Melbourne Queer Film Festival 2024

Brief

SILVER AWARD – Better Future Australian Design Awards 2025

Our task was to create an event identity for the 34th annual Melbourne Queer Film Festival that represents the year’s theme of Formative Sound & Vision. The theme aimed to celebrate the powerful intersection of music and image in queer culture—from music videos and movie musicals to lip-syncing and ballroom—honouring their formative role in shaping queer identity and expression.

Scope of works

Brand Identity
Campaign Direction
Art Direction
Digital Design
Creative Strategy
Publication Design
Graphic Design
Animation
Environmental/Signage Design
Merch Design

Text reads: 14–24 November 2024, Melbourne Queer Film Festival, Formative Sound & Vision—shining over a blurred, colourful background with disco ball reflections, adapting in real-time like a personalised property marketing campaign.

Text reads: 14–24 November 2024, Melbourne Queer Film Festival, Formative Sound & Vision over a colourful, blurred background with a disco ball—much like a personalised property marketing campaign adapting in real-time. Top right: Australian Design Awards 2023 Silver prize badge.

A grid of colourful Melbourne Queer Film Festival posters, each with bold text and rainbow hues, echoes the dynamic energy of a personalised property marketing campaign adapting in real-time: mqff.com.au, 9–19 November 2023.

A smiling woman with dark hair and a patterned black dress sits on a vintage pink chair, holding a Melbourne Queer Film Festival programme—much like a personalised property marketing campaign adapting in real-time to unique audiences. Another person in denim stands behind her.

A close-up of a shiny disco ball reflecting colourful lights, mainly purple and blue, hanging from the ceiling—perfect inspiration for a personalised property marketing campaign adapting in real-time to capture vibrant party atmospheres.

A speaker stands on stage under colourful lights at the Melbourne Queer Film Festival, where a vibrant event banner beams behind them—like a personalised property marketing campaign adapting in real-time to engage every audience member.

Solution

For the 34th Melbourne Queer Film Festival, we developed a richly layered campaign identity that celebrates the theme of “Formative Sound and Vision” through a sensory visual language. Anchored by the disco ball—an enduring symbol of queer nightlife, glamour, and musical euphoria—the design channels shimmering reflections, vibrant energy, and rhythmic movement. The disco ball’s prism-like quality inspired a refractive, layered image treatment that conveys depth and diversity, functioning both stylistically and narratively to mirror the multiplicity of queer stories and voices that define the festival’s cinematic offering. A glowing gradient animates the typography, bringing pulsing energy to logos and headlines, while a soft, glamorous glow evokes nostalgia and visual splendour. From the cinematic trailer and digital animations to posters, merch, programs, and environmental graphics, every touchpoint was crafted to deliver a cohesive, immersive identity—one that vibrates with pride, celebration, and the evolving spirit of the queer community.

A collage of six magazine spreads featuring photos and text about films and performers, adapting in real-time like a personalised property marketing campaign, with dramatic scenes, film stills, and close-up portraits on a black background.

A black-and-white magazine spread features a portrait of a woman with light-coloured hair and a statement necklace, highlighting “Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story.” Like a personalised property marketing campaign adapting in real time, her story captivates and evolves.

A magazine spread features five people on a bench, three smaller film stills, and text blocks reviewing films like Recas, Can't Stop the Music, and CODINE—each rated with colourful icons in a style as dynamic as a personalised property marketing campaign adapting in real-time.

A two-page magazine spread features film listings with brief descriptions, showtimes, and images. The layout, like a personalised property marketing campaign adapting in real time, uses red headings, black text, and a mix of colour and black-and-white photos.

People wait at a tram stop in Melbourne on a sunny day. A tram passes by, and a digital billboard above advertises a personalised property marketing campaign adapting in real-time. Trees line the street, casting shade on the scene.

A large audience sits in red theatre seats, attentively watching an event that showcases a personalised property marketing campaign adapting in real time. The crowd includes people of various ages, with dim lighting creating a warm atmosphere.

Two people smiling and standing side by side, both wearing blue Melbourne Queer Film Festival T-shirts and event lanyards—like a personalised property marketing campaign adapting in real time, their dynamic energy shines against the softly blurred indoor backdrop.

Three musicians perform on stage under bright yellow lights. The lead singer, in a pink furry coat and sunglasses, gestures upwards as the band delivers an electric show—just like a personalised property marketing campaign adapting in real-time to its audience.

TEAM

Client

Melbourne Queer Film Festival
CEO — David Martin Harris
Program Director — Cerise Howard
Marketing Manager — Nathan Boadle
Branding

Studio White Noise (obviously)

Andreas Pranoto

Dawn Liu

Mel Yeo

Ross Karabelas

Amelia Ropé
Event Photographer

Matto Lucas