EMTA • 2022
Boosting a summer kickoff to unveil a fresh facility
The Erie Metropolitan Transit Authority provides public transit in Pennsylvania's 5th largest city. To support their growing community, EMTA spent 10 years and $72M developing a new downtown facility that functions as their headquarters, rentable retail space, and a 300-spot parking garage. To build community awareness for the opening of their new facility, EMTA created "14th Fest." I was approached by their event marketing partner, the Erie Downtown Partnership, to develop a visual identity and marketing assets to present 14th Fest as a cultural celebration to kick off summer.
Identity Research • Key imagery
Promotion Digital media • Print Collateral
The Mission The EMTA needed exciting event branding for 14th Fest that would drive diverse community engagement while sitting comfortably within their brand ecosystem.
The Solution I dug into trends from the current urban community and EMTA’s rich history to create visuals informed by the past, present, and future of downtown Erie.
The Result More than 500 people attended 14th fest, helping to establish the facility as a future pillar in the community and garnering interest in the new retail spaces.
Prework
Research & Ideation
When I was first approached, I was aware of the importance of making sure that 14th Fest would reflect the EMTA's mission and the unique culture of Erie. Therefore, I started my process by thoroughly researching my brief and its potential collateral. I was told that EMTA was interested in a psychedelic aesthetic inspired by gig posters from the late 1960’s, which became the lens through which I viewed the project. To further enrich that theme, I also looked into local influences from Erie’s downtown - such as vintage-themed boutiques, efforts to revive the cultural district, and renovation of various old buildings.
Prework
EMTA's History
Continuing my research, I looked into EMTA’s past to find vintage photographs of buses and buildings that could be referenced in the design. These assets provided a great opportunity to merge EMTA’s past and present - furthering the nostalgic feel of the design while highlighting EMTA’s long history of providing public transportation in the city.
Asset Creation
Typography
With clear goals in mind, I moved on to set the tone of the event through the typography. I chose a typeface that was familiar to the psychedelic aesthetic we were shooting for, and could be boldly warped while retaining its character. To balance it out, I used a more straightforward, yet still retro, sans-serif font to maximize the readability of important details.
Asset Creation
Key Elements
I chose cutouts from EMTA’s old photos and Erie’s downtown skyline to create a sense of familiarity and help tie the design back to its roots. I also brought in an ink-swirled pattern to help drive home the psychedelic inspiration, adding an element that could be visually interesting without commanding attention.
Asset Creation
Colors
The color palette used had to harken directly back to the EMTA, so I used their official colors of blue, green, and white. This helped to create a unified and recognizable look that was in line with EMTA’s existing branding.
Putting It to Work
Key Art
With the assets created, I could collect them into the full-size 11"x17” poster that would serve as the key art for 14th Fest. I subtly refined the design with paper textures, distressing effects, and screen-printed style overprints to add depth to the design and help solidify its vintage styling.
Putting It to Work
Digital Marketing Collateral
With the print approach covered, I focused on creating square-, tall-, and banner-format digital graphics to accompany the print poster and represent the event to a wider audience on social media platforms.
