Songbird Music & Arts Festival

Author/Artist Name

William ReynoldsFollow

Files

Academic Level at Time of Creation

Senior

Date of Creation

Fall 11-19-2021

Artist Statement

Songbird came from my passion for music and love for music festivals. The experience of people coming together to live in the moment and listen to live music creates a sense of community. There is a feeling of true happiness and unification with people coming together for a singular purpose of having fun, and that is something I want to get across within the brand. The design elements within the branding stem from the ‘60s and the psychedelic music festivals of that era. Especially popular within the ‘60s, psychedelic music had a specific design aesthetic that came with it. The themes spread from the era were that of peace and freedom that came from ideas within songs, and the improvisational free-formed structure of the music itself, which helped cater to the hippie movement. This translated into vivid colorful imagery and patterns, accompanied by organic flowing typography within the aesthetic of ‘60s design and can be seen in concert posters and album covers from the era. With Songbird, I want to create an environment which lets people experience the mindset of being at a music festival through colorful branding that carries themes from that era into a modern context.

Songbird uses visual elements from ‘60s design by taking inspiration from the organic, flowing nature of psychedelic music, vibrant colors of the hippie movement, and typographic styles of concert posters from the era, merging it with modern flat design. Wes Wilson and Kiryk Drewinski are huge inspirations to the branding and are both known for creating vibrant psychedelic concert posters that incorporate organic, fluid like forms made from typography and flat illustration. Songbird utilizes their layout design schemes through vibrant colors, flat illustration, and flowing organic typography which can be seen in most aspects of the branding, such as the lineup posters for each day. The branding also incorporates the Push Pin style as well, with some design choices taking inspiration from Seymour Chwast and Milton Glaser by combining classic and novelty typography, with halftoned photographs that are apparent within the lobby cards and environmental posters to create a playful, illustrative feel. These elements combined celebrate the ideas that started from the ‘60s hippie movement and are still carried on to this day through music festivals. By utilizing motion graphics within the social media advertisements and having a UI interface for a phone app, the brand creates a much stronger communicative feel in order to bring this aesthetic into a modern context while making it easier for viewers to navigate through. I wanted to create a brand that carries my love of psychedelic music and style into today’s modern context of communication in order to help others discover this love, while still keeping a traditional feeling of the 60’s through design choices in typography and color. Through Songbird, I hope to share the same positive experiences I have had at festivals with others.

Daniel Reynolds

Advisor/Mentor

Jim Bryant; Gregory Scott Cook; Nicole Hand

Description

• Day One Poster: 20” x 16” 2021 Screenprint

• Day Two Poster: 20” x 16” 2021 Screenprint

• Day Three Poster: 20” x 16” 2021 Screenprint

• Lobby Card 1: 16” x 16” 2021 Digital Media/Print

• Lobby Card 2: 16” x 16” 2021 Digital Media/Print

• Lobby Card 3: 16” x 16” 2021 Digital Media/Print

• Lobby Card 4: 16” x 16” 2021 Digital Media/Print

• Lobby Card 5: 16” x 16” 2021 Digital Media/Print

• Lobby Card 6: 16” x 16” 2021 Digital Media/Print

• Songbird Poster 1: 26” x 24” Digital Media/Print

• Songbird Poster 2: 26” x 24” Digital Media/Print

• Songbird Poster 3: 26” x 24” Digital Media/Print

• Tickets: 2” x 5 ½” Digital Media/Print

• Vip Cards: 3” x 4 “ Digital Media/Print

• Wristbands: 1 ¾” x 10” Screenprint

• Songbird Shirts: Tie dye, Screenprint

• Songbird Totebags: 15” x 15” Screenprint

• Collateral 1: Digital Media/Print

• Flowchart Animation: 00:20 Video

• Songbird Visualizer: 02:10 Video

• Instagram Ads: 02:10 Video

Recommended Citation

Reynolds, William, "Songbird Music & Arts Festival" (2021). B.F.A. Practicum Exhibition (ART 498). 88.
https://digitalcommons.murraystate.edu/art498/88