Speak No Evil
Speak No Evil is a celebration of the most exciting new jazz in the South-East featuring deep grooves, soul, gospel, breakbeat, hard-bop, hip-hop, and all manners of fusion.
There are currently two event series running under the Speak No Evil name; Future Jazz which is hosted at Brighton Spiegel Tent and a bi-monthly night hosted at Hootananny Brixton - each night focuses on championing young talent bringing contemporary jazz sounds to their audiences.
Speak No Evil at Hootananny Brixton
Speak No Evil began hosting live jazz nights at Hootananny Brixton at the start of 2022. I spent time with the client discussing possible routes c the branding for the events could take - we looked at a range of existing artwork for jazz nights and other events happening across London.
Some of the most iconic artwork from the history of jazz comes from Blue Note Records - they used bold typography combinations alongside striking photography often opting for limited colour palettes. Below I have highlighted some of the features which make these covers so iconic.
We decided to aim for a feeling inspired by this thinking , but bringing those designs into a contemporary setting and applying them to the young talent that is hosted on the night.
Speak No Evil presents
Charlie Stacey and Oscar Ogden
at Hootananny Brixton
Charlie Stacey and Oscar Ogden
at Hootananny Brixton
Speak No Evil presents
at Hootananny Brixton
at Hootananny Brixton
Future Jazz at The Fringe
Future Jazz is a live jazz night hosted in collaboration with New Generation Jazz at the Brighton Spiegeltent. Hosting a mixture of new, upcoming talent and more well-known names within the UK jazz scene Future Jazz is a vital component of Brighton Fringe hosting Yakul, Howes3 and Yadasofi at their debut event and Ebi Soda at their second.
Speak No Evil presents
Ife Ogunjobi and Illajoy
at Brighton Spiegeltent
Ife Ogunjobi and Illajoy
at Brighton Spiegeltent
Speak No Evil and New Generation Jazz presents
Ebi Soda and Beyond the Blue
at Brighton Spiegeltent
Ebi Soda and Beyond the Blue
at Brighton Spiegeltent
Speak No Evil and New Generation Jazz presents
Yakul, Howes3 and Yadasofi
at Brighton Spiegeltent
Yakul, Howes3 and Yadasofi
at Brighton Spiegeltent
For this project I wanted to create a concept that would accurately communicate the atmosphere of the event to come. This began with the typography - I found a bold, loud typeface called Bison which I felt had a traditional jazz feel whilst also coming across as quite contemporary. I played around with different ways to use the type and ended up twisting and moving the individual letters to create a look of movement and energy.
The client had asked to incorporate some of the features of the venue as the Brighton Spiegeltent is know for the impressive circus-like tent which forms billowing strips above the crowd. I was able to use these shapes in the design by simplifying them into blocks of colour which pop out against the black - these work well to form a dynamic composition whilst also communicating information about the venue.
I also decided to include a feature which is located just outside of the Spiegeltent which is the incredible Old Steine Fountain which features huge spiralling fish. I loved the character of these sculptures and thought they would be a unique addition to the artwork.
