Logo Design and Event Promotion
UC Berkeley Graphic Design Program - Student Project
Burning Man Festival
Design Problem:
The late summer event held in Black Rock City is an experiment in community and art, influenced by ten main principles: radical inclusion, radical self-reliance, radical self-expression, communal effort, civic responsibility, gifting, decommodification, participation, immediacy, and leave no trace. The festival is open to all individuals willing to engage in this community experiment. At Burning Man, the community explores various forms of artistic self-expression, which are created to be enjoyed by all participants. An anonymous attendee once elaborated that "Burning Man is about 'why not' overwhelming 'why'". Participation is a key precept for the community; selfless giving of one's unique talents for the enjoyment of all is encouraged. Examples of creativity include experimental and interactive sculptures, buildings, performances and art cars, among other media. These contributions are inspired by a theme that is chosen annually by the organizers. This year, 2020, the theme is “Multiverse”. The task was to design a promotional campaign for the festival including collateral using Adobe Illustrator.
Design Process:
I started with designing the logo keeping in mind the venue of the festival and the geographic pentagram shaped area in which the ‘Burners’ live for the duration of the festival. The process of self-discovery combined with humor sets the tone for the poster which is also incorporated in the brochure. The promotional campaign carries a uniform orange and gray theme, reflecting the tones of the sand and the Black Rock City desert. Starting with the poster and tagline, the logo and orange and gray color schemes are continued with the brochure, tickets, vehicle pass and GIF.
Software:
Adobe Illustrator.
Burning Man Logo
The shape of the Burning Man ‘Playa’ is reflected in the pentagram of the logo along with the colors of the flames that burn up the ‘Man’ on the final day. The ash-colored sand is reflected inside the circular shape that follows the pattern of the camping area. The ‘Man’ himself features in the top center of the logo. The puppet tool was used to manipulate the letters to form an organic shape at the bottom.
Initial Scribble
Burning Man Poster
Weaving humor with the more sublime, spiritual aspects of the journey of the festival in the headline, the poster invites all ‘Burners’ home.
Typefaces
Zeroes One Regular
Futura PT Light
Burning Man Map Icons
Borrowing the colors of the logo, namely the orange and ash colors, the icons have been designed using a grid pattern approach. Basic shapes have been used to trigger universal recognition of common facilities in public areas.
Color Palette
Burning Man Map
Mirroring the pentagram of the ‘Playa’ area, the map with the camping pattern in a semi-circle is displayed at the back of the festival brochure. The icons are helpful in locating the geographical details of the festival. A key at the bottom gives the viewer an idea of the scale. White lines snaking out of the pentagram indicate the route to Black Rock City. The logo with the festival dates as well as the tagline make an appearance again on the upper left corner.
Burning Man Brochure
The inner pages of the festival brochure showcase the vibrancy and dynamism of the Burning Man spirit.
Burning Man Tickets
The front of the ticket features the next theme for 2020 - Multiverse. While the back reinforces the poster image along with a QR code for validation. The map icon colors are reflected in the background for the tickets.
Burning Man Vehicle Pass
The logo is placed along with the festival dates to serve as a reminder. While the black rock city camping pattern inside the pentagram shaped sticker is placed along with the QR code for validation. Just like the ticket, the vehicle pass also repeats the familiar gray and orange color refrain.
