Photoshop / Illustrator / Market Surveys
Designing Marketing and Merchandise for VaSSaUNT 2020 - The Annual Cultural Fest of VSSUT Burla
Client/Firm
VSSUT Burla
Role
Lead Designer
Duration
2 months
Tools Used
Photoshop, Premiere Pro
Overview
Vassaunt, the annual cultural festival at VSSUT, serves as a vibrant celebration of creativity and unity among students. In 2020, I had the served as the lead designer for Vassaunt, steering the promotions, marketing, and merchandise design for the event. Anchored by the theme 'Bollywood,' the festival embraced the colorful and dynamic world of media and cinema, and the design for the festival was centred around that core theme. Collaborating with the cultural society and a team of volunteers, I worked tirelessly to bring the vision of Vassaunt to life.
My Role
I worked as the lead Designer for Vassaunt 2020, working on tasks ranging from conceptualizing the event theme to executing the design elements across various platforms. I spearheaded the creation of the event logo, directed the official Vassaunt Anthem, designed the official t-shirt, and crafted promotional materials for social media and posters.
Timeline
The timeline for this work was 2 months
The Story
The annual yearbook serves as a crucial memento for graduating students, encapsulating their time at VSSUT and fostering a sense of nostalgia. However, the COVID-19 lockdown posed logistical challenges, hindering the completion of the yearbook and leaving some students without professional photographs.
Research and Surveying
It was important for the team to factor in the student body's preferences when deciding the theme for the festival. To gauge the student body's preferences, we conducted a survey at the outset of the planning phase, which revealed overwhelming support for the Bollywood theme. Armed with this insight, I drew inspiration from iconic movies and TV shows, and curated the elements that would form the backbone of our design identity.
Logo Design
tThe centerpiece of our branding efforts was the Vassaunt 2020 logo, which I designed to pay homage to Bollywood's most beloved icons. Following the tradition of designing each year's logo using iconography and typography based on the theme of the year, I selected each letter in the logo carefully from famous movie and TV iconography, infusing the design with a sense of familiarity and excitement.
Music Video
One of the highlights of Vassaunt 2020 was the official anthem, a collaborative effort with fellow students that captured the spirit of the event. Titled "Hey There Vassaunt," the music video combined the melody of "Hey There Delilah" with original Hindi lyrics, creating a catchy tune that resonated with VSSUT.
As the director, I worked on conceptualizing the song, co-writing the lyrics, as well as shooting and editing the video.
T-Shirt Design
The official Vassaunt 2020 T-shirt was more than just a piece of apparel; it was a canvas for celebrating our passion for the Bollywood legends. Featuring a striking red-and-white design with iconic faces and a typographic nod to the immortal words, "Naam toh suna hi hoga", the T-shirt captured the essence of Indian cinema. I conceptualized and designed the front and back designs and worked with Teeshood to oversee every step of the production.
Posters and Social Media Marketing
Finally, to generate buzz for Vassaunt 2020, we created a comprehensive marketing campaign encompassing posters, social media graphics, and promotional materials.
Conclusion
I often reflect on my journey with Vassaunt 2020 with bittersweet nostalgia. While our preparations were nothing short of extraordinary - the art team(which included myself) had decorated the college to the nines - fate had other plans in store for us. The day before the festival, a nationwide directive to shut down all educational institutions due to the COVID-19 pandemic was declared, bringing our plans to an abrupt halt. Though the festival never materialized, the spirit of Vassaunt lived on, and to this date I'm proud of the immense amount of collaboration that had gone into bringing that event to life.
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