a brand spankin’ new music festival

catbird music festival

The team behind Austin City Limits and Lollapalooza approached me with a mind-blowing opportunity: to fully brand - as the sole Creative Director and Designer - a new music festival at the original Woodstock site, Bethel Woods Center for the Arts. I grew up near Bethel Woods, and have been there countless times, so working on a project for a place that is so near and dear to my heart was a truly special opportunity.

I worked with the team at C3 Presents to analyze the regional and national Americana and folk music festival market and strategize branding that would speak to the lively, artisanal, spirited and authentic values of this new festival. The branding strategy started to take shape: vibrant typography and illustrations inspired by retro decor and patterns of the mid century resorts of Sullivan County, the live music and community of Woodstock ‘69, the wildflowers and rolling hills of Upstate New York, and the feeling of drinking craft beer in the Summertime.

I designed a bold logo with retro flair and a WCAG AA compliant color palette that spoke to these brand values, in addition to a series of illustrations that adhered to the brand pillars. I expanded on this identity with a super fun set of patterns and framing devices to build out their social media, advertising and creative assets. I then set them up with an extensive brand guidelines kit, a lineup poster (what a stellar lineup!), billboard designs, digital display ads, a deck template, marketing templates, social media assets, signage, wristbands and credentials.

Creative Direction: Michelle Silver
Branding + Illustration: Michelle Silver
Production: C3 Presents
Photography: Kevin Ferguson + Dušana