Tulagi Festival — Brand Identity

The brief

What we have so far is a clear and useful instinct from the Tulagi team: the festival wants a logo that feels iconic. The specific audience it is for, and what exactly makes this festival unlike any other, have not been defined yet.

For this particular branding project, we’re using mood boards to find the feeling of the festival. The direction we choose here will be stronger if we answer a few things together before the mark is final.

Worth deciding together

What the name means to the festival beyond the venue's history.

What makes this different from other Boulder or Colorado festivals.

The ideal audience we most want to reach.

What someone should feel the moment they see the font chosen for the festival name.

DIRECTION 01

Expressive Serif × Sun

The logotype leads. A soft, expressive serif in the spirit of the 1960s and 70s, worn in and a little dreamlike, carrying history in its bones without trying to feel established. The sun is an optional addition, a secondary mark that pairs with the logotype in a lockup when one is wanted. It nods to warmth and light without being literal.

FeelSoft, expressive, vintage, timeworn

In the spirit ofNewport Folk, Austin City Limits

Type styleA softer serif font & expressive lettering

Icon — SunWarmth and light

DIRECTION 02

Handmade Lettering × Bird

The logotype leads. Hand drawn block lettering that feels made by a person, not a machine, with the pulse handmade things carry. Boulder has always been a little weird, and that is the point. The bird is an optional addition, a secondary mark for a logo lockup. It suggests flight, altitude and freedom, light and moving, without pinning the brand to a place.

FeelQuirky, warm, human, imperfect in a good way

In the spirit ofLollapalooza, Outside Lands

Type styleHand-drawn block lettering

Icon — BirdFlight and altitude

DIRECTION 03

Bold Sans × Initial

The logotype leads. A clean, bold sans built to scale, at home on a stage banner or a wristband and comfortable next to SXSW and Sundance. The initial is an optional addition, a secondary mark for a logo lockup. A single letterform pushed until it becomes something more, with drop cap energy, dreamlike and suggesting a human form without committing to one.

FeelLarge, bold, in charge, official

In the spirit ofSXSW, EDC

Type styleBold modern sans

Icon — InitialAbstracted letterform

Process

Where we are

Per the approved estimate

Estimate approved

Scope and estimate signed off, deposit in, project underway.

Done

Mood boards

Three type-and-icon directions explored. We review together and trim to the strongest.

You are here

Select a direction

You choose one direction to carry forward. To keep us on schedule, I would love to have your pick within about 24 hours of our review.

Logo package delivered

The chosen mark refined. Primary and secondary orientation in black, a reversed version for dark backgrounds, delivered as vector and raster files.

Final

A note on the project team

Per the approved scope, the project team stays the same from kickoff through completion. Because this is a flat-rate project, the estimate was built around the specific direction we agreed on together. To keep the work true to that direction and the price we set, I ask that feedback come from the people who were part of the plan from the start. If someone new needs to weigh in, I am always glad to talk through the best way to fold them in.