relaunch comes as UK festival culture continues to shift from music-only events towards more diverse and inclusive programmes that enrich the crowd’s minds, as well as their senses.

Bloom was brought in to work with the founders on a new brand idea and visual identity. To appeal to a broad audience it was important to frame history carefully. We needed to throw off any dusty or bookish associations. Instead, we defined the brand around the belief that bringing the past to life is the only way to truly understand our present, and foresee our future.

To capture the unique festival experience we also defined personality, tone of voice and brand behaviours. The site, set deep in the historically rich Wiltshire countryside, immerses visitors in the past. There’s a strong sense of community at the event, with many opportunities to engage, interact and debate. And the topics go far beyond academia to cover politics, sports, food, the arts and contemporary news events. So the brand needed to be curious, sociable, worldly and warm.

The new identity powerfully balances past, present and future. The marque uses forms inspired by arrow heads to point both forwards and back. For the event name we used the Montserat font, reminiscent of timeless British poster graphics. And the colour palette mirrors the Wiltshire countryside, but with vibrant accents to cue excitement and passionate debate. The identity’s richness is a springboard for creating memorable, meaningful event assets – from digital to merchandise, from apparel to site signage.

Historian and author James Holland, festival co-founder, said: “We drew a line in the sand following an internal reorganisation at the end of last year. While the past 13 festivals have been enjoyable, we now harbour much greater ambitions. We contacted Bloom because we wanted to significantly expand our reach.

“The new brand strategy and design feels tailormade for Chalke and connects us with our past while being totally rooted in today. Now Chalke is not just about reminiscing, it’s about reigniting curiosity and sparking conversations about where we’ve been and where we’re headed – a compass for the future that looks at environmental challenges, conflicts, politics and economics.”