blog and design insight from leading UK creative agency

GoodMarket’s XL event drives 4000 visitors

Targeted campaign drives over 4000 visitors to GoodMarket’s Double XL event.

Building on the momentum from the successful GoodMarket XL event in October 2023, B&G collaborated with GoodMarket to plan their next major event.

Challenges and Strategies

The team faced several challenges, notably introducing a ticket fee for the first time and engaging the public for a post-Easter event. To tackle these, the focus was on creating a spring-themed campaign. This involved extensive R&D to maintain the theme of “inflated delight,” resulting in a new, bespoke graphic design for the two-day event.

Creative Approach

A bright pink bubble gum design was chosen for its fun, lighthearted, yet confident and bold appeal. This new visual identity resonated with the ethos of GoodMarket and was quickly embraced by all 240 traders.

Marketing and Engagement

The predominantly digital-led campaign achieved significant reach on social media. Additionally, the support from event retailers, who were provided with brand and marketing packs, amplified the campaign’s effectiveness.

Event Success

Despite initial reservations, the event was a resounding success, attracting over 4500 visitors to the Exhibition Center Liverpool. The 30,000 sqft space was buzzing with energy and the vibrant spirit of a creative community.

Visit: GoodMarket

How Copenhagen Airport introduces City Branding

How my arrival experience at Copenhagen Airport informed my understanding of a city brand.

Do first impressions really count?

When it comes to place branding, the answer is a resounding yes—but it’s not as straightforward as branding a product or service. Places are subjective, multi-layered, and involve countless stakeholders. There’s rarely a single executive team or a clear USP. This makes it tricky to define, measure, or control.

On a recent trip to Copenhagen—my very first—I experienced a place where brand and city worked together seamlessly, without a single marketing campaign or logo in sight

The Airport: Subtle Signals of Identity

Stepping off the plane at Copenhagen Airport, my first impression was familiar: a sense of blandness, a feeling I could have been anywhere. But as I looked closer, subtle details started to emerge.

The clever use of materials, including the signature Danish plywood, combined with open, bright spaces and abundant natural light, immediately suggested something unique. It wasn’t shouted at you—it was quietly embedded in the space, a first clue to the city’s values.

The Journey to the City: Design as a reflection of values

Navigating the simple, intuitive wayfinding brought me to the train platform. Twenty minutes later, I was heading straight into the heart of Copenhagen.

Even on a train, the city’s brand was evident. The space was clean, spacious, and designed with attention to detail that subtly communicated care for its citizens.

A small overhead socket for a music player caught my eye—but it was the tray table that truly impressed me. With a simple push, out slid a walnut-veneered ply table with a brushed steel, recessed cup holder. Practical, elegant, thoughtfully designed. In that moment, I understood how Danish values—quality, functionality, and respect for people—permeate everyday life.

Place branding at it’s purest

There was no flashy campaign, no tagline, no promotional stunt. Yet I felt I had experienced the city’s brand in its purest form. Every detail, from materials to user experience, communicated a consistent message: this is a place that values its people and their experience.

For city planners, marketers, and designers alike, Copenhagen demonstrates that first impressions matter—but they’re not just about spectacle. They’re about embedding values into every touchpoint, quietly, intentionally, and thoughtfully.

Conclusion:

Place branding doesn’t always need slogans, logos, or campaigns. Sometimes it’s simply about how a city feels to the person walking through it—an experience communicated through design, attention to detail, and everyday interactions. Copenhagen, in its airport and train journey, embodies this principle perfectly.

Giving Ferry & Sons a new edge

Behind the Brand: Crafting a Modern Identity for Ferry & Sons

First impressions can say a lot.

The first time we met Mike and his family, we knew this was going to be something special. Their passion for their craft was infectious, and their confidence in the quality of their work was quietly inspiring.

Many businesses come to us looking for a refresh — a polish around the edges. But Mike had bigger plans. He wanted to build a 21st-century brand that could sit confidently alongside the best in the industry.

Today, Ferry & Sons is doing exactly that.

Sales have never been better.

Mike tells us.

“Passion for what you do and how you do it is something that isn’t celebrated enough,” Mike told us.

“The work we’ve done together brings that passion to life in a professional and warm way.”

Mike Ferry – MD

Design Notes: The Making of a Brand

For the designers out there who love the details — this identity is packed with them.

The Ferry & Sons logo was built from the ground up, inspired by the curved angle bevels often found on their handcrafted worktops. The ligature in the F was carefully designed to nod to both the F and S, a subtle connection between name and craft.

We extended this detail into a suite of fine stroke lines, derived from those same bevels, representing the precision and delicacy of the craftsmanship — whether marble, granite or quartz. These graphic lines can be layered over imagery and block colour, adding quiet texture and depth throughout the brand.

The typography pairs Libre Baskerville for headlines, chosen for its classic, human qualities, with a clean sans serif for body copy, reflecting the company’s modern edge.

The colour palette remains simple and contemporary, with a respectful nod to heritage. The signature blue is a refined evolution of their previous identity, maintaining brand recognition while pushing it forward.

Bringing it to Life

To capture the warmth and precision of Ferry & Sons, we commissioned award-winning photographer Dan Kenyon for a series of portrait and interior shots. These images play a central role in communicating the company’s personality and attention to detail.

Print played its part too. Stationery was produced on GF Smith Cobalt, and the brochure wrap on GF Smith Leather Pale Grey — both chosen to reflect quality and timelessness.

Ferry & Sons is proof that craft, ambition and design can build something powerful.

view case study

Visit: Ferryandsons.co.uk

No Socks – Behind The Scenes

We absolutely loved working on Nextbase’s advert for Christmas. Have a look at what went into the production in our behind the scenes video below.

