The creative challenge was to assess our given client’s current context and identify issues surrounding their brand, positioning, assets, and competition. We were then tasked to present a new identity that is an improvement and better serves the client, along with a graphics standards manual and supporting assets – in this submission, highlighting the identity and supporting assets.

Founded in 1998, the Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival (VIMFF) unites communities and fosters the exchange of ideas and experiences among filmmakers, creatives, outdoor enthusiasts, and the public. From its humble beginnings in North Vancouver, VIMFF has grown into a global platform with over 24,000 annual attendees. The festival offers features film screenings, multimedia presentations, photography exhibitions, workshops, seminars, community events and more – a gathering place for cultural exchange, education, and inspiring the spirit of adventure in mountain culture.

The focus of this rebrand aims to capture the essence of the VIMFF experience: where diverse paths intersect, and the outdoors is brought vividly to life through the storytelling of film. The design strategy directs a focus to the core film festival, while honouring the community surrounding mountain culture.

Central to the identity mark and graphic system is the concept of “bringing the outside in” through the use of pathways – inviting viewers to embark on a visual journey where diverse paths converge. These pathways represent the vast journeys taken through mountain sports that all come together to be shared in one place, the festival. Just as adventurers follow their unique paths in the mountains, these pathways also symbolize the different walks of life from VIMFF’s diverse audience that converge at VIMFF – emphasizing the stories and contagious passion that unite the global mountain community at VIMFF.

The identity mark also encompasses multiple abstract representations. The icon draws inspiration from the iris of an eye, speaking the filmmakers and adventurers who explore the mountains and invite others to witness the world’s beauty firsthand. Additionally, the mark evokes the act of looking through a camera’s viewfinder, a symbol for capturing moments of adventure and storytelling through film. Finally, with references back to nature itself with elements resembling both the sun and a snowflake – fitting symbols for VIMFF’s celebration of the outdoors, from the ocean horizons to the mountaintops.