Objective:
Create a brand identity for the REM Surrealist Film Festival in Boston, MA at the Charles Hayden Planetarium.
Tools:
Illustrator, Photoshop and Indesign
Role:
Art Director/Designer
Duration:
October 2024-December 2024
Mission Statement:
REM is a film festival dedicated to surreal films. Many deal with experiences of alternate realities induced by dreams, dellusions and hallucinations while others exist in a surreal universe of their own. The experience is held at the Charles Hayden Planetarium in Boston, Massachusetts for maximum immersion. The dome-shaped screen and booming surround sound speakers are meant to transport the viewer into another world and leave them questioning whether or not they are still experiencing the one they were before they came in.
How did we get here?
REM (Rapid Eye Movement) is a state of sleep in which the majority of our dreams happen. Brain activity during REM is similar to brain activity when we are awake, contributing to the dreams feeling real. Historically, surrealism has lent itself to the idea of the "collective unconscious," a term coined by psychoanalyst Carl Jung. The collective unconscious is a set of ideas and archetypes that all humans share in their subconscious that can be best accessed through dreams.
- REM: a state of sleep in which the majority of dreams happen. Brain activity resembles the awake state.
- Surrealism: an art movement dedicated to exploring the unconscious mind.
- Collective Unconscious: a term coined by Carl Jung describing a set of ideas and archetypes that all humans share in their subconscious.
In order to flush out my ideas, I created a moodboard for a visual direction, 100 sketches of potential logos, and a list of movies that I thought would be appropriate for the festival.
Logo Formula
I eventually chose my favorite logo sketch. This sketch was inspired by a top view cross-section of a human head combined with a butterfly. I chose this final logo because it's expressive, abstract and lends itself to the idea of dreams and surrealism.
