Awaken Music Festival
The
Concept
I developed the brand identity for “Awaken Music Festival”, combining the concept of a music festival with the imagery of a rooster, my assigned company and animal. The process began with drafting several rooster logos, eventually selecting the design that best captured the festival’s essence. This design was then vectorized and simplified into a clear, effective logo. I used a neon and bold color palette to reflect the festival’s EDM vibe. The project’s focus was to ensure that the branding remained vibrant consistently and maintain visual cohesion.
Role
Branding Designer
Tools Used
Pen & Paper, Illustrator, Photoshop
Length of Project
6 weeks
Concept Development & Sketches
Creating the initial sketches for the “Awaken Music Festival” brand identity involved experimenting with the rooster’s form from various angles. The process began with capturing the dynamics of the rooster’s tail, head, and overall body, focusing on translating the animal’s energy into a visual form.
The Logo Process
Finalizing the Rooster
I chose my favorite sketch to vectorize, drawn to its open-mouthed expression—a fitting symbol for the bold, loud, and exhilarating nature of an EDM festival. The first design translated this sketch into a vector form, simplifying its lines yet maintaining the energetic posture of the rooster. However, it lacked a clear connection to music. To bridge this gap, the second variation introduced audio level imagery into the rooster’s wattle, which proved too intricate for the desired simplicity. The evolution continued with the third and fourth logos, which adopted soundwaves for the crest, enhancing the musical association. The final, filled-in version of the fourth logo with its pronounced soundwave crest effectively captured the festival’s essence—vibrant, loud, and full of life.
Finalizing the Name
Finding the right name for the festival was a journey in itself. I went through several iterations—”The Majestic”, “Roaring Majestic”, “Thundering Majestic”, “The Get Up Fest”… each time returning to the drawing board as none felt quite right… until ‘Awaken’ emerged. When I came up with “Awaken”, it just clicked. It was a name that resonated perfectly with both the spirited nature of the rooster and the essence of an electrifying music festival. It was clear and powerful, and it captured the essence of an awakening experience that the festival promised.
Black & White
The final logo is showcased in its fundamental variations: the black on white, and the inverted white on black. The inverted version particularly resonated with me, accentuating the logo’s boldness and affirming its suitability for the addition of vibrant colors. This clear contrast confirmed the design’s standout quality and reinforced my choice of a bold color palette for the festival’s identity.
Color Palette
When finalizing the color palette, I took inspiration from iconic EDM events such as Electric Zoo and Ultra Music Festival. These festivals are renowned for their bold and neon color schemes that complement the lively atmosphere of bright lights and high energy. To emulate this vibrancy, I selected primary colors of cyan, magenta, and royal blue for their luminosity and their ability to convey the festival’s electrifying ambiance. A secondary color of charcoal provides the necessary contrast to ensure the logo’s standout appearance. This straightforward yet dynamic color range is tailored to be as impactful and unforgettable as the festival experience itself.
Brand Collateral
The brand collateral extends the energy of the main logo into a full array of alternate logos and dynamic patterns. The alternate logos feature variations like the “Awaken” name with a custom-created smoky backdrop in Photoshop and a standalone “A”, allowing for adaptability across various media. The patterns, with their rhythmic rooster silhouettes and audio waveforms, are ready to make any surface they adorn pulse with the festival’s beat. It’s a collection designed not just for consistency, but to capture the essence of Awaken and leave a vibrant, lasting impression.
Bringing “Awaken Music Festival” to life, I’ve put together several mockups that showcase the brand identity in action. Outdoor advertising, including billboards and signage, captures attention in public spaces.
Tickets and stage signage integrate the vibrant brand colors, ensuring the identity is immediately recognizable.
Merchandise like boxes, hoodies, and t-shirts creates a cohesive look for festival-goers. These mockups illustrate a consistent and engaging brand experience.
Reflection
Looking back at this brand identity project, I see it as an important learning curve in my design journey. Being new to branding at the time, there were areas like research and moodboard creation where I could have invested more time to refine the process. However, the end result is something I am genuinely pleased with. It’s a clear marker of my starting point as a designer.
I’m also a big advocate for revisiting past work with the new skills I’ve acquired. Applying these to the “Awaken” project has not only improved the mockups but also reinforced a valuable lesson: every project is an opportunity to evolve. I now approach brand identity with a more structured process, and I can see the growth in my work.