Seattle International Film Festival Rebrand
Founded in 1976, SIFF creates experiences that bring people together to discover extraordinary films from around the world with the Seattle International Film Festival, SIFF Cinema, and SIFF Education. The 25-day festival is renowned for its wide-ranging and eclectic programming, presenting over 400 features, short films, and documentaries from over 90 countries each year. SIFF Cinema exhibits film showings 363 days a year on five screens at the SIFF Cinema Uptown, SIFF Cinema Egyptian, and SIFF Film Center.
Timeline
11 weeks
Skills
Art Direction, Research, Brand Identity
Tools
Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, Miro
Collaborators
Ricardo Garcia
Challenge
Siff is popular but its current branding feels uninspired and underutilized. There is an opportunity to develop a visual identity that piques interest in the Festival and introduces unaware film lovers to all that Siff has to offer; historical movie halls, an international film festival, and extraordinary films.
Solution
Create a brand guideline that fits within the vision of the cinema and its patrons and feels timeless, while making the changes feel purposeful, tasteful and new.
Process
This brand refresh for Seattle International Film Festival aimed to bring cohesion to the visual system by creating a guideline that captures a Genuine Cinema experience that feels dynamic, eclectic, and driven by connection. We created a visual identity that piques interest in the Festival and introduces unaware film lovers to all that Siff has to offer; historical movie halls, an international film festival, and extraordinary films.
Research
We began our process with an extensive exploration into the Seattle International Film Festival and its 5 screening locations. During this research phase, we looked at what sets the theater apart from its competitors and found that the unique community for creative learning, a diverse repertoire of films being show year-round from 85 different countries, screening of old and new films and the opportunities to meet filmmakers were stand out qualities.
Additionally, the festival has a loyal local following and is proud to operate three unique theaters in historic buildings with eclectic interiors that honor the ‘classic’ cinema experience. To set themselves apart, they need branding that showcases their uniqueness.
Our focus during the development phase was establishing what the theater is, and what it is not. We also surveyed of their assets, what they offer, their approach to business, and their overall mission. We curated three tonal territories that we pulled from to create our brand concept and moodboard.
