We’ve been working on loads of things for Expo which we can’t show you yet, but here is a brief summary of the jobs we’ve worked on this month:

Expo Test events: a series of ‘soft launch’ openings that allow limited numbers of the public to come on site and get a taste of Expo. The first one launched at the start of the year - the Sustainability Pavilion: Terra - and it looks incredible! Here is where you can read more about that.

There are another two planned over the coming months, and we’re doing all the main temporary branding for these launches, and some of these items will carry over to the main event. This includes things like Welcome Plazas, Visitor Information kiosks, Official stores, Ticketing facades, Feeder Pillers, Cubicles, Discreet Search, Mag and Bag areas and branding for all the amenities. We’ve been working on this stuff since last November.

Kit of Parts: this is the standard ‘kit’ of dressing elements that will be used across the whole site - banners, fence scrim, barricades, sponsor recognition, wall treatments, decals, ground graphics etc; this has been ongoing for quite a while and is in the final phase.

City Look: this has just kicked off - it’s the look programme for Dubai and the wider UAE while the event is going on, including city dressing and a number of ’spectacular’ installations to generate excitement.

Custom Look: this includes custom items like building wraps and bridge treatments for the Expo site itself, and we are also currently working on the Leadership Pavilion (an area where the royal family will entertain world leaders during the event) and the official media centre.

Again, we can’t show you any of the above because of suspense and dramatic tension etc, but you can be sure the very instant we're allowed to show it off, we will be showing it off.

We published a case study on our work for Tonic Arts, which is an award-winning programme that enhances the healthcare environment of NHS hospitals in Scotland through art and creativity. You can read more about our brand for this initiative here, and a little bit about some of the impressive, high calibre donations they’ve received recently here.

We (like everyone else in the world during lockdown) are on a constant quest for self improvement, and each of us have embarked upon a personal project which will allow us to expand our skill sets and be even more useful contributors to society. So watch this space for updates on that front.

One of our co-founder David's daughters this month created a new (soon to be) national holiday: Yay Day, observed this year on February 19th, wherein everyone gets to pick a fun activity for everyone to do, and everyone gets to eat what they like and everyone has to be nice to each other. Tangent are now strict observers of an annual Yay Day. Pass it on.

Speaking of notable dates, on the 17th of March it will be a full year since Tangent has been scattered to the winds and working full time from home! Have heard rumblings online of how to mark the official anniversary of the Great British Lockdown on the 23rd of March - I’m in favour of the suggestion spotted somewhere on twitter that we all head out to our doorsteps at 8pm and scream into the sky.

Our clients over at Eden Mill have released the first in their ‘Distiller’s Choice’ range: The Old Oak Tom, featuring a new label style developed by our own Jack Shaw, who took a minimal approach to the design, helping consumers focus on the detail and craft of the liquid itself. You can find out more about this gin here. We’ve also been inching closer to being able to reveal another brilliant range of gins we’ve been working on with Eden Mill - perhaps next month?

We have officially kicked off our annual collaboration with the wonderful Edinburgh International Book Festival! It’s a highlight of the calendar here at Tangent, where everyone mucks in and comes up with ideas of how to brand the festival for the year ahead. This year EIBF are planning a hybrid festival in their new home at Edinburgh College of Art, so there will be some in-person events (Covid restrictions permitting) and even more digitally streamed events than last year! Along with the change in venue, they are being ever more strict with their sustainability credentials, so stay tuned for updates on how EIBF and Tangent will make this the lowest waste festival yet. EIBF were recently featured on euansguide.com for their efforts to make their festival as inclusive and accessible as possible - read more about that here.

Finally, the new Covid roadmap was announced, revealing a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel. If everybody does their bit and stays inside etc etc etc then hopefully this time it will turn out to be actual daylight and not a train headlight again, like last summer.

Have a good March. Hope to hear all your screams on the 23rd.