PRINT | WEB
After many years of using the same visual direction and style, Womex (World Music Expo) was ready for a fresh make over, and move their brand away from the pastel coffeeshop aging-hippie bongo drums "world music 1.0" vibes. And because Womex has become the global largest world-music event, and as much a festival as a conference and trade fair, the new branding needed to be as serious as beautiful, and facilitate as much business as fun.
Optikom delivered an understated but distinctive, stately yet exuberant, folksy yet modern rebrand and visual system.
Because the 10 day event takes place in a different city every year, a solution which is easily adaptable to new locations was needed, as the new design needs to work for many years to come, and make Womex instantly recognisable in a market place overcrowded with music festivals. The textile pattern features iconic or prominent elements of local landscape and/or culture. Visual repetition of the all-over pattern also recalls heavily rhythmic global folk and dance music the festival features. (The client specified avoidance of anything related to music, animals, nationalist symbols such as flags, etc.)
Design for Womex 2019 in Tampere, Finland, for example, features city landmarks such as the Näsinneula Observation Tower, Tampere Theatre, alongside iconic Scandinavian imagery such as pine trees and Amanita Muscaria. Each version continues this system for the next years.
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