Festival of Horsepower
Celebrating motorsport and racing culture
Brand identity for Ipswich's month-long celebration uniting motorsport and horse racing, spanning 10+ events including the Gulf Western Oil Winternationals (premier drag racing outside North America) and TAB Ipswich Cup. Bold typography and energetic design work across diverse events while building year-over-year festival recognition.
The Challenge
The Festival of Horsepower isn't just another event—it's a month-long celebration that unites two distinct racing cultures under one brand. Running throughout June, the festival brings together motorsport enthusiasts and horse racing fans for 10+ major events, from the Gulf Western Oil Winternationals (the premier drag racing event outside North America) to the TAB Ipswich Cup (Ipswich's premier horse racing social event). The challenge was creating a brand system that honors both horsepower traditions—automotive and equestrian—while working seamlessly across diverse event types: drag racing competitions, horse racing events, community cruises, heritage programming, and family-friendly activities. The brand needed to appeal to hardcore motorsport fans, horse racing enthusiasts, families, and heritage visitors alike, all while maintaining recognition as 'Ipswich's social event of the year' across various locations. Just as importantly, the system needed to empower Ipswich City Council's team to adapt the brand year after year without starting from scratch—part of our ongoing partnership creating festival brands including SPARK, Christmas in Ipswich, and Galvanized Festival.
The Solution
We built a brand that honors both horsepower traditions—automotive and equestrian. Bold typography and high-energy visuals create a cohesive festival identity that works equally well promoting the Winternationals' drag racing thunder and the TAB Ipswich Cup's social elegance. The comprehensive brand guidelines we delivered enable Ipswich City Council to independently adapt the festival identity year after year—applying it confidently to billboards promoting events months in advance, signage across various Ipswich locations, event-specific programs and collateral, and everything from heritage programming (From Horses to Horsepower Family Fun Day) to high-octane motorsport finales (2 Days of Thunder). The system maintains cohesive recognition across all 10+ events while allowing fresh, event-specific applications each festival season. The result is a flexible brand architecture that unites diverse racing disciplines, appeals to broad audiences, and builds year-over-year recognition for what's become Ipswich's signature event.
The Brand System
Creating a brand that unites motorsport and horse racing wasn't about compromise—it was about finding the common thread. High-energy design, bold typography, and flexible applications that honor both traditions while maintaining festival unity across a month of programming and 10+ diverse events.
Uniting Motors and Horses
Most festival brands serve one audience. This one needed to work for drag racing fans watching 330mph passes at the Winternationals and horse racing enthusiasts enjoying the TAB Ipswich Cup's social elegance—often the same weekend.
The dual horsepower concept wasn't just clever wordplay. It was the strategic foundation. Both motorsport and horse racing share common ground: power, speed, competition, and passionate communities. We built the brand identity around these shared values rather than trying to please both audiences separately.
Bold, geometric typography creates energy that works equally well for automotive power and equestrian grace. The high-impact visual system uses dynamic angles and strong type treatments that feel at home on drag racing billboards and horse racing event programs alike. Energetic color applications and flexible graphic elements adapt to event-specific contexts while maintaining cohesive festival recognition.
The brand doesn't favor motors over horses or vice versa. It celebrates both traditions as equal partners under one unified festival identity—exactly as the event itself does.
A Month-Long Festival
June isn't just a few weekend events. It's a month-long program spanning 10+ major events across various Ipswich locations, each requiring brand applications that work in different contexts.
Billboard campaigns promoting the Gulf Western Oil Winternationals—the premier drag racing event outside North America—need to grab attention from drivers at highway speeds months before the event. Event signage at Willowbank Raceway works differently than wayfinding at the Ipswich Turf Club for the TAB Ipswich Cup. Print collateral for family-friendly activities like From Horses to Horsepower Family Fun Day serves different needs than promotional materials for 2 Days of Thunder's high-octane racing finale.
The brand system handles all of it. Same core identity, flexible applications. From large-format outdoor advertising to event-specific programs, from digital promotional assets to on-ground signage, the festival maintains consistent recognition across every touchpoint while allowing event-appropriate adaptations.
Community cruises, heritage programming, ride-along experiences, circuit racing—each event type gets materials that feel tailored to that specific experience while clearly belonging to the broader Festival of Horsepower.
Built for Annual Reuse
This isn't a one-time design project. It's a brand system that's been working for half a decade, empowering Ipswich City Council's team to bring the festival to life year after year without needing designer involvement for every application.
The comprehensive brand guidelines we delivered cover everything from logo usage and color specifications to typography rules and graphic element applications. Council teams can confidently create new materials—updating event details, adapting to new festival additions, applying the brand to fresh contexts—all while maintaining consistent festival recognition.
This approach reflects our ongoing partnership with Ipswich City Council across their festival brand portfolio. We've created similar flexible systems for SPARK (creativity festival), Christmas in Ipswich (40+ holiday events), and Galvanized Festival (heritage celebration). Each festival has its own distinct identity, but all share a common thread: empowering Council teams with professional brand systems they can adapt independently.
The Festival of Horsepower brand has proven its durability and flexibility through years of annual reuse. Same bold identity, fresh applications each June. The consistency builds recognition. The flexibility keeps it feeling current. And Council's independence means the brand evolves with the festival without budget barriers.
