Reading and Leeds are the biggest two festivals of the year, and I’m proud to be it’s lead designer.
During the time I have worked at Festival Republic, Reading and Leeds Festivals have seen quite a change in the overall direction of the brand. 2017 was very grungy with ripped paper edges and rough background textures reminiscent of the rock/indie vibe, 2018 went for a more clean lines look and feel, selling the fun festival atmosphere, and 2019 has taken a more edgy and VHS retro feel, very much in keeping with current trends. It is a brand designed for the young audience of Reading and Leeds and so is more dictated too in terms of online trends than ever before.
As well as the social assets that I create (see the other page!) I work on delivering the print strategy, through newspaper and magazine ads, as well as outdoor billboards, arena takeovers and basically whatever the ad team book! These are a couple of examples of print ads I’ve created that have run across the years – it’s pretty cool to see my design work out in the real world – especially when you see people reading it on the tube!
Since 2019, the outdoor advertising has become more animated than previous years, however, there will always (hopefully!) be a place for printed ads. It’s fun to work on, but can get a bit stressy when turnaround times are tight – especially when I’m trying new ideas out! That said, I feel with the 2019 billboard ads they translate what was created almost as a digital led brand into striking print advertising 🙂