In the past, individual shows had been the primary focus of the festival’s collateral. For 2017 we knew that a better way forward was to adopt a festival first approach.
So, we set out looking for the creative glue that would hold this idea together. After a comprehensive brand rediscovery session, we discovered that The Christchurch Arts Festival’s brand archetype was that of an explorer. Someone who travels the world looking for untapped talent and bringing it back to the antipodes for us to enjoy.
The colour palette embodied the creative theme of 'Go Wild!' using conflicting colours that hum to make a bold statement. Festival-goers were guided to ‘choose their own arts adventure’.
With so much choice, and something for everyone - it was time to Go Wild! To unite the many shows as one festival, we created a cohesive visual dynamic, taking disparate show images and adding a bold rainbow overlay to them. We also designed a wild, animal pattern, which framed and showcased the content.
Simple, punchy headlines were used, couched as questions, to start a conversation and put the customer first. Instead of “Look at what we have for you,” we asked, “What would you like to see?” Crooners or Clowns? Killer Songs or Killer Stories? And so on.
The result was a campaign that demanded attention and got results. The design was recognised as a finalist in the Colour Award category at the Best Design Awards.
