XVII WEST COAST LATVIAN SONG FESTIVAL
An expansive and ongoing project from January 2026 to July 2027. Working with Ieva Dexter, the director of the Oregon Latvian Society and Deputy Chair for the XVII West Coast Latvian Song Festival, I have been creating the visual brand identity for this upcoming Latvian cultural heritage event that will take place in Seattle, WA, in July of 2027. Working as the main graphic designer, I've been creating all print and digital assets for the festival, as well as animation and t-shirt graphic designs according to the initial guidelines I established. The festival committee has been utilizing my work on the website, on social media, print and digital advertisements, and apparel to continually raise money, invite participants, and communicate with the public about the general goings on leading up the the festival.
THE LOGO
The logo and its animation were the first steps in this work. The organizing committee wanted an identifier that incorporated tradition and a modern, hands on feel, specifically in opposition to slick, digital, and AI media. I created this design using carved linoleum block printing to achieve an organic texture that felt strong and grounded. The larger circular shape is a depiction of a piece of jewelry called a "sakta", which is an important part of the traditional Latvian folk outfit -- it is specifically used to pin shirt collars or shawls together, instead of buttons. Since one of the goals of this festival and its brand identity is to be a bridge from the first West Coast Latvian Song Festival in 1962 to the present day, this piece of jewelry was a perfect metaphor. The flower shapes that it contains are actually ancient Latvian sun symbols, which are also part of a rich tradition of meaning and application in clothing and craft.
DESIGN FOR PRINT
Some of the printed matter I have designed so far is a poster announcing the event, that has been displayed at all the west coast Latvian community centers, a full page advertisement in the guide for the Latvian Song Festival in Grand Rapids, in 2026, as well as smaller items like letterhead templates. I've also recently designed the book of music that will be used by all the chorus participants to practice from, sing from, and keep as a document of the festival's song selection.
SOCIAL MEDIA ASSETS
Some of the social media assets I've designed that have been used on Instagram and Facebook for various calls to action about the festival. The brand guidelines I established for the social media posts and graphic assets in general typically include yellow or orange text boxes, vintage photos from the song festival archives, and watermark style logo elements used to fill space in the backgrounds.
SPECIAL CAMPAIGNS
One of the special brand campaigns has been a call for Latvian-American school children to send their arts and crafts to the festival so they can participate in other ways besides the live performance. Staying within the established brand colors, use of vintage photographs, and graphic monotone shapes, I created this animation which was shared widely on social media by the client. I was also able to repurpose the assets from the piece to create a static call to action graphic.
FESTIVAL SCHEDULE
Since this is an ongoing project, I'll be showcasing more of my design work here as we go.