30th IFFK: Proposed Branding

Branding a film festival that brings cinematic greats to God’s Own Country.

Duration: 1 WEEK

Overview

This project was developed for an open call organized by the Kerala Chalachitra Akademi, which invited designers to propose a fresh branding concept for the 30th International Film Festival of Kerala. With only a week to respond, my challenge was to develop an idea rooted in local culture while achieving the design quality expected of leading global festivals such as Sundance or Tribeca. My concept draws inspiration from the vertical lines of the traditional window grills found in quintessential Kerala architecture. The resulting identity aims to bring a contemporary visual language to a 30-year-old film festival that has consistently made quality cinema and progressive ideas accessible to a wider audience.

Who am I designing for?

Cinema professionals
Students
International delegates
Cinephiles
Critics & Journalists
Walk-in audiences
Volunteers
Sponsors

Insights

Observations from my experience at the previous festival edition:

IFFK has grown into a festival loved by cinephiles and everyday people alike. Accessibility is an essential part of the festival's identity. Even the screening of Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai last year was packed with people from all walks of life.
When I visited the festival last year, I saw how deeply each group engages with the event. I met students who skipped classes, working professionals who took leave, and regulars who haven’t missed a festival in seven or eight years.
With venues scattered across Thiruvananthapuram, there is a strong need for clearer wayfinding to help audiences unfamiliar with the city.

Concept

IFFK: A Window into Worlds

200 Worlds in Five Days.

Every film portrays a world, some carefully crafted by the filmmaker, others rooted in the everyday realities around us. If films are worlds, then IFFK becomes a window to them. It offers an opportunity for film enthusiasts and the common man alike to step into these fleeting worlds.

My proposal for the branding draws its theme from this idea of ‘windows’. The wordmark takes inspiration from the vertical window grills of traditional Kerala houses, reinterpreted in a bold and modern form to reflect the contemporary spirit of the festival.

The Word Mark

Colours

Bold and vibrant colours were used to reflect the energy and spirit of the festival. Functionally, these colours also aid in wayfinding, helping visitors identify venues spread across Thiruvananthapuram. Six colours have been chosen, which can also be used to colour-code categories such as ID cards, enabling volunteers to easily recognize different participant groups during verification and entry.

Motif

A recurring visual element was developed based on the long vertical forms of the window frame, creating a unifying motif that repeats across all festival collaterals.

Collaterals