The festival's colourful campaign is designed to feel like an invite to an epic house party.
A scalable GIF set is at the heart of BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend campaign
The campaign for BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend has burst onto the scene, arriving in the form of bright, cartoony characters that have been brought to life in the form of a series of animated GIFs.
BBC Radios 1's Big Weekend kicks off the festival season
Created in collaboration between illustrator Jose Mendez and Studio Output, the GIFs are part of a colourful brand identity which aims to promote the festival as a house party where everyone is invited.
The characters will appear online, on posters, and on TV ads
Stylised dancing ice creams jig along with hot dogs and other festival goers in a scalable system of GIFs. Accompanying the wacky GIF set are characters and textures that take their inspiration from the local, family feel of the events and the stately home where the festival takes place.
The GIF characters appear throughout the campaign
Complete with a TV advert produced by Found, this campaign is designed to convey a fresh, vibrant look that is gauged to suit a set list that includes some of the world's biggest acts and up and coming talent.
The artwork and character design was aimed at apeing the feel of an underground music fanzine, and whether it has succeeded at that is a matter of opinion. The stylised characters should appeal to a wide demographic, and with that brief it can be difficult to successfully create a distinctive identity.
Just like BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend itself, this unashamedly mainstream campaign caters to a broad selection of musical tastes. Expect to see it leaping out of your screen as it kicks off the festival season.
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Dom Carter is a freelance writer who specialises in art and design. Formerly a staff writer for Creative Bloq, his work has also appeared on Creative Boom and in the pages of ImagineFX, Computer Arts, 3D World, and .net. He has been a D&AD New Blood judge, and has a particular interest in picture books.
