GLOW: The Urban Lantern Festival – An Experiential Branding Case Study
This project showcases the end-to-end branding for GLOW, a hypothetical urban festival concept I created. It merges electronic music with a powerful lantern ritual symbolizing release and new beginnings. I developed the full identity from the neon-lit logo and high-contrast visuals to the eco-friendly on-site assets to craft a cohesive, highly aspirational, and deeply meaningful brand experience.
This hypothetical project is my complete branding suite for a unique, mission-driven event. GLOW: The Urban Lantern Festival fuses high-energy electronic music and immersive art with a profound, symbolic ritual—the synchronized release of custom, biodegradable lanterns. Inspired by my personal journey of resilience and rebirth, the event is positioned as a communal rite of passage for urban Indian youth who seek meaningful experiences. The entire visual strategy—from the Deep Midnight Blue and Electric Magenta/Cyan color scheme to the choice of bold, geometric typography—was designed to be an intersection of music culture and soulful art. I crafted the sleek, modern GLOW logo and the custom 'G' Monogram, ensuring they translated seamlessly across all mediums. Crucially, I designed the Biodegradable Lantern Template with a minimal print area to keep the focus on the attendee's handwritten message. This project demonstrates my ability to craft a powerful, story-driven brand that is both strategically sound (addressing environmental safety, high-contrast wayfinding) and aesthetically cutting-edge for a truly "Insta-Worthy" experience.
This project, GLOW, is more than just event branding; it's a visual manifesto about release, rebirth, and resilience. It directly mirrors my personal journey of self-discovery and triumph over negativity, turning that core experience into a powerful, marketable event concept. I wanted to design a festival that wasn't just fun, but genuinely meaningful for its audience.
The Concept: Let It Glow
The core idea is a one-night-only festival culminating in a synchronized release of biodegradable lanterns. Attendees are encouraged to write down past hurts, regrets, or things they wish to let go of before they release the lantern, transforming a personal emotional moment into a communal, spectacular experience. The tagline, "Let It Glow," is an empowering twist on the classic "let it go."
The audience is the modern, culturally aware young adult (20-35) who values meaningful experiences, art, and music. This allowed me to design a brand that is Ethereal, Electric, and deeply personal.
Research
My initial research validated a key market gap: urban Indian youth demand meaningful, experiential events. This required pivoting from high-risk traditional lanterns to custom, 100% biodegradable units to maintain safety and crucial environmental credibility.
Core Identity: Neon and Night Sky
The visual system is built on a vibrant dichotomy: the Deep Midnight Blue of the night sky representing reflection and the past, contrasted with Electric Magenta and Vibrant Cyan lights representing energy, hope, and the future. I used Gold Foil as an accent to add a touch of celebratory elegance.
Primary Logo
The Primary Logo is a sleek, modern wordmark that integrates the core theme. I chose a bold, geometric sans-serif font and replaced the letter 'O' with a stylized, minimalist lantern icon, allowing the candlelight to be the "spark" of the logo. This keeps the design highly legible while making the concept immediately clear.
The Alternative Monogram takes this one step further. It transforms the letter 'G' into an abstract container of light, symbolizing the moment of release. This scalable icon is versatile enough for social media profiles, wristbands, and small merch tags.
The Main Poster:
This asset was designed to be dramatic and high-impact. It features a silhouette against an electric, neon-lit skyline, emphasizing the grand moment of the release. The contrast between the dark background and the glowing elements ensures maximum visibility and immediate emotional connection.
Digital Campaign & Storytelling: The Instagram carousel was crucial for explaining the ritual—the heart of the festival in a clear, step-by-step format. The Instagram Story Template uses the brand's signature colors and glows to create dynamic, swipe-up countdowns and artist highlights, keeping the feed vibrant and cohesive.
Digital Banner Ad: The banner ad maintains the dark, high-contrast look, using the alternate monogram and the simple, powerful call-to-action to drive ticket sales.
Ticket Design: For the Physical Ticket Stub, I introduced a perforated tear-away section, a nod to the concept of "releasing" something. The Digital Ticket uses a clean, mobile-first layout with high-contrast text to ensure ease of use in low light conditions.
For the festival experience, I designed the vibrant wristbands as both an entry pass and a stylish keepsake, featuring our signature gradient and tagline. The biodegradable lanterns were given a subtle monogram and a personal message space, making the release ritual deeply personal yet branded. To guide attendees, I also created clear, neon-lit wayfinding signage for key areas like the "Lantern Zone" and "Food Trucks", ensuring seamless navigation with consistent iconography.
