Ottawa Jazz Festival

The Ottawa Jazz Festival 2024 had one big goal: bring in a younger crowd without losing the loyal audience that had been jamming with them for years. First stop? A local vinyl shop. Flipping through classic jazz records sparked the inspiration needed to create a mood board full of bold colors and eclectic album art that captured the rhythm, energy, and free-flowing vibe of jazz.

While working together, the festival team spotted posters designed during an Adobe Live session and asked to explore that geometric, straight-line style for the campaign. But jazz is all about improvisation—straight lines didn’t quite capture the spirit. So, the design evolved. The team took a new direction, blending bold typography and cutouts of jazz instruments to bring in some of that unpredictability and life that jazz is known for. The result was a mashup that kept the structure of the original design but injected the playfulness and vibrancy the festival needed.

The campaign didn’t stop at posters plastered all over the city. The new visual identity expanded into merch—T-shirts, hoodies, tote bags, bucket hats, and more. And the best part? Everything sold out before the festival even wrapped. Huge win. The staff and volunteers also sported custom-designed T-shirts to make sure the festival’s bold identity was front and center throughout the event.

With over 180,000 attendees, the Ottawa Jazz Festival 2024 campaign nailed the challenge of pulling in a younger crowd while keeping the core audience engaged. The posters were everywhere, and the merch? Completely sold out. The design didn’t just promote the festival—it became an essential part of the experience, capturing the spirit of jazz for both new fans and long-time lovers alike.