Introduction
Aftershock History
Aftershock is California’s largest Hard Rock music festival, located in its capital, Sacramento. Running its 12th consecutive year, Aftershock is known for its extensive and diverse lineup, multiple stages with big headliners, large attendance, and sense of community, drawing all walks of life internationally.
Problem Statement
Strategically design a cohesive and memorable brand identity that captures the energy and experience of the Aftershock Music Festival, while advancing the brand’s visual language to capture the attention of likely and unlikely audiences, with the main goal of gaining ticket sales. Other important goals include selling merchandise, providing information, and improving the user experience through intuitive user interfaces.
Goals
1. Improve and develop a new brand identity.
2. Create collateral for digital, print, and environment.
3. Immerse the audience into the Hard Rock genre.
2. Create collateral for digital, print, and environment.
3. Immerse the audience into the Hard Rock genre.
Brand Identity
To enhance the brand identity I researched audiences and competitors to find trends, best practices, and event history to build a memorable and engaging system. This system has a consistent look and feel across all collateral, this includes color, form, typography, textures, and materials. This system will be deployed in print, digital, and environmental design. The new brand identity utilizes the history of previous Aftershock identities by incorporating an innovative California bear to maintain recognizability and brand value.
Collateral
Buttons
Stickers
Water Bottles
T-Shirts
Totes
Hats
Way-finding, Map
Large Scale Env. Design
Band Banner System
Large Scale Env. Design
Band Banner System
Website
Social Media Campaign
Tickets / Schedule App
Social Media Campaign
Tickets / Schedule App
16x20” Concept Poster
(3 Unique Concepts)
Sac State Billboard Digital Ad
Bus-wrap
Bus Shelter Poster (24x36”)
ID Badges & Wristbands
VIP Invitation, Postcards (6x9”)
Parking Passes
VIP Package
(3 Unique Concepts)
Sac State Billboard Digital Ad
Bus-wrap
Bus Shelter Poster (24x36”)
ID Badges & Wristbands
VIP Invitation, Postcards (6x9”)
Parking Passes
VIP Package
BRAND COLORS
To create brand recognition and capture the Aftershock experience, based on research I have created a square color palette with Blazing Red, Neon Purple, Toxic Green, and Electric Blue. Each of these colors has a secondary palette to apply energy and depth in imagery, as well as legibility in text.
The aforementioned proto-personas have influenced this four-color square color palette that represents the diverse population in both the Hard Rock music community and the Sacramento / California region. This is due to the rising population of Hispanics and African Americans becoming more interested in the Hard Rock music genre. Aftershocks population is split 50% between men and women. According to Design Modo, the colors that intrigue men the most are dark and saturated; they also tend to lean towards blue colors. According to Design Modo, women lean towards tinted pastels and prefer pink and purple.
TRIADS
Triads were created to create a foundation for further stages such as triads, thumbnails, and mood boards. These words were found through a mindmap of words associated with imagery, sound, and feelings in the Aftershock music festival.
VISUAL MATRIX
To create a visual language in the brand system, a visual matrix was created. Based on the Blue Collar White Male proto-persona, according to Design Modo men like imagery with energy that is sharper around edges and corners, as well as shapes that consist of triangles and squares. For my Woman Hard Rock fan proto-persona, according to Design Modo, prefer softer imagery that involves more curves and circles.
MOODBOARDs
FONT SELECTION: NEW NORD
Research indicated that a bold, serifed typeface would be the most legible for giving information. This typeface also interrelates with the organic evil visual matrix with its modulated thickness of lines. This typeface includes a large font family which allows for easy integration of type hierarchy, improving the user experience.
