Visual identity, festival banners and catalogue
Inderpreet Singh, Founder and Director of Programming of the Ottawa Indian Film Festival Awards (OIFFA), approached Design Postimage in 2018 to create a visual identity for his fledgling festival devoted to cultivating an audience for Indian cinema in the nation’s capital. He wanted a look that was bold and colourful, a style that would capture the Indian spirit and help make the festival a cultural oasis for the Indian diaspora, as well as an event where the larger Ottawa community could experience all things Indian.
OIFFA needed a logotype that embodied the energy and vibrant colour of the Indian cinematic tradition, and Inderpreet wanted it to be gold.
By adding filigree to the “O”, we created an icon that recalls both an aperture and Indian prints. This symbol has been foregrounded or used to create background texture, and it has become the hallmark of the festival.
We created banners, posters, social media graphics and a festival program that burst with colour. We proposed that the main image for each year be a photo composite, with Ottawa on one side and India on the other — meeting in the middle. The 2018 backdrop was a brightly lit downtown street at night with the Parliament Buildings next to the Mumbai City Hall. The 2019 image combined Ottawa’s locks and Château Laurier, the venue for the gala event, and an Indian riverside with revellers, candle light and fireworks.
This project was an exciting challenge, and it’s been very rewarding to see how the Indian community has responded to our work. Social media abounds with photos of people in their finest being photographed in front of the OIFFA banners and posters. At the gala presentations, our backdrops are as bright and dynamic as the award winners.
CLIENT: OIFFA
2018–present
