Awakenings
Type:
Spec work · Music festival campaign
Role:
Campaign strategy · Poster design · Target audience analysis
Skills applied:
Visual storytelling · Demographic targeting · Conceptual design · Tone mapping
Overview:
This case study highlights the full development process of a campaign concept for Awakenings Festival, one of the world's most iconic outdoor techno events. Through audience research, design exploration, concept boards, and poster refinement, the goal was to build a high-impact promotional campaign that visually reflects the energy and aesthetic of Awakenings while resonating with its Millennial target audience. Objective:
To position Awakenings as more than a music festival, as a transformative, futuristic, and immersive experience that resonates with Millennial values like sustainability, creativity, and community engagement. The visual campaign is designed to evoke anticipation and emotional connection while communicating the forward-thinking identity of the brand.
Design approach:
The poster highlights energetic, vibrant moments shared between people under pulsating light and music, capturing the collective euphoria of live techno. A futuristic color palette, minimal typography, and digital textures were chosen to reflect the festival’s cutting-edge atmosphere and commitment to high-tech staging and immersive experiences.
In addition, the poster balances authenticity with visual ambition, offering a sense of intimacy, joy, and digital transcendence that mirrors the spirit of Awakenings. Subtle motion, clean grid alignment, and intentional framing help anchor the energy into a polished, purposeful layout.
Target audience & insights:
The campaign was aimed at Millennials (born between the early 1980s and early 2000s) who are tech-savvy, socially engaged, and experience-driven. Research showed this group values:
Sustainability
Interactive digital experiences
Aesthetic environments and music as lifestyle Instagram and other digital-first platforms were chosen as the primary media channels due to their influence on Millennial decision-making.
Results
The final poster design and campaign direction for Awakenings reflected a strong alignment between visual identity and audience expectations. Feedback from the survey guided key refinements that led to clearer messaging, better visual hierarchy, and more impactful communication. The use of vibrant colors, a bold font, and the addition of a QR code significantly increased user engagement during testing. Participants responded positively to the inclusion of the DJ lineup, and mockups helped visualize how the campaign could be applied across real-world media like bus stops, posters, and digital platforms. Overall, the campaign proved effective in bridging energy with clarity while maintaining brand consistency, offering strong potential for a real-life rollout.