An artist focused experimental
festival identity and digital experience. [ IAT238 ]

OVERVIEW

Crafting new identity

Our team of 5 redesigned the SSFB festival's digital identity from the ground up, building a microsite that feels as experimental as the music itself.

MISSION

How can we create a digital experience that captures the essence of the SSFB festival, while fostering a deeper connection between artists and attendees?

SOLUTION

Focus on artist community

We framed the site as a pre-festival experience, building anticipation through artist-led content, interactive discovery, and a sense of something just out of reach.

MY CONTRIBUTIONS

Below are my contributions to the research & design :)

RESEARCH

Understanding the client

We dug into the festival's history, values, and audience to understand what makes SSFB distinct, and what a digital experience for it might feel like.

Design techniques inspired by Carson

We studied graphic designer David Carson's experimental design techniques and rule-breaking approach to type and layout in the weeks prior to the final site, our knowledge was then used to inspire our own visual identity.

Experimentation & iteration

Week by week, we designed and redesigned. We pushed posters and microsites in new directions, learning what worked by making what didn't.
▪ = my contribution, * = selected iteration

[ Poster experimentation ]

[ Microsite experimentation ]

KEY FLOWS

Exploratory artist discovery

Artist pages tease before they reveal, utilizing hover states, sound clips, and layered details that reward curiosity and keep users exploring.

Simplified ticket flow

We kept the energy alive through checkout. Bold visuals and ambient music guide users through ticketing without breaking the festival mood.

DECISIONS

Building an experimental identity

Heavy type, dither textures, and layers of overlays give SSFB a visual identity that feels raw, tactile, and distinctly underground.

Music player UI

A custom music player lets users preview each artist's top tracks before the festival. Iterated to keep focus on one song at a time — less clutter, more intention.

[ Final music player UI ]

[ Initial music player UI ]

Artist catalogue

A cleaner, more browsable lineup view designed so attendees can move through the full roster without losing the site's experimental feel.

FINAL

Video walkthrough of Strange Sounds

[ Voiced by the team & edited by Jude ]

TAKEAWAYS

Iteration is the only way to grow.

Five weeks of weekly critiques and constant rebuilding made the final result possible. Good design doesn't just happen, it builds and grows over time.

Go big, edit later.

The best ideas started too far — too bold, too chaotic, too much. Diverging wildly gave us substance to work with, and we later converged that chaos into something real. Safe ideas don't push anywhere worth going.

p.s. [ theres no such thing as a dumb idea ]