Mill Valley Film Festival — Rudi O'Meara

Mill Valley Film Festival

Challenge /

It’s rare that an arts organization has its act as together as the Mill Valley Film Festival does. Thanks in large part to Festival founder and CFI Director Mark Fishkin, and CFI’s long-time broadcast partners at Scheyer, MVFF has attracted the Bay Area’s finest designers (Mark Fox, Bill Cahan, Michael Osborne, et al.) from the very beginning. So it was my honor to be tapped to create the look for year 29. The brief: it should be vivid, it should be bold, it should say the circus is coming to town. And it should hint at the curatorial vision that drives the Festival year after year. Long story short, it should tell a big story in a big way.

Right up my alley…

Solution /

Pretty nice to have a project that’s all about design every once in a while. And this one was no exception. Working closely with Fishkin and his team of programmers and curators, I explored a range of themes—some drawn from what I knew the Festival stood for (and how it stands apart from the Sundance and Tribeca, say), and some drawn from the themes that were emerging across the screening calendar. In the end, everyone gravitated to the simplest direction—and iconic campaign that was as colorful and attention-getting as the festival itself.

The whole thing was a total blast from the get-go.

Perianne

Oakland Raiders