Proposal Brief
5 minute Presentation
Creative Boom Article Review
This Creative Boom article explores how different designers responded to a branding challenge to create a visual identity for a fictional coastal music and arts festival. The article showcases diverse design responses, each using typography, colour, and illustration to reflect the emotional experience of the event. It highlights that successful branding (for music and cultural venues) goes beyond visual aesthetics and that it should evoke an emotional connection and create a sense of place.
A key insight from this article is the importance of storytelling through design. Many participants combined retro visual styles with modern graphic design to really represent the festival’s sound and movement. This demonstrates how visual identity can translate music and atmosphere into a cohesive design language. The article makes it clear that effective branding for music-related environments should feel authentic and immersive, giving audiences a taste of the experience before they arrive.
This article supports my proposed rebrand of Solos Music Cafe, as both projects share a focus on creating a music centred cultural experience rather than simply a logo or a visual system. Like the festivals branding examples, my cafe rebrand look to merge sound, culture and community into one cohesive identity. It reinforces the ides that good branding should invite people to participate and make them emotionally connect – In my case, by supporting local musicians and offering an engaging cafe environment. The articles examples of blending retro style with modern design resonates strongly with my project. Solos Music Cafe will include nostalgic musical elements e.g vinyls whilst introducing a modern twist through interactive features such as the NFC sticker. This technology allows customers to engage directly with the cafes music, reflecting how branding can evolve alongside audience behaviour and technology.
In Summary, the article validates my approach by demonstrating that branding for music and cultural spaces should combine visual storytelling, emotional design and modern interactivity to build a meaningful experience for its audience.
References
Creative Boom. (2024) Boom Brief #3: How you met our challenge to brand a coastal music & arts festival. Available at: https://www.creativeboom.com/inspiration/boom-brief-3-how-you-met-our-challenge-to-brand-a-coastal-festival/ (Accessed: 3 November 2025).