SAIM FEST or South Asian Indie Music Festival is a two-day event featuring two indie artists on each day, created to showcase and celebrate South Asian talent. the goal was to build an engaging community on the foundation of a shared love for indie music.
The hand-drawn logotype and tiger illustration were inspired by the hand-painted compositions found on trucks and lorries across South Asian countries—the bright colors, geometric layouts, and animal paintings used for storytelling and symbolism.
PROCESS + RESEARCH
1. WHAT: It is an indie music festival featuring south asian artists and the goal is to celebrate independant artists while also building an engaging community that supports and encourages up and coming talent.
WHO: South asians, anyone in their 20s-30s
WHEN: March 24th - 25th, 2024
WHY: To promote south asian talent, to form a community of people who want to get in touch with their roots in a celebratory way
WHERE: Forest Hills Stadium, Queens
2. After deciding the specifics of the festival, it was easier to decide the look and feel of it.
I wanted a handmade feel to it because the focus was on indie musicians.
I was inspired by the storytelling involved in each personalised composition found on the handpainted trucks that run on the roads of south asian countries, how flora and fauna became symbols for the stories of the truck drivers and I similarly wanted to do that for each artist that’s going to be performing.
Another inspiration was the handpainted signs that would be found before the entrance of barber shops, salons, juice shops, and many others. The logotype was largely inspired by these signs. I wanted the logotype to be memorable and stand out which was why I chose to sketch it out.
The tiger is often a symbolism for strength and protection against negativity, sometimes a spiritual guide and for that reason I chose it as an unofficial mascot (I was imagining it as something that would change every year depending on the theme) and a sort of framing device in the composition of the design.