THESIS ABSTRACT
“Timestamp Festival'' is a hypothetical brand identity for an event that takes place bi-annually in New York. This identity and design system will be an investigation of various music genres such as alternative, indie, KPOP, pop, and electronic. The pandemic has caused many people across the globe to miss out on the experience of live music, concerts, and festivals. The goal of this project is to explore how people interact with music and how various sounds can bring groups of individuals together under a shared interest. This system will explore pure geometry through abstracted shapes that come together to create complex graphics full of color and energy. “Timestamp” will utilize brand assets such as: business stationary, maps, wayfinding, type design, merchandise, takeout packaging for food and drink, animation and video promotion, bus stop ads, banners, posters.
Mood Board and Inspiration
Process and Creation
My process started with a word list to brain storm words that could become the working title or even later become a part of brand phrases to draw in the audience. I also immediately began my applications list so I could plan out my schedule and keep track of higher priority brand assets.
I was really drawn to the idea of connecting people across different genres of music so I decided to create a vector illustration set that was made up of pure geometry. The concept was to be able to use each element on its own in spot sections but also to be able to put it together to form complex walls of graphics that guide the viewer through motion.
Social Media
The next challenge was finding ways in which the vector illustrations could interact with photographs of the artists and musicians without covering their faces or features too much. Being mindful of which colors look better with certain lighting, but also what colors match the musicians vibe and what vectors highlight their personalities the best according to my personal taste
Custom Type
I did initial research through these books to gather aspects that I would like to observe in my own type and designs. Especially taking a look closely at how I could create type and image at the same time with letterforms.
I wanted to create an additional typeface design built off of the existing font I had chosen for the brand (DIN 2014). I decided on a stencil style font that emulated some of the geometry that I had created within my vector illustration studies. The typeface can be used in single color or broken a part into duo colored sections, much like the vector illustrations when they are used in combination.
Banners
Festival Lineup Poster
I knew that the festival lineup poster was going to be one of the most important assets to making the brand identity feel realistic and exciting. I pulled a few examples to her me envision what elements I wanted to emulate and what wouldn't work for my theme and lineup.
Artist Billboards
Stationary
Festival Map
I felt that an environmental map was a crucial part of making my hypothetical brand feel real and tangible to viewers. My process started by collecting maps that had already been made for previous festivals and also maps from other hypothetical events that I found through internet searches. I really loved the environment of the Governors Ball map for Citi Field so I started to adapt my map from that physical space. Instead of creating everything from scratch, I downloaded an editable pdf of the location to open in Adobe Illustrator. From there I could edit and simplify all the layers, therefor creating an accurate map that could be stylistically tailored to my brand assets.
Website Layouts
I knew that I wanted to create a realistic website layout, therefore I started by observing current festivals and all the assets considered in their websites. I also had to figure out how to incorporate all my own assets into a web layout such as my colors, geometric shapes, and custom typeface. The website had to be accessible but also exemplify the brands personality to first time visitors.
Lanyard Passes and Wristbands
The lanyard passes were made with the intention of vip and platinum visitors to wear to get into the VIP Hangouts. Each lanyard matches the color palette of each ticket category displayed on the website.
The wristbands would be used mainly by General Admission ticket holders, these matched the G.A. colors but also come in a variety of the palettes popular combinations.
Animation
I wanted to create an animation that could express the brand guide lines while also functioning as an advertisement for Timestamp. The initial idea was the use the logo, lineup poster artists names, dates of the festival, location to create informational sections within the animation. The geometric forms also would have to be used in this piece so I deiced to make a revolving grid that could be used strategically in each section as a unified element.
Spotify
I knew I wanted an interactive part of the festival, so I decided to include hypothetical Spotify playlist so user and visitors could relive their favorite moments from each of the festival days. Each day consists of the artists that played that day, making them unique and stand alone pieces but also a cohesive unit that users can enjoy.
Additional 3D applications
3D elects make spaces more believable and real to users so I tried to create an environment through way finding, environmental graphics, and food and drink packaging.
Merchandise
People love take-aways, therefore merchandise felt very appropriate. Some pieces are made for the overall festival and others are branded specifically for the purpose of exclusive artist mercy that can only be bought at Timestamp Festival.