CPH Light Festival: Winter Reflections

Project Summary

This project entailed creating a new identity system for the 2023 Copenhagen Light Festival. The identity system that I proposed was centered around the concept of reflection. I prioritized creating a sense of symmetry, balance, and minimalism at the core of my design, as these attributes are central to Danish design. My identity system focuses on the literal reflections created by the light festival, but it also draws attention to the dual meaning of “reflection.” My design presents the Copenhagen Light Festival as a time for reflection, both inward and outward. I wanted to highlight how the festival can be a time for joy as well as for meditative practice and contemplation. The Copenhagen Light Festival simultaneously brings a sense of peace and festivity to viewers, and so I have tried to emulate this emotional reaction in my design.

The original CPH Light Festival felt generic and imbalanced. I felt that it did not represent the aesthetics and philosophy behind the festival.

Sketches

These images show my sketching process for the logo and poster design. I always begin with hand-drawn sketches to allow a sense of freedom without restriction before moving into a digital process of sketching

Guidelines

Poster Design

For the poster design, I wanted the logo to feature prominently as it is a unique representation of the brand identity of the festival. I also kept the poster simple in order to maintain a sense of cleanliness and to encourage the viewer to look closer to view the  additional information that is provided.

Billboard

The billboard follows the same format as the poster design to maintain a strong sense of continuity. It is designed to be eye-catching and enticing.

Website

The landing page of the website will feature a large photograph of the Copenhagen harbor lit up for the festival with the tagline “Step into the light” as an invitation to connect with viewers and to encourage them to visit the sites.

Advertising Merchandise

I created this pin to add extra visibility to the festival. The concept behind the pins is that after a guided mediation walk through the festival, viewers would be given this pin as a free token to remember the festival by.