Design
Music festivals: design work that took centre stage
September 2024There’s nothing quite like a festival…Those magical days of unplugging from the outside world, when the atmosphere is electric, the beats are blaring and your only care is who's next on stage and how long the queue to the loos is. But while the music might be the heartbeat of any festival, let's face it—to nail the FOMO-factor, festivals need to be just as much a feast for the eyes as for the ears. The secret? A show-stopping visual identity that pulls everything together, from the festival posters to the merch (anyone else still rocking their festival wristbands?). Let’s dive into some of our festival branding picks that not only set the stage but stole the spotlight.
Woodstock ‘69, the poster that defined an era
No talk of festival design is complete without mentioning one of the most iconic examples in history: the Woodstock '69 poster. That summer, New York graphic designer Arnold Skolnick had gotten a last-minute call to create a poster for the now-legendary Woodstock Music & Art Fair. The result? Only one of the most enduring images of the 20th century—a poster design that perfectly captured the flower-powered, peace-loving spirit of the '60s. Not bad for a few days’ work.
The striking red poster featured a white bird sitting atop a guitar, with the headline promising ‘three days of peace & music.’ In an era characterised by hippie, psychedelic design, Skolnick took a different route: one of simplicity. “A poster is supposed to be so simple that if you’re driving by slowly in a car, you can see it,” he said.
“A poster is supposed to be so simple that if you’re driving by slowly in a car, you can see it.”
It was the bird that captured the most interest, often mistaken for a dove. “I was drawing catbirds all the time,” Skolnick told CanWest in 2004. “I just took the razor blade and cut that catbird out of the sketchpad I was using. It sat on a flute for a day, and I finally ended up putting it on a guitar.” And, just like that, a symbol of a generation was born.
Montreux Jazz Festival’s works of art
When you collaborate with world-class artists, you know you’re in for something special. Music and art have long been intertwined, and the Montreux Jazz Festival, held each summer on the shores of Lake Geneva in Switzerland, shows the spark that happens when these creative worlds collide. The mastermind of the “carte blanche” festival posters — referring to giving the artist complete creative freedom — since 1982, art director Pierre Keller didn't just reshape the visual identity of the Montreux Jazz Festival—he transformed it into a work of art in its own right.
“When you collaborate with world-class artists, you know you’re in for something special.”
One of his most iconic commissions? A trio of posters in 1983 by none other than Keith Haring, who at the time wasn’t exactly a household name. Haring’s faceless, wiggly figures outlined in bold black and filled with bright, block colours pretty much danced off the page, perfectly capturing the electric energy of jazz. Not only did these posters help shape the festival’s brand, but they also catapulted Haring’s work onto the global stage—turning them into hot collectibles that are still highly coveted today.
Sónar, artificial Intelligence meets art
Ever since Sónar blasted onto the electronic music scene in the 90s in Barcelona, the festival has gained the reputation of pushing boundaries of electronic music, technology, and art. Under the experimental eye of creative director Sergio Caballero, it’s always stayed ahead of the creative (sometimes downright wacky) curve, but that’s exactly what has shaped its unique identity.
So, it’s no surprise that Sónar decided to tap into the weird and wonderful world of AI for its bold 30th anniversary campaign in 2023. As Caballero summed up, “When we set out the image of the festival to celebrate 30 years, as always and as is the nature of the festival, is to look to the future and not to the past, but also recognizing that there is a past. So, we worked with artificial intelligence precisely with all the old campaigns, but looking towards the future.”
“When we set out the image of the festival to celebrate 30 years, as always and as is the nature of the festival, is to look to the future and not to the past.”
The 2023 AI-powered campaign was a natural extension of this ethos, which saw 29 training sessions with AI, each based on a different campaign from the festival’s archives. In this trial and error process, their 30th-anniversary visual was created. In true Sónar fashion, it was bold, unpredictable, and just the right amount of weird.
Green Man’s visual storytelling
Festival branding is all about telling a story that really grabs people. And when it comes to Green Man—the much-loved arts fest set in the stunning Black Mountains of Powys, Wales—that story has always been about blending art, science and music in quirky ways.
From its “folksy and organic” roots, its visual identity has come a long way and now boasts its own unique font and style. Every year since, new artists have built on that foundation, bringing their individual spin to the festival’s look. Take Jess Hannigan, for example—she dove deep into the rich folklore of the Brecon Beacons for inspiration, from the verdant fields, the luscious flora, the ancient trees, the looming mountains and babbling brooks.
“The designs don’t just capture the essence of the festival, they tell a story about the world today.”
In 2023, they switched things up again by teaming up with Murugiah, an award-winning artist known for his vibrant, identity-focused illustrations. His designs for Green Man were all about cultural fusion and exploring themes of identity. “For the poster art, I wanted to blend Eastern and Western philosophy,” Murugiah explained. He even based the Green Man character on an ancient Tibetan painting from the Sera Monastery. The designs, just like Woodstock’s iconic poster, don’t just capture the essence of the festival, they tell a story about the world today.
Illustration:
Yuri Kumada
Sources:
https://www.creativeboom.com/features/murugiah-on-how-to-illustrate-and-brand-a-music-festival/
https://sonarlisboa.pt/en/news/30-years-of-sonar-a-visual-campaign-created-by-ai
https://www.montreuxjazzshop.com/en/portfolio-item/pierre-keller/
https://mixmag.net/feature/30-years-daring-history-barcelona-sonar-festival-gallery-photos
https://www.itsnicethat.com/news/jess-hanningan-green-man-festival-2022-080822
