Designing a nature-inspired awards laurel for a world class wildlife film festival.
Wildscreen Awards
Designing a nature-inspired awards laurel for a world class wildlife film festival.
Sue Martineau CEO of Wildscreen"Ed worked very closely with us at every stage, adapting the designs as the requirements changed. He interpreted our vision perfectly and we were delighted with the result."
The Brief
- Following a successful 2020 festival brand, Wildscreen approached me to design a new laurel for their film festival Official Selection.
- Wildscreen asked for an innovative new design that had the look and feel of a traditional film festival laurel whilst incorporating a wide diversity of species, big and small.
- The emblem had to follow a monotone design with clear, legible typography so that it could be applied physically and digitally across a range of brand collateral.
The Idea
- Taking inspiration from traditional wooden animal carvings.
- Using a leaf shape as a template, I began developing a series of simplified species, stripping back the details so that the illustrations captured the very essence of each animal.
- From the swooping swallow to the gliding manta ray, humble hummingbird to giant anteater, a range of species were incorporated to celebrate the extraordinary diversity of life.
- Geometric. To simplify each species in as few shapes as possible. Minimal.
- From largest species at the base, to the tiny insects at the top, the flora and fauna follow the shape of the laurel in a dynamic movement.
The Result
- It was used across festival merchandise, certificates, film screenings.
- Film festival shortlist, filmmakers to adorn their movie posters with their laurels.
- Trophies, crafted from sustainably sourced bamboo, laser-engraved logo and handed out to the film festival winners.
- It he needs laurel was applied used across festival merchandise, certificates, film screenings.
- A joy see the filmmakers put the laurel to use on their online screeners and printed posters.
The Concept
Taking inspiration from traditional wooden animal carvings, I began developing a series of minimal illustrations that captured the essence of each species, arranging the animals to follow the shape of the laurel leaves in a dynamic movement.
The details make the design
I paid close attention to all of the details, from the typography hierarchy to the spacing between the graphical elements. The lettering was carefully considered, giving hierarchy to the brand fonts whilst carefully considering the kerning, line height, and baseline grid of the event title.
Celebrating the diversity of life
From the swooping swallow to the gliding manta ray, humble hummingbird to giant anteater, a range of species were incorporated to celebrate the extraordinary diversity of life.
A dynamic, living laurel
The laurel was applied across a wide range of festival brand collateral, from the wildlife movie posters to the laser-engraved trophies which were crafted from sustainably sourced bamboo and handed out to each of the film festival winners.