Exploring Berlin’s raw, unapologetic city identity

Reflecting on a recent visit to Germany’s capital and creative hub – experiencing the city’s unorthodox approach to placebrand.

Upon arriving at Berlin’s Schoenefeld airport, I wasn’t greeted with a particular welcome or ‘energy’ I’ve come to experience in other European cities. There wasn’t a lot to it – a generic look, a few forgettable shops… odd for a capital city revered for it’s culture – we didn’t stick around too long. Schoenefeld is the secondary, smaller airport in the city, so I can’t speak for it’s primary airport.

A short walk to the station and we were on the train to our destination, Friedrichshain. We jumped off and then it started to happen. A city covered wall to wall in graffiti, street art, tags and messages. There was an instant sense of identity here which spread across the entire city. We could easily go into a debate at this point about whether graffiti constitutes art or if it’s just mindless vandalism, but for the me the sheer amount of the stuff made my experience in the city visually stimulating – I really felt like I was somewhere rather than anywhere.

When I looked into the governments current stance on graffiti, I was surprised to find that, just like most cities, it is still very much illegal and punishable by heavy fines. It was the fact that they obviously don’t try to clean or cover it up which I found interesting. This is a city where the people have persevered through harsh times, once physically and ideologically divided by a concrete wall, which I think plays a really important role in the cities identity today… Berlin is free – when the wall fell there was obviously a strong desire for radical expressionism, something which seems to still linger in the city’s culture today. The fact that the government doesn’t try to completely mute this I think makes for a really raw and fascinating sense of place.

I’m aware of the Be Berlin brand, but I didn’t once see it plastered over the city, even in the more touristic areas. The official website stated “3.4 million men and women in Berlin who make the city so unmistakable and play an active part in shaping the city’s transformations”. Berlin doesn’t need to force it’s place brand – the people make the city what it is. It’s real, it’s raw, it’s honest.

Why Amsterdam may be the new creative capital of Europe

As Black & Ginger grows into Europe we look at what makes Amsterdam a great place for the creative industries

So what are the crucial ingredients that are making this dutch city simmer with excitement and explode as a leading digital hub?

Inherently born from wealth from its trade port roots, you don’t have to look far to understand where the city’s rich culture has trickled through the veins of its canals into the DNA of its people.

Yes we all know Amsterdam as being free thinking, but what Amsterdam does well is the idea of ‘citizens’. This place is designed for people and where people come first, and this creates a unique environment for ideas and radical thinking.

From Rembrandt to Van Gogh this is a city who’s creative past informs its future.

“The dutch are so used to constraints of building up and along narrow roads, creativity is a way to break these restraints and express their true selves.”

From the huge tech giants to the latest tech start ups, Amsterdam provides not only an infrastructure but also a way of life that promotes creativity and freedom of thought, unbound by an agenda. No matter where you’re from there is a unified understanding that citizens come first. Give people the power to live their best lives and history will write itself.

Keep your eyes peeled as B&G goes Dutch.

Laughin’ Exhibition

An exhibition designed to make you smile.

We believe creativity can put a smile on everyones face, which is why we curated an exhibition that celebrates both humour and creativity whilst making a positive impact, collaborating with local mental health charity The Open Door Centre.

We invited local, national and international artists, designers and photographers to flex their creative muscles, with the simple brief to produce artwork that tickles the mind and leaves us Laughin. This gathered an overwhelming response of people wanting to contribute their time and creativity and help support the cause.

We wanted to help spread positivity throughout our community.

To distribute the work on a global platform we compiled the artwork into an exhibition brochure which shipped around the world with proceeds going to The Open Door Centre. Further collaborating with our artists allowing them to host their own Laughin exhibition within their city helping to spread positivity to a wider audience.

“Collaborating with the team at Black & Ginger has been a real pleasure and we can’t wait to unveil the Laughin’ exhibition to the public. The premise behind the exhibition is simple; to make people smile. Every piece of artwork featured is truly uplifting and we are looking forward to raising as many smiles and laughs”.

Open Door Centre

Leading with Emotion

FACT – Emotive people make better lovers!

Okay, this may be a slight exaggeration and is completely unsubstantiated but it caught your attention. The actual fact in this statement is that emotion plays a huge part in both our decision making, and more critically our long term memory recall. So what does this have to do with brands I hear you say? The hippocampus (here comes the science bit, now concentrate) – the part of the brain that deals with the process of memory is at its most heightened when memories are linked with an experience or emotion. Just think about where you were when Senna died, the Twin Towers come down, or even where you where sitting at in the final moments of Game of Thrones. Heightened emotions are simple triggers for ‘recall’. If we can influence these then we can influence recall.

“We’re not out to create the best designs, we’re out create the best brand memory experience.”

As creative brand specialists we can often be played against other talented design studios, bigger businesses or ones that have the biggest teams, and to an extent rightly so… However not is all that appears here at Black and Ginger, and we have a hidden agenda – we’re not actually out to create the best designs, we’re out create the best brand memory experience. By aligning our emotional intelligence led research, we look to read between the lines, push buttons, play with your senses and what your expectations are and are not. By tapping into these emotional senses we can create brands that are more than just surface deep and actually connect with audiences on a deeper and more meaningful level.

Over the last 16 years we have developed these skills and in the UK are leaders in this area of design in brand. And don’t take our word for it, in the last 3 years 100% of the businesses we have worked with have seen market share growth and with improved recall across the board. Tomorrow you could be forgotten, remember today.

If you think we could help with your project we’d love to talk. Get in touch.

The Br&nd Edit.

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