New festival logo
Fresh wardrobe for “10 days of amazing!” at the National Arts Festival, Grahamstown.
The National Arts Festival, held annually in Grahamstown, is stepping out in a vibrant new wardrobe with a new visual identity and marketing campaign developed by the Festival’s newly appointed advertising agency, Ireland/Davenport.
“As the country’s best-known and longest running annual celebration of the Arts, we were looking for a fresh, modern face for our brand that retained some of the spirit we have nurtured and developed over the years, and to find a way of packaging the whole festival experience, communicating its essence,” said Festival CEO, Tony Lankester.
On the back of that brief, a new visual identity and campaign for the 2009 Festival was developed in partnership with award-winning Johannesburg based Ireland/Davenport.
“The new logo builds on the notion of creativity and expression by featuring two hands and arms entwined, and takes the legacy colours of the Festival – blue and red – into a more modern space,” says Philip Ireland Executive Creative Director of Ireland/Davenport. “We’ve attempted to capture the artistic soul of the National Arts Festival with the suggestion of drumming and clapping, two activities that are so central to African festivals and celebration. We feel that this gives the sense of vibrancy, intensity and excitement and highlights the celebratory nature of the Festival.”
According to Ismail Mahomed, the Festival’s Director, the event is chartering a challenging and exciting era. “The hands on the logo signify our intentions to reach out and grasp newer experiences and demonstrate how we embrace openness and diversity. They also reflect that single moment through which we celebrate our country’s artists - applause.”
Lankester said that the Festival’s new advertising campaign, launched together with the new visual identity with its beating heart at the core, captures the core spirit of the brand promise: “‘10 Days of Amazing’, describes perfectly the essence of what we aim to create – a breathtaking experience in a bubble of intense emotion for ten days each year. It is a brand promise that we will deliver an ‘amazing’ experience for performers, who get the opportunity to express themselves freely and openly, and for audiences who get to share in the spine-tingling and extraordinary moments these artists create.”
Lankester also commented that, even though the Festival has an influential presence throughout the year with various initiatives related to supporting and developing the arts in South Africa, the brand experience culminates in 10 days in July where audiences can step into the realm of ‘amazing’. “We want to stimulate a new conversation about the National Arts Festival as a brand. People can expect the same excellent experience this year, we’re just signalling a new energy through a modern look and feel.”
The launch of the new visual identity coincides with the launch of the National Arts Festival 2009 “10 days of amazing!” festival poster campaign.
The “10 days of amazing!” at the National Arts Festival will run from July 2 11 2009, in Grahamstown. For more information visit the website on www.nationalartsfestival.co.za.
The National Arts Festival is sponsored by Standard Bank, The Eastern Cape Government, The National Arts Council, The National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund and The Sunday Independent.
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