Creating the OUTSIDE brand with Buxton & Leek College

We are excited to unveil the branding and design for the OUTSIDE project created by SO Marketing in collaboration with Buxton & Leek College student Bronte Sidley.     

OUTSIDE creative director Sarah Bird said: “We were delighted to facilitate this partnership between Buxton & Leek College and SO Marketing, to offer an amazing opportunity for a young person to get an insight into the process of developing our brand and web presence. We love the result and we’re confident it will become a trusted and familiar brand for the residents of the Moorlands.”     

On a cold December evening a group of students from Buxton & Leek College and their lecturer Leanne Cunningham participated in a branding workshop with James Aberley and Jonathan Brady from SO Marketing, the award-winning creative agency based in the Staffordshire Moorlands. The agency team ran a fantastic session on how to respond to creative briefs and turn them into real-life concepts. They shared best practise, top tips and their approach to building brands through designs that meaningfully engage online and offline audiences.      

Following the workshop, some of the students had a go at sketching initial logo concepts. From these, student Bronte Sidley was invited to shadow the SO Marketing team in the creation of the OUTSIDE brand and learn how to develop a website. Bronte visited the SO Marketing office joining the agency’s team for discussions and working with them to help create the website.   

Bronte Sidley, student at Buxton & Leek College, said: “I have really enjoyed this process and feel very privileged to be involved. I loved working with the OUTSIDE team along with talented SO Marketing employees and have learnt lots of new skills. I have relished this opportunity to gain experience of working in an industry that appeals to me greatly.” 

James Aberley from SO Marketing said: “It’s been a really interesting project to support OUTSIDE with their web and branding requirements. The rural arts project is one that we feel a lot of affinity for as anything that encourages creativity in the Staffordshire Moorlands suits us well as the largest creative employer in the district.”     

Get in touch if you’d like to discuss volunteering or work experience with OUTSIDE.