Case Study: Bakewell Old House Museum

Promotional Design for Seasonal Museum Event

Project

Event Poster and Promotional Graphic Design for Bakewell Old House Museum

Client & Brief

Bakewell Old House Museum approached me to create promotional artwork for one of their seasonal events, centred around the theme of a haunted Tudor house experience. The aim was to produce eye-catching visuals that captured attention, reflected the historic nature of the museum, and encouraged visitors to attend the event during the Halloween season.

As a freelance marketing consultant and designer, I managed the creative direction and design process personally, ensuring the artwork balanced atmosphere, storytelling and clear event communication.

The Challenge

This project required a design that would:

Capture the eerie atmosphere of the Halloween themed event while remaining suitable for a family audience
Reflect the historic Tudor character of the museum
Stand out both online and in printed promotional formats
Clearly communicate event details while maintaining strong visual impact

The challenge was creating something visually engaging and dramatic without losing the heritage feel connected to the museum itself.

Strategy

My approach combined creative storytelling with practical marketing design principles:

Heritage-led design: I incorporated visual elements inspired by the Tudor architecture and historical identity of the museum to maintain authenticity.
Seasonal visual impact: Dark tones, dramatic lighting and Halloween inspired illustrations were used to immediately communicate the event theme and attract attention.
Audience engagement: The artwork was designed to create curiosity and encourage visitors to learn more about the event.
Cross-platform usability: The final design was created to work effectively across both print and digital marketing channels, ensuring consistency wherever the promotion appeared.

Handling both the creative strategy and execution myself ensured the final visuals remained cohesive and aligned with the museum’s event goals.

Banner advert for Terrifying Tudor House Event. Picture of the museum looking spooky with the moon, bats and a tree.

Instagram square advert of illustration of Bakewell Old House Museum behind a tree with bats and the moon.

Execution

Designed the promotional artwork using Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop.
Created layered visual compositions to add depth and atmosphere to the final design.
Balanced typography and imagery carefully to ensure event information remained clear and readable.
Produced print-ready artwork suitable for posters and promotional materials.

Deliverables included:

Halloween themed event poster design
Print-ready promotional artwork
Digital friendly visual assets suitable for online promotion
Cohesive event branding visuals centred around the museum’s Tudor identity

Outcome

The final artwork successfully combined heritage and seasonal storytelling to create a visually striking promotional piece for the museum. The design helped communicate the atmosphere of the event while remaining accessible and engaging for visitors.

The project demonstrated how thoughtful graphic design can support local attractions and events by creating stronger audience engagement and a memorable visual identity.

Bakewell Old House Museum leaflet front cover

Bakewell Old House Museum dl leaflet back page

Takeaways

Strong visual storytelling can help bring heritage events to life.
Combining atmosphere with clear communication improves promotional effectiveness.
Personally managing both strategy and design execution helps maintain consistency throughout a project.
Creative event marketing can enhance audience interest and strengthen visitor engagement.