Cascadia Poetry Festival 10
Client: Paul E. Nelson, Cascadia Poetics LAB
Timeline: Cascadia Poetry Festival 7–10, 2023–2026
CPF10 design development: Spring–Summer 2026
Format: 11 × 17 poster, event identity, bookmarks, Gold Passes, web banners, event website graphics, registration assets, social media assets.
Overview: I led the multi-year visual branding for the Cascadia Poetry Festival, developing a flexible system that supports evolving annual themes while maintaining clear recognition year to year.
Design Approach: Each festival year introduces a distinct color palette and visual emphasis while retaining shared typographic and illustrative elements drawn from Cascadia Poetics LAB’s broader identity.
Cascadia Poetry Festival 7 (2023) established the rebrand, laying the foundation for consistent visual elements across future festivals
Cascadia Poetry Festival 8 (2024) Developed a cohesive branding strategy spanning web, email, print, and social media. Integrated the theme of Cascadian Zen, Volume 2, drawing from artist Morris Graves’ color palette and incorporating motifs from the prior year’s logo for continuity.
Cascadia Poetry Festival 9 (2025) Maintained brand recognition while introducing a refreshed color scheme and adapting elements from the previous year’s logo to differentiate the annual theme.
Cascadia Poetry Festival 10 (2026) Marks the festival’s tenth anniversary with a landscape-driven identity centered on place, continuity, and scale.
For CPF10, the poster uses a layered Cascadian silhouette, mountain horizons, and a weathered print texture to establish a sense of regional history and physical presence. A restrained palette of forest greens, muted blue-greens, cream, and rose-red supports the milestone without becoming overly commemorative. Bold condensed typography gives the festival a strong public-facing presence, while the composition accommodates a substantial featured-poet list, sponsor recognition, venue information, and registration access without losing hierarchy.
Additional Collateral: Event logos, bookmarks, Gold Passes, tickets, web banners, registration graphics, event website assets, social media graphics, and sponsor logo integration across print and digital materials.
