Skills
Art Direction, Research, Video Production, Photography Curation
Timeline
6 weeks
Tools Used
Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, AfterEffects, Premiere, Lightroom
CHALLENGE
The ‘Golden Age’ of Film Noir lasted from the early 1940’s to the late 1950’s. Since then, post 1950’s Noir films and Neo-Noir has had some success but the genre is generally considered to be a relic of the past. The challenge is to bring Film Noir into the 21st century and revive its sense of relevance.
GOAL
To intrigue and attract a wider audience and increase visibility and attendance to the annual Seattle Film Noir Festival. I sought to give the festival a modern fresh feel while maintaining its timeless element.
SOLUTION
Seattle Film Noir Festival’s tagline is “Noir Never Dies”. The concept is that, while Film Noir was most visible fifty years ago, the underlying concepts of betrayal, mistrust, mystery and intrigue are all very much part of modern society. The currents that flow through classic Film Noir, and that give them such distinctive tension and poignancy, are still present today.
PROCESS
I sought to blend classic design elements such a Swiss Design, strong grid systems and timeless typefaces (Helvetica) with contemporary design devices such as broken type and emergence. I utilize classic Noir imagery while introducing my own modern Noir-inspired photography/footage and laying over that a unique modern aesthetic that highlights the meaning of the tagline: the dark story lines, sinister tension, mystery and intrigue that made Noir so distinct are alive and well today in our modern cityscapes.
