The Tribeca Film Festival launched in 2001 as a means of using the power of film to usher in joy and hope to a city reeling from the devastation of 9/11. Two decades later, as the world-renowned festival honors its 20th anniversary, the organization has undergone a brand overhaul in the wake of yet another tragedy—this time in the form of COVID-19.
Emily Oberman and her team at Pentagram collaborated closely with the festival’s co-founder and executive producer, Jane Rosenthal, to develop a rebrand and reimagined logo imbued with a celebratory spirit and a sense of coming back together after a year plus spent apart.
The widely recognizable existing logo needed updating to highlight the festival’s 20th anniversary and reflect its revised name. Since its celebrations have expanded beyond film offerings to include TV, art, comedy, talks, games, podcasts, immersive experiences, virtual programs, and more, it is now titled the more media-inclusive Tribeca Festival.
The key elements for achieving this new vibrant look and feel came in the form of bright colors, bold typography, and jazzy animated graphics. The colors and their pairings pop with pizazz, at once retro and modern in effect. This palette comes to life with its primary type, the thick and blocky Druk typeface (by Commercial Type), and it gets complimented by Basis Grotesque (by Colophon Foundry).
Ultimately, it’s the spunky motion graphics that make the rebrand sing, as the digital assets feature the chunky type in flamboyant hues dancing about in a way meant to resemble folks gathering to celebrate at a long-overdue party. This new lively brand identity will get featured across all of the festival’s digital and out-of-home promotional materials, from posters to swag and even as physical 3D wordmarks installed outside of affiliated theaters hosting various premiers.
While we persevere through the pitfalls of COVID-19, the Tribeca Festival continues to provide a place and a reason to celebrate.
