Illustration, Campaign

Wildscreen Festival

Creating the brand illustrations and visual communications for Wildscreen, an internationally renowned festival that celebrates the art of natural world storytelling.

"Never before had the illustrations been so important in not only attracting our attendee's imagination and curiosity, but forming part of an extremely successful digital brand."

Sue Martineau CEO of Wildscreen

The Brief

  • I was approached by Wildscreen to develop the digital brand for their first ever virtual film festival, with the aim of attracting a global audience from around the world.
  • As part of their mission to provide a platform for talented conservationists, they asked me to illustrate seven conservation heroes and the species they are each working to protect.
  • Wildscreen saw this as an opportunity to celebrate both the diversity within the conservation community, and the diversity of species, big and small.

The Idea

  • I began by illustrating the animals, capturing their characteristics in as few shapes as possible.
  • Next came the conservationists, drawing upon their distinguishing features and iconic body positions to reflect the nature of their field work.
  • Finally, bringing it all together to create the bold, compelling artwork. The complimentary pastel colour palettes and consistent proportions so that the brand communications felt like a series when used across digital and physical communications.

The Result

  • A record number of people took part in the virtual festival event: more than 1800 delegates registered on the platform from over 42 countries, making it the most diverse and inclusive Wildscreen Festival to date.
  • Festival highlights included Sir David Attenborough, climate activist Greta Thunberg, Hollywood Director James Cameron, and world leading primatologist Dr Jane Goodall.
  • Wildscreen invited me to speak at the virtual event and share my process behind the festival brand.
Illustration of a breaching humpback whale
Illustration of a heron
Illustration of a crocodile
Illustraation of a bat, crocodile, snake, heron and frog
An illustration of five side-on portraits
A series of illustrated portraits of wildlife conservationists
Scroll left / right
An illustration of a baby crocodile hatching from an egg
An illustration of a frog being held in the hand of a conservationist
The brief: Illustrate a series of seven conservation heroes
A man squatting down looking at a frog in the palm of his hand
Illustration of a heron flying on a stary night
Illustration of a woman looking at a heron
Illustration of a man with a large snake around his shoulders
Illustration of a man with squatting down with a large snake on his arm
Illustration of a man with a headtorch shining on a flying bat
Illustration of a man with a looking closely at a bat in his hands
Illustration of a Jaque Cousteaux in a red beanie
Illustration of an old man in a red hat looking at a diving whale
Illustration of a breaching humpback whale

Celebrating species, big & small

I tried to pay as much care and attention to every single species illustration, from the tiny Togo slippery frog to the mighty humpback whale, just as the conservationists do in their fieldwork.

A man in a street walking past a row of Wildscreen festivasl paste-up posters
Portait of Cristina Mittermeier
A blue digital ticket for the Wildscreen film festival
A blue T-shirt printed with an illustration of a breaching humpback whale
"Never before had the illustrations been so important." Sue Martineau, CEO of Wildscreen
A website page of a conservation speaker event
Illusrtation of a man in wellies squatting down looking at a green frog in his hand

Celebrating global diversity

From printed t-shirts to digital tickets, the brand communications captivated imaginations far and wide across physical and digital spaces. More than 1800 delegates registered on the platform from over 42 countries, making it the most diverse and inclusive Wildscreen Festival to date.

Visit the website
Ipad on a desk displaying the Wildsreen Film festival website homepage
Poster for the Wildscreen film festival pasted up on a concrete wall
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