Follow the White Rabbit
— Crafting a Monochrome Wonderland of Music and Design
In the dynamic realm of creative storytelling, I had the privilege of leading the art direction and branding for Follow the White Rabbit, one of Malta’s premier music event series held at the massive Tigullio Complex, St. Julian's. With six unique stages featuring genres like Afrobeats, Hip Hop, Techno, Psytrance, Experimental Music, and Live Bands, this event attracts over 2,000 attendees per edition.
Follow the White Rabbit transcends music events, offering a narrative-driven fusion of sound, performance, and immersive visuals. To date, the series has hosted four editions:
Edition 1: The Secret Hideout – April 8, 2023
Edition 2: Down the Rabbit Hole – July 8, 2023
Edition 3: The Round – March 30, 2024
Edition 4: Crazy Mad Hatter – November 30, 2024
1. The Challenge
Every creative project begins with a challenge. For Follow the White Rabbit, the goal was to visually communicate the essence of a vibrant, multi-genre music festival, inspired by Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland - 1865. This wasn’t just about creating visuals; it was about crafting a cohesive universe where every design element—from animations to merchandise—deepened the audience's connection to the story.
My role involved the art direction, branding identity, illustrator, animator, storyteller, transforming the Alice concept into a visually compelling, multi-dimensional experience and in the process, designing assets that resonated with audiences across both physical and digital platforms.
2. Creative Vision
The concept draws inspiration from Alice in Wonderland, reimagined through a monochromatic, early 20th-century rubber hose aesthetic (the black and white cartoons). This retro aesthetic became the foundation for the event's branding. The result was a distinct visual identity that stood out amidst the oversaturated, colour-heavy ads dominating social media feeds.
3. Creative Rules
Key creative rules I established for the brand included:
— Black & White Palette: Core colours: Pure Black (#000), Hospital White (#fff), Primary Gray (#dadada), and subtle transparent greys. Aimed at creating visual impact on both screens and print materials.
— Animation & Movement: Seamless looping animations synchronized with the provided song waveform beats, to reflect the energy of the genre.
— Narrative Approach: The Big Question: How would the story of Alice in Wonderland would look if was written from the rabbit’s perspective? The question that gives life to the story, evolving with each edition.
4. The Musical Journey
Every edition of Follow the White Rabbit was crafted as a cohesive micro-music-album, with each stage represented as a track, visually and audibly unique yet forming part of a greater whole. These short, rhythmic videos not only introduced the stages, music genres, hosts, and lineups but also served as standalone "songs" within a conceptual album for that edition. Each "track" (stage) was designed as a 30-second or less video, featuring unique synched animated layouts. The stage videos were rendered in multiple ratios and dimensions (9:16, 16:9, 1:1) to seamlessly integrate into platforms like Instagram Reels, Stories, and Facebook Posts.
This concept elevated the branding by combining visual storytelling with musical artistry, giving attendees a multimedia prelude to the event itself.
5. Design Execution
Here’s how I brought the monochrome wonderland to life through impactful visuals and strategic branding. Over four editions, I crafted a suite of multimedia assets tailored for both print and digital platforms:
— Dynamic Short Videos: High-energy video teasers set the tone for each edition and maintained engagement through cohesive visual and audio narratives.
— Print Collateral: Design Large-scale 6x4m billboards, A0 posters and other Din sizes, merchandise (e.g., T-shirts, stickers), and branded venue maps. Converted designs from RGB (digital) to CMYK (print) using tools like Adobe InDesign and Illustrator.
— Sponsor Integration: Custom artwork incorporating Jägermeister’s branding seamlessly into the event’s visual identity.
6. Design Details
— Logo Design: A combination of a dynamic text mark and an animated image mark. The text mark featured serif fonts, arranged in poetic yet informative layouts. The image mark is a running rabbit animated in four looped frames, symbolizing the event’s energy.
— Illustrations & Animation: The creative process combined traditional techniques and cutting-edge tools: Initial sketches brought to life using traditional pen and paper after; Hand Drawn Vector-based illustrations, enhanced with dynamic shadows. After Effects and Adobe Media Encoder ensured every animation resonated with the music's rhythm,
7. Software Utilized:
Adobe Illustrator, After Effects, Adobe Media Encoder, Photoshop, InDesign, Adobe Auditions, Autodesk SketchBook.
8. Innovative Engagement
Each edition unveiled fresh animations, elements, and layouts, enriching a cohesive, evolving animated universe. The evolving narrative ensured the brand felt fresh yet familiar with every iteration.
9. Results & Numbers
The branding efforts translated into tangible successes: Attendance exceeded 2,000 per event, with growth in social media engagement metrics (likes, shares, and comments). Positive feedback on the distinctive monochromatic aesthetic from attendees and stakeholders alike. Enhanced sponsor integration, including custom assets for Jägermeister, woven seamlessly into the event’s branding.
— Detailed Metrics for Each Edition For those interested in deeper insights, individual pages for each edition will showcase detailed performance metrics, including event page visits, social media impressions, engagement rates, and ticket sales. These numbers provide a closer look at how each edition resonated with audiences, offering valuable data for future iterations and collaborations.
10. One of the many Goals
One vision for Follow the White Rabbit is to build a comprehensive animated story, where each edition and stage creates a visual and auditory movie, this project reflects my multidisciplinary approach to design, merging art direction, graphic design, animation, and marketing strategy to craft immersive experiences that resonate deeply with audiences.
