Graphic Design and Branding Competition

The LFA has launched a graphic design competition to create and oversee the branding and merchandising for the 2019 edition of the Festival, welcoming applications from creatives across the industry, including graphic designers, architects, designers and artists.

The competition aims to harness the creativity of individuals and organisations with a passion and interest in graphic design, to develop a fresh and exciting new perspective on the LFA’s online, print and product presence. Tying into the Festival’s mission to champion budding talent at all stages and from all disciplines, the project also offers the opportunity for the winning applicant to showcase their graphic design skills to London’s wider architectural community and the Festival’s global audience.

Since its founding in 2004, the LFA has grown to become the world’s largest annual architecture festival, attracting a public audience of well over 600,000 people in 2018 and a global media audience of millions. As a result, the impressive community of architecture and design practices and practitioners, leading cultural and academic institutions, artists and many others that shape the Festival’s programme of events each June, has only grown and diversified, to deliver a Festival programme that has something for everyone.

This competition therefore marks the beginning of a larger step-change in the Festival branding and merchandising to reflect this growth and enable the LFA Team to increase the quality, breath and lasting impact of the materials that visitors associate with the Festival.

This will include devising a strategy to develop a range of LFA branding material that can be displayed at events and distributed to organisers, as well as the design of online and print graphics and templates, ranging from letterheads to the formatting of the press material issued at the annual programme launch each May. Building on the Festival’s existing brand presence, this project offers the winning applicant the creative freedom to develop this in a unique direction, aiding organisers in their branding and improving wayfinding for visitors as they explore various events, while helping to further establish the Festival as a recognisable brand across the capital. We’re not looking for our branding to respond directly to this year’s theme, but to be usable over a number of years with different themes.

The competition is a two-stage submission, with applicants invited to submit their initial expressions of interest by midnight on Sunday 10 March. The shortlisted applicants will then present their proposals to the jury who will decide the winner. Uniquely, for this competition, jury will be made up of the small and dynamic LFA team, along with Steven Harding from Goodfellow Communications, our PR Agency.

The winning applicant will be awarded a monthly retainer of £1,500 and will work closely withthe LFA team throughout the next six months. If necessary, this can include desk space for the winner – potentially a great place from which to start and grow a business.

Full details can be found in the competition brief here (pdf).

Submissions must be made via the link below.

[THIS COMPETITION HAS NOW CLOSED]

A range of images below from last year show LFA merchandise in use.