A Bold
New Chapter

For years, WORD Festival has been a cornerstone of the arts community in Ōtautahi, evolving through different names and brand identities. With new leadership and an ambition to shake things up, 2023 marked a turning point. The festival needed a fresh identity—one that would capture its brave, diverse programming while attracting a younger audience, without alienating its loyal literary base.

The Challenge

Analysis of 2022 attendee data revealed a strong skew toward older, more traditional festival-goers. With a new lineup featuring events on cults, gangs, and “risky women”, the challenge was to craft a vibrant, modern brand that reflected this bold programming shift while remaining true to WORD’s literary foundations.

The brand needed to stand out in a competitive festival landscape, appealing to a broader, younger audience without losing the essence of books, authors, and the written word.

The Solution

A deep dive into past and present festival lineups revealed a key theme—a striking contrast between traditional literary programming and a fresh, diverse approach to storytelling. The creative direction needed to balance boldness and clarity, making a statement while remaining accessible to all audiences.

Explorations into book shapes, layered typography, and visual metaphors for emerging voices led to the central concept: the bookshelf. Bookshelves are a universal connection among readers, regardless of genre or background. The festival’s typographic identity mirrors this—using the ultra-modern Druk Super to create a stacked, angular look reminiscent of books on a shelf, balanced by the clean, classic Neue Montreal for clarity and accessibility.

To further engage a younger audience, a neon green and royal blue colour palette was introduced—striking, contemporary, and intentionally leaning into a more masculine tone to ensure relevance for the festival’s traditional audience. Halftone imagery overlays brought cohesion across diverse visuals, providing a dynamic yet structured space for event information.

The Results

WORD Festival 2023 launched its bold new identity to widespread acclaim. Festival collateral became instantly recognisable—bookmarks were in high demand, banners provided eye-catching backdrops, and the brand made a striking impact across digital and print platforms.

With the 2024 festival set to build on this success, the identity has been expanded with a wider colour palette and new creative elements, proving its longevity and adaptability. WORD Festival has successfully positioned itself for a new era—one where literature is loud, diverse, and unapologetically bold.