Bilingual

Carwyn Ellis & Rio 18 – Haf

carwyn ellis & rio 18 – haf

The design for Haf, the new Carwyn Ellis & Rio 18 album, draws directly on the record’s warmth, brightness and effortless blend of Welsh and Latin American influences. Gareth Jones’s photography provides the visual anchor, giving the artwork an authentic sense of place and season. These images are paired with sun-washed colours, soft gradients and hand-drawn motifs that echo the album’s themes, while textured typography nods to vintage Brazilian print and the organic feel of analogue recording. Together, the visuals across the LP, CD and promotional materials create a gentle, summer-toned identity.

Welsh Music Prize

Bilingual, Branding, Music, Print, Web

welsh music prize

For over a decade, Ctrl Alt Design has been proud to work on the Welsh Music Prize, shaping its visual identity across web, print, and branding. From the very first years, we’ve collaborated closely with founders Huw Stephens and John Rostron to develop a consistent, recognisable look that celebrates Welsh music and creativity. More recently, our work has continued alongside Kev Tame at Oleia and Alaw, expanding the Prize’s digital presence and refining its design language to reflect its growth and continued importance in Wales’ vibrant music scene.

Below is a selection of artwork from 2025.

wmp.cymru

The Gentle Good – Elan

Bilingual, Illustration, Music, Print, Web

the gentle good’s elan

The design of Elan draws directly on archival imagery — in particular the evocative late-19th-century illustrations by R. Eustace Tickell, commissioned to document the Elan Valley and the soon-to-be-submerged Nant Gwilt and Claerwen valleys for the Birmingham water-scheme. These delicate etchings and watercolours supply the visual DNA for the album’s artwork: the muted palette (greens, greys, silvery blues) and the layering of texture reflect the historic landscapes that Tickell captured and the sense of loss, transformation and memory embedded in them. Typography and layout remain clean and contemporary, creating a tension between the antiquarian source and the modern music — a design strategy that honours the valley’s past while anchoring the work firmly in the present.

thegentlegood.com

Sŵn

Bilingual, Web

sŵn

From the perspective of Ctrl Alt Design, our role within Sŵn was to take the creative team’s designs and develop a fast, reliable and flexible bilingual website in Welsh and English. We built a platform that could keep pace with the scale and energy of the festival — handling artist listings, schedules, venue information and frequent updates with ease across both languages. When Sŵn Connect launched, we extended the same robust framework to support the conference programme, ensuring the main festival site and the industry-focused Connect pages worked seamlessly together. Our focus throughout was on delivering a smooth, stable and adaptable user experience that faithfully implements the design vision while meeting the practical needs of the Sŵn team year after year.

swnfest.com

Golwg

Bilingual, Print

golwg

While covering maternity leave and holidays at Golwg magazine, the focus was on maintaining the publication’s strong visual identity while bringing a sense of freshness and balance to each issue. Working within established brand guidelines, the design approach aimed to refine layout consistency, improve typographic hierarchy, and introduce a more open, reader-friendly feel across features and news pages. Careful attention was given to pacing and visual rhythm — ensuring each spread felt engaging and clear without overwhelming the content. The result was a continuation of Golwg’s distinctive look, enhanced with subtle design improvements that supported both clarity and visual appeal during a busy production period.

Music Theatre Wales

Bilingual, Web

music theatre wales

At Ctrl Alt Design, we approached the Music Theatre Wales website with a focus on clarity, contemporary aesthetics, and a strong sense of artistic identity. We built the site to be flexible and functional, with an intuitive structure that allows MTW to easily update productions, news, and project pages as their work evolves. Enhanced accessibility, streamlined navigation, and dynamic content areas ensure that audiences can quickly discover upcoming performances, explore past work, and engage with MTW’s wider artistic initiatives. The result is a modern, responsive platform that supports their mission and showcases their boundary-pushing creativity.

musictheatre.wales

Literature Wales – The Case for the Power of Literature

Bilingual, Print

literature wales

Ctrl Alt Design collaborated with Literature Wales on The Case for the Power of Literature, creating a visually engaging and cohesive design that highlights the transformative impact of literature across Wales. Through bespoke illustrations by Aled Wyn Thomas and a thoughtful layout, the project communicates the organisation’s mission to celebrate and champion literature as a vital cultural force. The design balances clarity and creativity, helping convey complex ideas in an accessible, visually compelling way that underscores the value of storytelling and the written word in shaping communities.

Urdd Annual Report – 2019

Bilingual, Print

urdd annual report

Since 2016, Ctrl Alt Design has fostered a strong creative partnership with the Urdd, producing design work that supports the organisation’s youth, arts, and cultural mission. One of the most notable projects is the Urdd Report — especially the 2019 edition — which captures the spirit and strategic vision of the Urdd through clear, crafted, and characterful design.

In this report, Ctrl Alt Design brings clarity and craft to complex content, helping to communicate the Urdd’s achievements and aims in a way that is professional yet distinctly Welsh. The use of bilingual design, thoughtful layouts, and cultural sensitivity reflects the Urdd’s values and ensures the report resonates with its young, Welsh-speaking audience.

Cotton Wolf ‘Ofni’

Bilingual, Music, Print

cotton wolf – ofni

Following on from their 2017 ‘Welsh Music Prize’ nominated debut ‘Life in Analogue’, ‘Ofni’ is Cotton Wolf sophomore album. Set against a thematic backdrop of social uncertainty, the album’s darker material is simultaneously imbued with anxious paranoia and hopeful positivity. The new tracks from the Cardiff duo showcase a bolder production with faster tempos and purer electronic sounds, alongside hypnotic, abstract and melodic ideas inherent to their previous release. Whilst the bulk of the album is instrumental, the title track features an ethereal vocal contribution by Adwaith’s Hollie Singer.

The cover artwork is by Louise Mason. Layout and Typography is by Ctrl Alt Design. The cover is printed with a magenta foil and the vinyl is pressed on red vinyl.

Tafwyl 2017

Bilingual, Branding, Print, Web

tafwyl

Since 2012, we have been collaborating with Menter Caerdydd to bring the annual Welsh Language Arts & Culture festival, Tafwyl, to life visually. Held in Cardiff every July, Tafwyl celebrates Welsh creativity, music, literature, and community, and over the years, we’ve supported the festival with a wide range of design and digital services.

Our work spans from traditional print materials, such as programmes, maps, street flags, and promotional posters, to fully customisable, WordPress-integrated websites, ensuring the festival’s branding is consistent across every touchpoint. One standout year was 2017, when we created a striking visual identity using geometric shapes paired with a comprehensive, gold-foiled printed booklet. This edition highlighted our approach to combining bold, contemporary graphics with practical, audience-friendly design. Many of these themes were carried over to 2018, as you can see from the festival evaluation doc below.

Between 2012 and 2024, our collaboration with Tafwyl has grown alongside the festival itself, enabling us to experiment with new ideas, visual languages, and interactive digital experiences, all while maintaining the festival’s distinct voice and cultural presence in Cardiff and beyond.