Brand Identity: EBIJFF
Seeing the World
The East Bay International Jewish Film Festival has been a client of mine longer than any other. It’s an organization that aims for diversity, variety, and impact in both its programming and staffing. And, as it happens, in its marketing…
A DIFFERENT WAY OF DESIGNING
When I was first approached by The East Bay International Jewish Film Festival’s Director, Riva Gambert, I was still a young designer. My initial instinct was to develop a concept by seizing on what I thought were the dominant idiosyncrasies of the festival: “East Bay,” “Jewish.” My mind went to Mount Diablo, Menorahs, Stars of David, all the “usual suspects” that those words inspire.
But Riva wanted something that reached out to a universal, diverse audience: all ages, all kinds of people. She wanted the imagery and the branding to be fun and accessible. The danger there, of course, is becoming generic—losing the punch that a very specific concept gives you. So… what to do?
Make it clean. Make the type punchy, colorful, and fun… and find another path to a brand.
The answer was not to sacrifice the brand in favor of marketing, but to create a brand from the marketing.
EBIJFF has been through numerous logos over the years, but what’s remained the same is the focus of their collateral. Not for nothing is their slogan “See a film. See the world.”
The fun for all these years has really been centered on the festival’s catalogue. We’ve gone through a radical shift in color scheme every year, just to retain the playfulness and eye-catching nature of the designs. Typography has shifted, as well. We began with a geometric gothic, just to keep the focus on the films, but it’s evolved into a slightly different matched pair of typefaces every year.
Variety. Entertainment. Fun!
DC Scarpelli Is a consummate professional whose work has been marked by innovation, creativity and attention to detail. Over the years, I have looked forward to working with HIM, knowing that each of his brochure covers would be A visually appealing marketing tool that reflected our mission statement.
—Riva Gambert, Director, East Bay International Jewish Film Festival
TAKEAWAY:
It’s all about people
Not every project requires a hifalutin concept to fly. Sometimes—often, in fact—it’s more important to focus on what brings joy to the community you’re serving.
And it’s a joy as a designer to have a long-term client relationship like this one!