18th Annual Orlando Film Festival Identity

To create a fresh identity for this year's Orlando Film Festival, which is celebrating its 18th year of running.

Named one of the Top 25 “Coolest Film Festivals in the World" by Moviemaker Magazine, the Orlando Film Festival (OFF) is now in its 18th year. The OFF showcases the best in new independent cinema from around the world.

The Orlando Film Festival is an immersive eight-day experience that includes more than 300 films and industry panels and workshops, all geared toward the hundreds of indie filmmakers and thousands in attendance. Nightly parties and a variety of professional activities encourage important networking opportunities. The festival culminates with an award ceremony featuring prizes valued at more than one million dollars.

One of the main challenges I faced from working on this project was that the client did not have any direction that they wanted to go in; it was completely free range. The reason why this is a challenge is because having that much free will makes you prone to dislike the final project.

So to combat that, I made sure I was in complete communication with the organizers of the OFF to ensure that time wouldn't be wasted. Time was also a huge factor, as when I started this project, there were only a few weeks before the final design needed to be printed and shipped to the event. Once again, communication was the main factor that took me from failure to success.

Just like every project I work on, I always start with wordmaps and moodboards. These tactics are a way to help my mind focus as well as a way to allow ideas to flow.

It is a systematic approach that allows designers to deconstruct and comprehend the essence of brand language, opening the way for the development of visually appealing and resonant brand identities.

After I finish wordmapping, I like to hop onto Pinterest and create a moodboard to help me visualize different ideas. The moodboard is an important step in the design process because I get to see different styles and pull inspiration from many different areas of design.

Once I have the word mapping and moodboard complete, I like to start sketching my ideas. At this point in the process, I don't judge what comes out; I just allow my thoughts and ideas to flow onto the paper.

I find that when I work this way, ideas come naturally and at mass, and picking and choosing what ideas to follow usually puts a stop to the creative process.

I eventually found this shape that provided a lot of movement and found it very appealing. With the amount of letters per word, I was able to make a nice path to allow the audience's eyes to move down on.

After the sketches are complete, it's time to take them into Illustrator!

With all the leg work completed, the design of the poster is much easier. After a few iterations and speaking with the clients, we decided on this version of the poster.

I wanted to bring the feeling of Florida into this poster, using the warm gradient in the background as well as the overall feeling of warmth that Florida is known for.

The logo for the Orlando Film Festival is an orange, and I found it fitting to use the Florida state flower, the orange blossom, which is traditionally associated with good fortune and joy. Using this flower in this poster, I think it perfectly captures what the film festival is about: people creating things that they enjoy and coming together to share their hard work.

Once everything was confirmed and adjusted to their liking, I was asked to create a few different sizes for banner purposes, which you can see below.

as well as the passes for this event!

This project was amazing to work on and provided me with an experience I will never forget. Thank you to the Orlando Film Festival for choosing me to create this piece and trusting me with their vision!

Thank you for viewing my work, If you are interested in working with me, you can reach me here or email me at mikefantauzzi@blkmg.design