A new visual identity was needed to capture the diversity, global energy, and cultural significance of the long-standing festival.
the lollapalooza experience
Role: Lead Creative
Focus: Global Rebrand / Illustration
Lollapalooza, one of the largest and most recognized music festivals in the world, spanning eight international cities celebrating a wide mix of rock & roll hip-hop, electronic, indie, punk, and more, was in need of a major facelift.
I was approached for this project for my illustration style, and was given creative freedom to incorporate that style to reflect the energy and culture of the festival.
Role: Lead Creative
Focus: Global Rebrand / Illustration
Lets start with the challenges:
Steering away from the original brand identity which was largely based on a carnival look. One which the marketing team saw as outdated for the festival’s growing global market.
Introducing a new style required attention to culture to combine familiarity with individuality for each country. This new visual design system would need to speak to the millions of attendees, and combine the digital and physical world for a brand new full 360-degree experience.
The artwork would need to also represent diverse music genres, niche trends, and celebrate cultural differences, while igniting the festival’s raw energy and unique personality.
My approach:
Lollapalooza’s marketing team was very keen on modernizing the festival’s appearance while enhancing its eclectic vibe.
A scalable design system that can easily adapt to all international markets was eventually required.
In order to reach that point, a series of moodboards and concept sketches was a great place to start.
After creating and pitching character concepts, a brand guideline book would need to be developed to showcase the character design aesthetics. Each group of characters represent different music, along with a set of rules for their clothing and personality.
LET’S START WITH A MOODBOARD
The mood: Neon colors, street art, primitive art, voltage systems, movement, energy, urban settings leading to a centralized celebration of diversity.
I found inspiration from the electric energy of live music, youth culture, and the raw aesthetic of streetwear graphics spanning across decades.
Each city received a unique color palette and localized graphic designs.
Combining this with local aesthetics, cultural symbolism, South American street art vs European Street art, and festival atmospheres.
Each city and country requires its own color palette that resonates with its culture while maintaining global brand consistency. Creating an adaptable color system that could flex across websites, stage displays, merch, and digital media while still feeling unmistakably “Lollapalooza”.
Color inspiration came from the use of pop art color combinations from 90’s animation style like The Simpsons, as well as the animated backgrounds from Disney’s Aladdin.
Source:
The Simpsons
1989
Smurf: Rescue in Gargamel's Castle 1982
Disney’s Aladdin
1992
These are the basic sketches for the look of the cities and iconic buildings that make each city distinctive. I then simplified the buildings to work on the layout. I found space exploration, natural rock formation, and extraterrestrial sightings to be very inspiring for these drawings.
Refining colors based on the flags of each country.
Incorporating iconic buildings, the individual cities begin to take final shape and layout.
The final stylized look for each city based on previous sketches. Each building and prop is a vectorized modular piece that can be rescaled, animated, or reused depending on the team’s needs.
From sketch to final hand off designs for each flag representing South America, Europe, and the United States
The iconic Lollapalooza logo was kept from the original branding. Color comps were made to work out the color/logo ratios for stage and entryway displays.
Each festival featured characters that represents different music genres. The characters became a large central part of the festival’s identity, featured on tickets, merch, web, mobile, billboards, and stage designs.
Designed to be both playful and iconic, the artwork was designed to be scalable from a mobile app screen to a 60-foot stage backdrop.
Each country and city was given its own background, color palette, and designed specific for the region:
Hipódromo de San Isidro, Argentina
Santiago, Chile
Chicago, United States
São Paulo, Brazil
Berlin, Germany
Paris, France
Stockholm, Sweden
Despite catering to each country’s unique culture and aesthetic preferences, the brand remained consist, tying the entire experience together globally.
I designed web-based promotional microsites featuring interactive games, ticket giveaways, and merch promotions.
Redesigned the festival app UI with new features.
Each city’s website featured tailored artwork, typography, and color systems, built within a globally consistent UX framework.
Delivered motion graphics for digital campaigns, broadcast spots, and social content.
These are examples of motion graphics used across web, television, and social media.
UI design focused on clarity despite the high-energy visuals, balancing vibrant artwork with functional UX patterns for the mobile app and event websites.
The designs were used across interactive site maps, real-time schedules, and photo filters. These designs were created by the marketing team to be in sync with the brand’s new identity.
Created the UI for the Lollapalooza mobile app, featuring:
Interactive site maps
Event schedules with real-time updates
Branded photo filters for social sharing
RedBull TV INTERNET & TELEVISION SPOTS
Directed and illustrated motion graphics packages for use in international TV spots, online ads, and promotional videos.
Extended the illustration system into animation, allowing characters to move with the same energy as the live performances they represent.
WELCOME TO THE LOLLAPALOOZA EXPERIENCE!
Across the cities, billboards entice viewers with the lineup, building anticipation. Upon entering the festival, guests are greeted by large entryways filled with exciting artwork and a preview of what awaits inside. Once inside, photo ops and merchandise are all around. Giant stages adorned with artwork and dancing characters create excitement and add to the energy of the music that awaits.
The global rebrand launched in 2013 and directly contributed to an increase in promotional sales, sponsorship engagement, and merchandise revenue.
Created a consistent yet flexible brand language adopted across 7 global festivals.
Helped the festival feel more inclusive by representing a wide spectrum of music genres, cultures, and fan identities.
Strengthened partnerships with major global sponsors through co-branded asset systems that respected both brand guidelines.
Elevated the fan experience from ticket purchase through to on-site, digital, and post-event engagement.Key Contributions:
Creative Direction: Led concept development, illustration systems, and full brand rollout.
Illustration Systems: Created a modular character system reflecting musical diversity and cultural relevance.
Digital Experience: Directed UX/UI design for websites, promotional microsites, and the festival app.
Motion Design: Delivered international ad spots, countdowns, and promotional video packages.
Experiential Branding: Led the design for massive stage graphics, wayfinding, environmental displays, and festival entrances.
Merch & Product: Designed retail merchandise, ticket packs, and collectible products aligned with the brand.
Brand Systems: Developed flexible brand guidelines for internal teams and international partnersCore Deliverables:
Global brand system with illustration, character design, typography, and color palettes.
UI/UX design for websites, microsites, and mobile app.
Merchandising systems and VIP ticket packaging.
Environmental graphics, signage, and large-format stage design.
Motion design for TV, web, and live-event projections.
Brand toolkits for internal teams, external vendors, and sponsor co-branding.