Art City Austin
SERVICES
Branding
Custom Artwork
Print & Digital Collateral
Website Design
Art Direction
Signage & Wayfinding
Marketing Strategy
HISTORY
Evolving over the decades from its Fiesta art fair origins, Art City Austin is the city’s 2nd oldest outdoor fair in Austin. Presented by Art Alliance Austin, Art City Austin invited the Austin community to Come Together at Republic Square in 2019, where they hosted a celebration of the convergence of Austin's diverse art scene.
Art Alliance Austin’s goal for this event was to disrupt how the community views and engages with art. With this directive, event producer Forefront Networks developed a 2-day festival where guests enjoyed an art market of 75 visual artists, designers, installation artists, artisans and makers showcasing and selling their wares. The event also featured thought provoking artist talks and panels, the art of live culinary demonstrations by local chefs and experts, local musicians, performance artists, custom art installations, food trucks, bars, and interactive experiences. Festival guests had special access to city-wide guided and self-guided art tours around town during the weekend.
COME TOGETHER
The festival’s look and feel needed to be vibrant, colorful and encompass an aesthetic that excites a diverse crowd of locals and visitors alike.
The inspiration and color palette came from an original abstract work of mine in oil. This piece was combined with bold graphic overlays to provide a youthful feel. These overlay graphics were carried across all brand elements from signage to ads for both the main festival and unique preview party identities.
United In Color Preview Party
A preview party kicked off the festival weekend as an elevated evening with its very own personality while still fitting within the overall Art City Austin identity. Guests got a first look at the festival and had the opportunity to shop early at the festival’s art market. A full spectrum of live entertainment and art united guests in an evening of sensory experiences while sipping on complimentary craft cocktails and wine. Guests savored light bites from local restaurants and enjoyed one-night-only art installations along with music and entertainment including live performances by Shy Beast, Break Austin, Nunamaana Immersive Dance Theatre, Peligrosa, ArtScream, live art by SprATX, and a quirky workout with Erica Nix to get the party started.
With inclusion and unity paramount to Art Alliance Austin’s goals, the Forefront team took cues from retro United Colors of Benetton ads for the theme “United In Color.” The graphic shape overlays from the main festival identity were carried over with an inverted color palette setting the scene for the evening. Rainbow gradient effects overlaid on the photos paid homage to our city’s diversity.
We collaborated with the team to organize a promotional campaign for the preview party with social media influencers interested in Austin’s arts and culture scene. These influencers were invited to a private happy hour where their faces were painted in vibrant hues uniting each individual while showcasing their self expression. Their photos were shared on Instagram to help spread the word about this first time event.
