Typography / Visual Design
SIFF DocFest Posters
I designed a series of three posters to promote the 2025 SIFF DocFest, developing a new visual identity while conveying core information about the event.
Research
To effectively promote the festival, it was essential to research its background, as well as that of DocFest as a whole. Exploring SIFF’s history and event lineup, I identified some key aspects:
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Accessibility
SIFF eschews the artsy, snobby connotations that come with international/independent film, instead offering an experience that’s accessible to anyone.
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Reality
DocFest leans into the fun, relatable nature of documentaries — these aren’t boring non-fiction films; they’re exciting, captivating, and real tales.
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Audience
SIFF seems to have a wide audience, but it seems to skew towards older adults, and the festivals are often attended by groups.
Exploration
I took the time to keep my options wide, sketching dozens of different ideas.
I created three initial poster concepts, but none seemed to really land. Instead of trying to make a flawed concept work, I stayed agile, bringing three entirely new concepts to the following critique.
Each of these had a strong suit:
1
Elegant and refined, but doesn’t convey the feeling of an exciting film festival — might work better for a science museum.
2
Copywriting is compelling, but loses the focus on film in favor of the motif.
3
Bold yellow and slices of film feel more like a film festival and help the poster stand out, but the grayscale photos lose the excitement of movie scenes.
Event though it had felt like my least refined concept, the third design was the clear choice — the goal was not just to make something polished and aesthetically pleasing, but to communicate the right information and feelings to the audience.
Iteration
I continued through several iterations of this design, focusing on the details to create a polished final product.
Final Design
Each of the final adjustments connected back to the project's goal, focusing on its intended impact.
