Amidst the damage and destruction, the monsoon season in India is filled with celebration, including dance, music, theatre, film, and festivals. To coincide with this, the Monsoon Festival of Performing Arts is held annually in Vancouver, BC. Organized by South Asian Arts, the festival showcases local artists through events, presentations, and workshops. STUDEO Design has been working with the Monsoon Festival of Performing Arts since it’s inception in 2016, evolving the brand to what it is today. The brand identity has remained consistent throughout, a rain drop made up of a traditional South Asian pattern, reminiscent of the vibrant plumage of peacocks. The logotype manifests mystery and fun, set in a display type named Philosopher, and is complimented by Gotham providing a basis to develop the typography of the brand.

The ebb and flow of water was our original concept for the look and feel of the Monsoon Arts Fest, using vibrant colors and a watercolor style to build the foundation of its visual style. Due to the pandemic in 2020 there was a need to create some differentiation from past festivals – the entire show was to be streamed online. This gave us the opportunity to evolve, with the visual language becoming bolder; bright ink blots in water taken on black backdrops became the bedrock of the brand.

Over the years STUDEO Design has developed individual posters for shows, motion graphics, and most recently an online Artist’s Marketplace (allowing users to purchase art online). The website is built on a Squarespace backbone, minimizing development costs whilst maintaining a branded experience for festival goers. The festival has been (and remains to be) a success, selling out shows year after year.