Music Festival Brand Project

For this project, we were given several different prompts to undergo a branding project. We would have to research the location our business/event would take place in as well as any competition in the area our brand would face and design accordingly. I chose the Music Festival prompt that would be held on Alcatraz Island in San Francisco, CA. I also chose to make this festival a classic rock festival.

This project was a bit tricky considering the tragic and very messy past of Alcatraz Island. As is common knowledge, this was once a notorious prison, but what I found wasn’t talked about enough or acknowledged was that Alcatraz Island is sacred Native land. The Occupation of Alcatraz took place for 19 months from 1969-1971, where Native Americans and other supporters lived in and occupied Alcatraz by means of protest. This knowledge influenced my desire to make the festival a classic rock festival considering the 60s and 70s were prime time for the music. I found also that the famous classic rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival partook in and supported the occupation, and the rowboat that transported protestors to the island from the mainland was then dubbed “The Clearwater” to honor their involvement.

Because this history is important to Alcatraz as well as Native Americans, I wanted to create something that was visually interesting that also honored Native land and history. I named the festival the “Clearwater Rock Festival”, where ticket proceeds would go towards Native American local businesses and the American Indian Cultural Center in San Francisco. Local businesses could also put up stalls to sell goods in support as well. The festival is a classic rock festival and the design is heavily inspired by 60s/70s rock concert posters.

Created with Adobe Photoshop & Illustrator