At the end of March, OFFF again brings together some of the leading voices from the creative industry, who set trends for new imagery and aesthetics in design, art, entertainment and post-digital culture.
The festival is held from 23-25 March in Disseny Hub Barcelona, a few weeks earlier than usual, as the digital art exhibition ‘Digital Impact’ will be held in the same place for the first time in April.
Among the featured guests we find the Spanish artist, graphic artist, illustrator and typographer Alex Trochut; Brian Collins, founder and director of COLLINS, the BAFTA and Oscar-winning creative studio Framestore; the muralist and illustrator Timothy Goodman and the acclaimed American art director, designer and author James Victor; among many others.
The expanded program will feature iconic graphic designer David Carson, who will provide a workshop where festival attendees will be able to create their own poster using his famous collage technique; internationally renowned designer and artist Gemma O’Brien will hold an exclusive workshop in her bold artistic language, and Italian foundry Zetafonts will provide a hands-on session on typography.
Credit: OFFF / Vasava
As always, OFFF has distilled the essence of the experience into a unique and stunning visual identity for this year’s festival: ‘Cube’.
Designed to embody the amazement and surprise artists evoke from the audience, ‘Cube’ begins with a set of spaces that symbolize the diversity of the festival’s speakers and artists’ creative practices.
As the centerpiece of the campaign, a cubic object acts as a traveler on this journey. It floats through the spaces, absorbing the unique qualities of each space and transforming its shape, color and texture to reflect the transformative inspiration the audience receives from the speakers at OFFF. The rooms themselves exhibit varying behaviour, further emphasizing the imperfect and constantly evolving nature of the creative process.
The concept and creative execution of ‘Cube’ was led by Barcelona-based agency Vasava, which is also responsible for the festival’s wider brand identity.
Credit: OFFF / Vasava
“This year our approach was to capture the atmosphere of the venue,” explained Enric Godes, managing partner at Vasava. Godes told Creative Boom that his team was inspired by Disseny Hub’s concrete, brutalist architecture aesthetic. Vasava’s goal was to translate this aesthetic into “a hero’s journey-like story, where the cube – representing the audience – wanders through all the different stages and spaces of the festival. It allows us to show, metaphorically, ideas about the artists, the process, the skills, the lows, and as a result it gives us a deeper understanding of the creative process.”
To achieve this, Vasava collaborated with Found Studio to create stunning CGI and further develop the narrative. This collaboration brought ‘Cube’ to life, while Combustion Studio provided unique sound design to complete the immersive experience.
Credit: OFFF / Vasava
With its visually stunning, thought-provoking concept and stellar line-up, OFFF 2023 promises to be a truly inspiring event that celebrates diversity, constant change and the power of creativity. Tickets for the festival are now on sale via www.offf.barcelona.