Blocktober
Fest

Blocktober Fest is an annual summer block party in Downtown Roseburg. This project began as a quick turnaround logo design and evolved into a poster with digital assets.

Project Scope

Blocktober Fest was an interesting design challenge, and a bit of a moving target, since it was a brand-new event that was still actively being planned. The client was still accepting vendor applications, finagling the lineups for two stages and trying to figure out OLCC logistics as we were sending them iterations.

After the kickoff meeting, I learned that my approach needed to walk a fine line between showcasing Oktoberfest beer culture, and keeping the imagery broad enough to encompass a block party, music, and vendors. I was asked to keep the logo neutral enough to work with any changes that might come up during planning or in future years.

Deliverables
Logo Pack, Icons, Brand Elements, Stickers, Event Poster

Completed
2022

Context & Research

In order to capture a Bavarian (Oktoberfest) feel, I had to dive into the culture I was trying to represent. I was especially interested in the filigree and embellishments used on traditional Bavarian clothing and some of the contemporary takes of Oktoberfest culture. 

I also looked at brew festivals of the area for context, and to help me distinguish this event from what's already been done.

Visual Research
context-downtown_fall
download
Research - Competitors & Context

Type Exploration

type-exploration

Round 1 Comps

block-round-1

Round 2 Comps

block-round-2

Color Exploration

Blocktober-Colorways

The approved colorway (left) was chosen for its versatility and authenticity to Bavarian culture, as well as its emphasis of the red rose – an important Roseburg symbol.

blocktober-poster-insp

Poster Process

INITIAL DIRECTION

With the logo project approved & sent off, we were asked to design a poster that would compliment and show it off.

My initial intincts told me to paint a scene with a warm, wood-toned, tavern feel – so that’s where my first sketches went.

blocktober-poster-original-sketches

Unfortunately, this direction didn’t hit the mark. Our client was concerned the idea of a “street festival” would be lost on the public, and they wanted something that would better represent Roseburg and the Downtown area in general.

Poster Process

NEW DIRECTION

With this feedback in mind, I got to work capturing some of the Downtown buildings and working in little bavarian touches throughout this new direction.

blocktober-downtown-buildings
block-poster-rough
blocktober-poster-2022

Final Poster

I based this building off a classic brick building that you’d find Downtown, but with a twist: German-style timber-framed walls.

Placing the new logo front & center was ultimately everyone’s favorite iteration and the addition of a family walking in the foreground gave the structured scene more life.

Social Media

As a bonus, I included some abbreviated icons and lockups that would be better suited to social media.

blocktober-social

Final Approved Assets

Blocktober-Final-Assets