Case Study:

Celebrating its 46th year, the Edmonton Folk Music Festival is one of the most popular and well attended festivals in Edmonton–a city that’s known for its festivals. Each year, the festival reveals their new poster about one month before even the artist line-up is released. This poster not only shares the general theme of that year’s festival, but also dictates the branding of all marketing and social media materials, print products, and merchandise for the months to come. But the real work begins almost six months before all of this.

The poster design process is a collaboration between the artist, the agency (Vision Creative) and the Board and staff of the Edmonton Folk Music Society. Having designed the poster for the 2024 show, a lot of this process was much more familiar this time around. It all starts with meetings between the three parties to align on some simple structural guidelines to help with the initial design brainstorm. Notes for the design to not feature animals (overdone in the past) or to play around with colours (perhaps a retro ‘70s colour palette) are all considered but the rest of the work is creative freedom to explore.

Instead of focusing on individual ideas in detail, the approach is to generate a wide range of concepts, narrow them to a handful, and then refine three distinct directions for final review. This process balances freedom with structure and ensures each design feels specific to Edmonton Folk Music Festival rather than a generic music event. The central questions remain: What story does the festival want to tell? What feeling should the design evoke? And how can it remain fresh year to year without repeating itself?

Themes often draw on both classic and contemporary influences. Last year’s poster leaned on the classic imagination of Jules Verne, with fanciful flying machines creating a “Festival in the Sky.” This year, the design shifted to a more contemporary pop-culture lens, inspired by the playful “monsters” concept popularized by Lady Gaga’s fandom. The final artwork, “Where the Wild Things Dance,” drew loosely from Maurice Sendak’s children’s book while reimagining it in the Edmonton River Valley. Three large, uniquely designed monsters dance and play music against the downtown skyline, with details like the Muttart Conservatory pyramids flipped upside down into a drum. Smaller companion monsters appeared in marketing pieces, including one representing the festival’s volunteers.

Once the poster and core illustrations are finalized, the designs extend across merchandise and festival branding. The monsters appeared on Instagram, Spotify playlists, and event signage. Shirts were produced in several variations, including volunteer group colours. The poster itself was hung around the city and worn proudly by festival-goers, becoming both artwork and shared identity for the community.