THUMBNAIL SKETCHES
REFINED THUMBNAILS
DIGITAL SKETCH SOLUTIONS
ADVANCED DIGITAL SKETCH SOLUTIONS
FINAL SOLUTION
Based on peer review, this final solution best captures the Aftershock experience and reaches out to the largest possible audience. It captures men and women with its combination of rough and softer shapes. It invites diversity among cultures with its vibrant neon four-way square color palette, as well as gender with its blue and pink hues of color. The design highlights aspects of California’s mountainous terrain to target nearby Sacramento and California residents, which can be further expanded upon in other collateral by highlighting other regions such as forests. Using electronics and applying them to the California bear from previous Aftershock events I targeted those who work in the tech workforce, because according to Standard Insights 1.5 million people in California work in this industry, making up 7.7% of the overall state workforce. To capture the energy of the event, as well as grab the attention of those passing by I expanded upon the two-dimensional bear and made the bear 3 dimensional and come out towards the viewer, inviting them in to discover more information.
VISUAL SYSTEM
Electricity
Mountains
Trees
California Cyborg Bear
Claws
Lightning
Technology
Sharp
Organic
Mountains
Trees
California Cyborg Bear
Claws
Lightning
Technology
Sharp
Organic
BRAND LOGO
Research suggested that using bold, serifed, and decorative fonts would help capture Gen Z audiences, as well as Blue Collar White Males according to Design Modo. Gen Z (1997–2012) leans towards maximalism and Millenials (1981–1996) lean towards minimalism so combining both styles and meeting the two in the middle resulted in a clean yet energy-packed dynamic logotype. The logotype has baseline shifts, varying line width, close kerning, and purple hue colors which gives it a playful feel that will also attract Woman Rock Fans.
AWARENESS
AWARENESS OVERVIEW
Raising awareness is the first step to getting the word out that the Aftershock Music Festival is coming to Sacramento. In order to inform the public, we will take our messaging and deliver it to them both physically and digitally to maximize its reach to likely and unlikely audiences.
Social Media Campaign
Bus Poster & Bus Wrap
Billboard
Postcard
Bus Poster & Bus Wrap
Billboard
Postcard
SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGN STORYBOARDING
URGENCY
The goal of this campaign is to generate a sense of urgency by reminding the audience of the limited time left to purchase, as well as building anticipation for those who already have a ticket. Urgency will be depicted by having electricity striking the number of days left, which will also create a strong feeling of energy. For TikTok, there will be a motion graphic to grab the attention of the lightning striking abruptly, and the number radiating electricity.
EXPERIENCE
The goal of this campaign is to highlight audience experiences while attending the event. This includes feeling the music, taking pictures for memories, having a sense of community, and seeing their favorite artists perform. This will be depicted by highlighting imagery of the crowd, soundwaves, cameras, or singers in front of the crowd.
VALIDATION / CREDIBILITY
The goal of this campaign is to add credibility, and validation to the music festival by informing the audience of how this is the largest Rock Music Festival in the North American region. This will be reinforced in the visuals by having a massive stage, with a giant robot bear towering over the audience.
TRIVIA
The goal of this campaign is to inform the audience of which artists are performing, create a fun post that generates engagement through a trivia questionnaire, and then with animation reveal the most popular choices.
SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGN
In order to target a wide range of audiences, social media campaigning will take place across TikTok, Facebook, and Twitter for international awareness. For older audiences according to Sprout Social, ages 40+ account for 51% of Facebook users. For younger generations 39 and below, younger generations on TikTok account for 65% of user demographics and Instagram records at 64%. While planning out the campaign I analyzed competitors and focused on sharing the experiences, sense of urgency, and credibility aspect of promotion.
BUS POSTER AND BUS WRAP
With the bus poster and bus wrap, awareness of the Aftershock music festival will be amplified. The target audience of Sacramento residents can be targetted through their daily commutes on public transportation, or while someone is driving they may spot the bus or bus poster while on the way to work, or school, while going out for lunch, or while the audience is going for a walk and exploring the city. This strategy is very effective, and according to the Outdoor Advertising Association of America (OAAA), vehicle wraps generate up to 600 impressions per mile. Buses typically drive within the city and occasionally on the freeway.
BILLBOARD
To capture the audience who may be driving long distances outside of the city, billboards can increase the range of our advertising. In highly condensed areas such as Los Angeles according to AdQuick a billboard on average will generate 948,000 impressions, and on average cost $5,632.55 as of 2024. It is a very cost-effective advertising method, and on average according to International Outdoor, billboards have an 85% engagement rate among consumers. Comparing our billboard to other successful billboards it is ideal to keep the information brief since many drivers will pass by it at 65+ MPH.
