Inside Out Dorset

Inspiring families to immerse themselves in the arts and experience extraordinary art in extraordinary places.

THE CLIENT

Inside Out Dorset (IOD) is an award-winning international outdoor arts festival that takes place across the county every two years. The festival is the signature event of Activate Performing Arts, bringing extraordinary art to extraordinary places. The event is fully accessible and is largely free, funded by Arts Council England, Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole (BCP) Council and Dorset Council.

THE CHALLENGE

Andy has been creating comms for this inspirational festival for 18 years, however it has never been visually clear that this event was a product of Activate. As part of the rebrand, initiated by Activate Performing Arts in 2023, cohesion and brand hierarchy needed to be brought to comms.

Inside Out Dorset needed to be refreshed. Branding and the full suite of comms, both in print and online, needed to be updated to retain and inspire a new audience, reflecting an inclusive family festival for all.

The next generation of IOD communications needed to evolve the brand, keep the artist and community at its core and be true to its values and messages.

Application

Branding
Event literature
Printed documents
Advertising
Website
Merchandise
Film
Livery
Information boards
Maps & signage

Stand out

Onsite brand display

Further Links

Website
Linkedin

Three women talking and smiling at an outdoor event, with one holding a coffee cup and flyers.

THE SOLUTION

Next year IOD will celebrate it’s 20th Anniversary and we cannot wait. It strives to be bigger and better than ever. Since the rebrand we have completed two festivals using the refreshed branding and brand templates. IOD is a very much established arts festival with a distinctive look and colour palette. It has a direct relationship not only with Activate Performing Arts (its parent brand) but also its many “sibling brands” such as Dorset Youth Dance and Remix.

A young girl jumping in the air next to a blue festival banner outdoors on a cloudy day.
A large teal banner with white text promoting Inside Out Dorset festival, an outdoor arts event. In the background, three people, including a woman, a man, and a child, are standing on a street with colourful houses during daytime.

  • “It is always a great pleasure for the team to participate in Activate Performing Arts projects… Thank you for your work and the exceptional welcome you gave us. I'd also like to highlight the incredible work you seem to be doing on issues of audience accessibility.”

    Cécile Durot, from French company Le. G. Bistaki

  • “I really enjoyed volunteering… I was made to feel welcome, supported and appreciated by the lovely Activate team. I wouldn’t necessarily have visited on my own, but this way I got to be part of a wonderful event as well.”

    Mandy Robbins, Volunteer

  • “Lovely to have access to the arts in Dorset which is free. IOD is a joy, blending art and nature."

    Audience member

  • “My son is neurodiverse, ASC, and this is the first festival he has been fully engaged in since lockdown. Very positive festival for families, and has had a positive effect on his mental wellbeing."

    Audience member

  • "I really enjoyed this experience so much it reminds me so much of how much fun I was missing while being stuck on devices."

    Workshop participant at The Waverley Club

  • "Inside Out Dorset offers a diverse range of awe-inspiring spectacles that captivate audiences across our region."

    Caroline Cooban, CEO of Talbot Village Trust

Outdoor brick wall decorated with string lights and turquoise pennant flags, a window with a sign about Arts University Bournemouth and woodbury collaboration, and a small open window with a slanted cover.
A man with gray hair and a beard wearing glasses and a green t-shirt that says 'Inside Out Dorset' stands on a busy street. He is holding a blue foam pad and a bucket, with lanyard and volunteer badge around his neck. Several people in the background are walking and sitting.

WHAT WE DELIVERED

Year on year the list of festival communications continues to grow. Over time the emphasis has shifted from print to digital. Following the rebrand a real desire was put on getting the website working well as a main source of information for the audience, as well as being the main source of marketing. The IOD website was brought within the core Activate website sitemap and event listings were made much clearer. Social media templates and canva toolkits have been created and we have worked collaboratively with video production teams to ensure the brand is cohesive and clear.

signage
artist information boards
programme
posters
leaflets
family activity packs
merchandise
advertising
animation & film
website
e-newsletters
Volunteer man in green shirt smiling and talking to an older woman at an outdoor event, Costa Coffee sign visible in the background.
Group of people walking and talking outdoors, some wearing green 'Inside Out' shirts and badges, near historic stone buildings.
Brochure for InsideOut Dorset outdoor arts festival featuring a family performing an acro yoga pose outdoors, with promotional information about the event happening on September 16, 2023, in Wimborne, highlighting free family events.

THE RESULTS

Advertising and marketing resulted in 33,000 visitors to IOD 2025.

IOD has resulted in excess of £250,000 investment into the local area.

PR for Inside Out Dorset in 2025 reached: BBC Spotlight, British Theatre Guide, Disability Arts, Dorset Echo, Dorset magazine, Greatest Hits Radio, i newspaper, Planet Radio, Primary Times, The Guardian, The Sunday Telegraph and The Times to name a few!

IOD won Gold at the Dorset Tourism Awards.

People gathered outdoors at an event, with a man holding a young girl, and a large turquoise banner reading 'Insidia' and 'Out' in the background.
Silhouette of a person riding a bicycle at sunset

Andy and the team at L&F are very much part of the Activate team, they’ve been there from the start. Year on year they bring the energy and creativity to Inside Out Dorset. Over nearly 20 years their passion hasn’t waned and they continue to push us to make the festival the best it can possibly be. What sets them apart is their willingness to challenge and be challenged. They always deliver even with often short timeframes and restricted budgets. We’d be lost without them.

Kate Wood
Executive & Artistic Director, Activate Performing Arts

Recognition

BeColourful Brand Strategy
Pageant Productions
Oomph Design (website)