Figment: Brand Identity

Challenges Figment, an annual art and culture festival in New York City, needed to establish a brand identity that would capture the creative spirit of their event. Previously, the festival reinvented their promotions and visual image each year to accommodate the varying artist submissions. The challenge was to balance this concept of unbridled creativity with a consistent and recognizable brand identity. Strategy MSLK recognized the unique challenges of an event occurring just once a year, as it was too long time of a time to expect the public to remember a brand. Inspired by iconic brand identities of MTV and Nickelodeon, our strategy was to create a vessel that was recognizable in form but flexible enough to accommodate the annual creativity. Design The name and nature of the participatory festival made the visual of a thought bubble a natural fit. Paired with the tag line “What are you bringing?” the new brand identity encouraged participants to use their imagination and tap into their creative spirit. More importantly the thought bubble would become a consistent vessel that could be filled with new content corresponding to the annual theme each year. Success MSLK was able to successfully unify the 15-person executive board and create an identity that provided structure and room for creative expression. In addition, art submissions and event promoters alike increased 200% from the previous year, and attendance for the event was up 30%. The success of the thought bubble was further evident at the event, where the shape was incorporated into additional promotional materials. In 2011 Figment was selected by the AIGA for their prestigious Making the Case Awards measuring design effectiveness.