POSTCARD
We have captured audiences online and on the road, now it is time to capture those not on social media apps. According to Smartpress, postcards have the highest response rate when compared to other direct mail formats. It is very cost-effective, and according to PsPrint, 57% of people say postcards make them feel special. It can also be a tool to selectively send out to concentrated areas such as one of our target audiences, Sacramento residents.
PLANNING
PLANNING OVERVIEW
The audience has become aware of the event and now they want to find out more information and begin scheduling their hotels, purchasing tickets, and buying merchandise. The goal is to provide a smooth and seamless user experience through the user interfaces of both the landing page and scheduling app to add a positive experience to a stressful or frustrating period of the process of planning to attend a music festival.
Landing Page
Scheduling
Tickets
Scheduling
Tickets
WIREFRAMING
Through wireframe research I compared successful music festivals’ user interfaces such as Coachella and When We Were Young and unsuccessful music festivals such as KnotFest. For successful websites, use a tabular layout and keep only necessary information on the screen in order to not create a distracting experience. Being able to have a shopping cart and support button that follows you as you scroll improves your user experience since at any moment you may want to go to your cart but then you have to waste time scrolling to the top, or you may have a question but don’t want to leave the page you have a question about. Here I considered the importance of information through hierarchy and accounted for all web surfing possibilities to ensure the smoothest user experience.
LANDING PAGE
When researching successful music festival competitors for the website I noticed that they put tickets and hotels as the most important option in their hierarchy. Next after that was merchandise since according to Audience Republic, merchandise sales account for 61% of total sales. Finally, at the bottom of the page, I highlighted the experiences featured at Aftershock to generate hype amongst the audience and convince them that they need to attend this festival by creating a fear of missing out.
SCHEDULING
Through my comparative assessment, I found that the other popular music festivals used a very simplistic layout for their ticket and hotel scheduling sections, while also keeping descriptions short but detailed. Also for added convenience, since on this page they will be using it for planning out their trip, the date is placed at the very top to remind the users so they don’t have to search. On this page, the cart will move to the top bar and will display the quantity of items in your cart from both tickets and merchandise items.
TICKETS
The ticket system is fully digital and you are able to see your tickets on the Aftershock website, or in your email. You also have the option to print and cut out your tickets at home, all that matters is that you have your QR code ready at the check-in area.
WAITING
WAITING OVERVIEW
Now that the customer has scheduled their hotel, tickets, and purchased merchandise they will have nothing to do during this waiting period. I have successfully met the goal of improving this experience by keeping the audience interested with new content, as well as delivering their long-anticipated merchandise so they can show off that they are attending the biggest hard rock concert in Western America.
COLLATERAL
VIP Package
Buttons & Stickers
T-Shirts
Water Bottles
Hats
Buttons & Stickers
T-Shirts
Water Bottles
Hats
STICKERS
While waiting a sticker sheet will be sent along with their tickets. According to Design Modo, Generation Z is more likely to show self-expression, and these stickers will help target a younger audience since the younger generation will be inclined to personalize their water bottles, laptops, and other various items. These stickers were aimed towards my proto-personas with their imagery of a soft cute bear targeting Woman Rock Fans, the bear destroying a California landmark targeting Sacramento Residents, the clean minimalistic branding of the Aftershock “A”, as well as rougher line quality bear that targets Blue Collar Males. With this wide range, there is a sticker for everyone.
BUTTONS
Buttons will be used as another fun way for Generation Z to express their personality by attaching buttons to their backpacks, clothes, and other soft materials.
HATS
It is important to include merchandise at the Aftershock music festival. According to AtVenu, an average of 20% of attendees will purchase merchandise. According to Pew Research, 22% of purchases will be made online for merchandise. Research indicated that the most popular color for wearable merchandise in the Hard Rock music genre is black.
