Visual Designer
Seattle Fusion Festival
The Goal: To carry on a playful, creative event into it's third year.
The Problem:
Seattle Fusion Festival needed a logo.
The Solution:
I created this logo on my Note 4!
About
I was hired to create a graphic for the third year of the Seattle Fusion Festival! With a background in design and love for the community, I was honored to have this as my first design contract.
Overview
The goal was to create a graphic that would be memorable, carry on the legacy of previous SFF events, and clearly show what Fusion dancing is. Fusion dance is a social partner dance; creating a conversation through movement, regardless of the dance background of the lead and the follow.
Role
As the graphic designer, I was responsible for creating the logo (seen above) and the main graphic for the event to go on the website, flyers, and shirts.
Tools
Sketchbook X on a Note 4
Results
Though this event was years ago, it is one of the most worn designs from dance events in Seattle. I have personally seen it worn by dancers in Boston, San Francisco, Portland, and Seattle. People love the design because it is a visual representation of Fusion Dancing, has recognizable elements of structured dances, and it’s fun.
Some History
To get a grasp of what Fusion Dancing is, I want you to picture in your mind’s eye a style of dance. Many people will think of Tango, Blues, Salsa, Swing, Zouk, etc. Fusion is all of those, and none of those.
If you go to a tango dance, you would dance tango to tango music, Salsa to Salsa music, and the same with the rest of these styles.
Fusion is a unique space for a dancer to come with their background in one or more styles, dance with someone with a different dance history, to music that doesn’t match either known genre. It transforms from a learned pattern of steps and movement, to a conversation through movement and the tension that exists between both parties and the music.
The intricate subtleties that translate from breaking normal and practiced patterns transverse the missing, shared language of a structure, and travel through touch allows for a new type of movement, and a unique pattern. How do you capture that in an image?
The Process:
It all started with a text: “Do you want to design the shirts for SFF?”
I had never done anything of this scale before. It was expected that about 400 people would attend, and I had attended SFF since it started in 2013. It was a fairly easy decision, of course I wanted to try it out. Little did I know, this would some day make it onto my portfolio for a different type of design. Some of my initial ideas are below, searching for an energetic image to portray us, but none quite right, seen below.
After a quick sketch, I got approval to proceed with the network of footprints, and to turn them into a digital piece.
Color was added to bring the eye across the design, and more clean up.
I still see people wearing it to this day, so I would say it’s a success!
In the wild!
The design was used for a number of years, and can still be seen at seattlefusionfestival.com! It is still a loved shirt by those who attended, as seen below!
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