Marketing, Layouts, Branding and Identity, Apparel
Programs Used: Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop
Overview
“Summer’s End is Fast Approaching.”
This was my concept for a Summer Music Festival called PolyRhythMix - Celebrating the bittersweet end of summer, the festival features Japanese Math Rock and stunning fireworks displays. This event uniquely blends nostalgia and new beginnings, creating an unforgettable experience against the iconic backdrop of Tokyo's beloved park.
Logo
The main element of the logo is the Umineko flower which blooms in the same park where the festival takes place. In Japanese culture, this particular flower represents purity and innocence which invokes the fleeting summer memories of childhood. I chose a lighter blue to keep with the cool tones of the poster while keeping visible on the darker background.
Logo Colours and Typography
For the logo design, I chose a clean white colour to represent the symbolism of the Umineko flower being innocence and purity and a slightly less-saturated blue tone for it’s background to visualize faded memories, this was the same reasoning for the black shade being slightly less intense.
Typography played a big role in maintaining readability and aligning with the Swiss design influence. The Neue Haas Grotesk typeface, with its modern and clean lines, complemented the poster’s aesthetic and ensured clarity even against busy backgrounds. This was important for maintaining the poster’s legibility and visual impact.
MAIN POSTER
The biggest challenge in shaping the project's look was figuring out how to convey a bittersweet feeling. I wanted to capture both the melancholy and the joy of summer memories. To do this, I used dark, cold colours as the main palette, but added a burst of bright, vivid colours behind the character to represent fireworks, which are a big part of Japanese summer festivals. This mix helps balance the sadness with a touch of celebration.
With the poster’s layout, I used white text for maximum legibility and had a clear focus on spacing between the text elements such as the festival info and the artist lineup. I was partially inspired by Swiss Design for its use of white space and its classic yet modern style which also relates to the range of musicians coming to the festival, both modern and classic bands.
Illustration
Creating the illustration of the main headliner Hatsune Miku was a key aspect of this project. I aimed to give her a dreamy, ethereal presence that harmonized with the festival’s atmosphere. After exploring different poses, I chose one where Miku appears to float and merge with the fireworks, enhancing the dream-like feel of the illustration.
I avoided an outer stroke to keep a smooth, painted look to follow the aesthetic of the overall piece. Furthermore, I moved the illustration to overlap with the festival information to add visual interest, a sense of movement and depth to the design as well.
For the colors, I matched Miku’s hair with her official artwork designs, but dressed her in casual, simple attire to align with the festival's aesthetic.
Street Banner
BUS/TRAIN AD
Adapting the poster design for different formats, such as street banners and train ads, presented an interesting challenge. I had to adjust the layout to fit each format while maintaining a consistent visual identity. For portrait banners, I was able to include all the musician names and the mascot illustration in a balanced and effective way. However, in the landscape format, I focused on featuring only the main artists to ensure clarity and impact. Each format required careful consideration to ensure that the design remained cohesive and aligned with the festival’s branding across all mediums.
TICKET DESIGN
Because of the location of the festival, it was important for me to create a design that incorporates both English and Japanese languages. This consistency with the poster design maintained the festival’s branding while respecting the cultural context of
the event.
the event.
Reflection
The PolyRhythMix project was a good learning experience in balancing emotional impact with practical design elements. I started by developing a theme that captured the bittersweet feeling of summer’s end and worked through the details of how to visually represent this in the festival’s branding. By carefully choosing colours, typography, and illustrations, and adapting these elements across different formats, I think I was able to create a cohesive and compelling festival design. This project taught me how important it is to blend emotional appeal with functional design, a lesson I’m sure will shape my future work.
Lanyard
Beanie
T-Shirt