T-SHIRTS
To have a wide range of options, the shirts will come in both white and black with different styles to captivate a larger audience. Shirts will come with enlarged graphics for Generation Z who like maximalism, and smaller graphics for the older crowd who prefers minimalism. There will be an exclusive shirt for the VIP package with the Aftershock bear but in a monochrome green color scheme.
WATER BOTTLES
The Aftershock water bottle is for everyone, but will primarily target Woman Rock Fans because of the recent rise in popularity on social media of other water bottles such as Stanley Cups which are dominantly used by Women. The Aftershock water bottle will come in three different colors, blue, purple, and green. Green will be an exclusive item for the VIP Package.
VIP Package
To create a special experience for Aftershock super fans, a VIP package was created. This package will allow access to the VIP Lounge at the event, separate front-row access at all stages, artist meet-and-greet opportunities, and a handful of merchandise items! This includes a water bottle, hat, shirt, buttons, sticker sheet, VIP badge, and VIP invitation. To uplift VIP members they get the most striking color to make them stand out and feel special.
EXPERIENCE
WRISTBANDS
Wristbands will be provided at the door for general admission, but VIP members will receive theirs in the mail so they can show up to the experience prepared, get the VIP treatment through early access to skip the opening lines, as well as get access to a secluded VIP area. For differentiation of General Admission and VIP Admission, a different color will be used to make it easier for staff to spot admission status from afar.
TOTES
To improve the experience of exploring Aftershock, adding convenience to shoppers I have included official Aftershock tote bags up for sale at the event. These tote bags will encourage attendees to purchase more with their ability to carry more items during such a hectic event.
PARKING PASSES
To give employees an easy experience in finding authorized and unauthorized parked cars, a parking pass will be available for purchase to get a spot close to the action. Parking passes will generate a small amount of revenue, according to Los Angeles Times parking passes have a profit margin of 6%. But with the attendance Aftershock has, this revenue will add up to hundreds of thousands of dollars.
LARGE-SCALE ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN & MAP
To enhance navigation at the event Large-Scale wayfinding will be used to reduce the frustration of guests and make the job easier for employees since they won’t have to direct attendees as often. The signage will stay in theme with the brand identity to further immerse them into the Aftershock festival. When comparing other successful events I found that grand and memorable signage reinforces Miller’s law which will help attendees avoid cognitive overload. Each type of signage will have its distinct look so you will be able to tell the distance from afar whether a sign is directional, celebratory, monument, or other.
BAND BANNER SYSTEM
The band banner system will utilize artwork from the bands, and inform attendees of who is performing, and where to find them. These banners will be cycled every day of the event, helping eventgoers find their way and remember when their favorite artist is performing so they don’t miss out. These banners will also amplify the experience by immersing attendees in the artwork and the feelings they provide.
ID BADGES
Badges are used primarily by event employees to differentiate attendees in order to allow access to VIP zones to those with access, and secondarily by attendees to identify who is working at the event. The badges are differentiated by color and imagery on the badge.
FOLLOW-UP
Follow-Up Overview
Now that the event is complete it is time to reach out to festival goers to see what they thought about the event. Here we will get feedback about the good and the bad. It is also a time to keep Aftershock on their minds for Aftershock 2025.
COLLATERAL
Text Message & Email
Survey
Survey
TEXT SURVEY
To get feedback on the Aftershock experience from attendees to improve the experience for the next Aftershock a text survey will be sent out to everyone through text.
NEXT EVENT
To keep interested, those who sign up to stay updated will receive an exclusive 10% discount for the next Aftershock, as well as early ticket-buying access to guarantee a spot at the event. This will also be an opportunity to inform those who sign up about what will be new at the next event, or when the merchandise has dropped.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, my brand identity was a success in targeting likely and unlikely audiences and maximizing ticket sales. If I had to change anything during this process, I would have spent more time on my large-scale environmental signage to improve the wayfinding strategy, and signage, and create a larger sign family. I would also spend time creating exclusive vinyl to target older audiences. I would also like to focus on improving the quality of the design for the tickets and social media campaign.