The write stuff for Sydney Writers’ Festival. We absolutely loved working with the talented and dedicated Sydney Writers’ Festival team this year. Now in its 20th year, the Sydney Writers’ Festival brings hundreds of thousands of people to hundreds of events, into its literary heart at Walsh Bay.
To celebrate the Festival’s ‘week-long conversation’, Leading Hand was tasked to create a cohesive, bold, arts branding campaign, comprising press ads, outdoor billboards, menus, ambient advertising and environmental design.
Our senior designer, Daniel, led a team of four designers in creating a seamless array of over 50 signage jobs, more than 20 campaign materials and a dozen press ads. With quick turnaround times and a host of stakeholders, it was vital for us to be nimble, well-organised and highly disciplined. Not to mention passionate, creative and loving-every-minute of it! All the things we constantly strive to be here at Leading Hand.
Around the heritage wharves that serve as the hub for the Festival’s events, we created environmental and wayfinding signage in vivid colours with simple, clearly defined messaging. This allowed visitors to easily find their way to The Hemingway Bar, the Writer’s Green Room, the Box Office or even the bus home! With a nod to the conversational tone of the Festival’s events, our colourful motifs and strong branding included quotation marks in a variety of sizes and eye-catching tones. All elements were carefully considered for their placement and how people would interact with them.
Our aim for the Sydney Writers’ Festival campaign was to reflect the ‘inventive, audacious and inquisitive’ nature of all the writers, readers and other lovers-of-words, who are a part of this outstanding annual event. When we attended the Festival, and saw our work in action, we believe we achieved exactly that. It was so exciting to see it all come into play.
With a big thank you to our wonderful clients at Sydney Writers’ Festival, we say “bring on next year”!