Coventry Then & Now: Reimagining the Icons We Miss - Locarno
COVENTRY THEN & NOW
Coventry has always been shaped by character, community and shared experience. Over the years, venues have opened, thrived and eventually disappeared, but the memories they created have never fully faded. The places that once defined our streets, nights and weekends may no longer be here, yet their spirit lives on through stories, photographs and nostalgia.
At Create Onsight, we wanted to explore that connection more deeply. That idea led to the launch of Coventry Then & Now, a creative series where we revisit iconic Coventry businesses that no longer exist and reimagine how they might look, feel and function if they reopened today.
This series is not about looking back for the sake of it. It is about celebrating the role these places played in shaping the city, and asking one simple question.
“What if they reopened today?”
The FIFTH in the Series
A Venue That Set Coventry in Motion
We could not continue this series with just any venue. It had to be somewhere rooted in Coventry’s cultural heartbeat. Locarno is exactly that. For generations, it was a place where music, dance and performance came together, shaping nights out, discovering new artists and proving that shared movement and live sound could define a city’s energy.
LOCARNO
Located in the building that now houses Coventry’s main library, Locarno was once a landmark destination for live entertainment. Renowned for its revolving stage, the venue allowed one band to prepare while another performed, ensuring the music never stopped and giving the space a constant sense of momentum.
Among the many acts to appear there were The Beatles, who played Locarno in January 1963, cementing the venue’s place in British music history. Over the years, it went on to host countless live performances, dance events and social nights that brought people together through sound, movement and shared experience.
First opened in August 1960 as part of Coventry’s post-war regeneration, the Locarno Ballroom was operated by the Mecca Leisure Group and became a major entertainment venue, hosting live events and television programmes such as Come Dancing. The new identity reflects this history, combining movement, communication and shared experience in a contemporary way.
Creating a brand and visual identity
The new Locarno logo takes inspiration from the venue’s iconic rotating stage. The circular forms within the wordmark, particularly the letter “O”, reference movement and rotation, introducing a sense of rhythm and intrigue. This is paired with a modern sans-serif typeface, bringing clarity and a contemporary feel while keeping the identity confident and timeless.
The wider visual language draws inspiration from Morse code, once the primary method of rapid long-distance communication. Used throughout the 1850s and 1860s and during both World Wars, its dots and dashes translate into a graphic system that feels rhythmic and purposeful, reinforcing ideas of connection and timing.
ABOUT THE VENUE
In our reimagined version, Locarno returns as a one-venue destination for everything connected to music and dance. The revolving stage remains at the heart of the space, now hosting a weekly Friday night event called ‘Rotation’, where three bands perform back to back without interruption. Alongside this, the venue hosts ballroom dance evenings, breakdance competitions, club nights and live performances that celebrate movement in all its forms. During the day, Locarno transforms into a community hub, offering dance classes for children and young people, while every Sunday the floor space becomes home to a roller disco that welcomes families and skaters of all ages.
The POSTER PLACE Brand
The new Locarno identity includes:
A confident, expressive colour palette
Rich, atmospheric tones inspired by stage lighting and dance floors, balanced with softer neutrals to allow the visuals to adapt across live music, dance events and daytime community use.
A dynamic geometric graphic system
Circular forms and linear elements inspired by the rotating stage and Morse code create a sense of rhythm and movement, giving the brand a visual language that feels active and constantly in motion.
Typography with clarity and flexibility
A modern sans serif typeface provides confidence and legibility, while allowing layouts to shift and adapt depending on the event, from live bands and club nights to ballroom and community programmes.
Full brand rollout across key touchpoints
Posters, window graphics, digital screens, social content, merchandise and the venue website have been designed to present Locarno as a fully realised, contemporary venue if it reopened today.
Music in Rotation
Three bands. One rotating stage. Every Friday at Coventry’s Locarno.
In our reimagined version, Locarno returns as a one-venue destination for everything connected to music and dance. The revolving stage remains at the heart of the space, now hosting a weekly Friday night event called Rotation. Each week focuses on a different genre of music, keeping the programme varied and drawing in new audiences. The revolving stage enables rapid changeovers, allowing one band to prepare while another performs. In some moments, artists even share the stage briefly, playing together as the platform turns, creating seamless transitions between acts. The result is a continuous flow of live music that feels dynamic, collaborative and true to Locarno’s original spirit.
What Should We Reimagine Next?
If you remember Locarno, or if there was another Coventry venue you loved and wish still existed, please let us know. We’d love to explore it next.
WEB DESIGN | GRAPHIC DESIGN | BRANDING | MARKETING
Create Onsight is an independent creative agency specialising in web design, graphic design and branding.
We have a genuine passion for ideas, problem-solving and bringing brands to life. Above all else, we love what we do and we keep the process enjoyable for everyone involved.
Our experience covers everything from brand identity and logo design for new businesses, to strategic marketing campaigns, e-commerce websites, brochures, leaflets, annual reports and much more
Need a new website or brand for your business? Contact our Creative Director, Leigh at design@createonsight.co.uk or by using the enquiry form.
