When we started the studio, it was right when season one of the podcast StartUp was released. StartUp is an amazing show about quitting your job, and starting a company (in this case a podcast company, called Gimlet). Listening to StartUp taught us a ton, and it was awesome to hear other people going through the same uncharted territory the studio was going through. Gimlet as a company grew and went on to release over a dozen other podcasts, including some of our all-time favorites–Reply All and Mystery Show. Four years later our paths converged, and we got to work with Gimlet, on all the design work for their first festival, GimletFest.
With ten panel discussions, presentations, and performances, starring not only podcast hosts but many of their colorful subjects as well. GimletFest was an opportunity for Gimlet hosts and listeners to finally meet in person and come together like they had never done it before.
We partnered up with Makeout to create a brand and experience worthy of the event. The festival’s wordmark is a confluence of many different pieces of letterforms, much like Gimlet is a confluence of many different podcasts and people. We also created a ton of hand-drawn illustrations, that all relate to podcast episodes and inside jokes that fans would recognize. These simple illustrations were used all over the place, including on the website, on apparel, silkscreened, and animated.
By the end of the 2-day event, we learned a lot, met awesome new people, and got to see a lot of fellow podcast fans who had no trouble recognizing all of our obscure references.
CREDITS:
Creative Direction, Experience Design & Production:
Makeout
Makeout
Art Direction & Design:
The Collected Works
The Collected Works
Design:
Jose Berrio
Jose Berrio
Design Intern:
Amanda K Tarzia
Amanda K Tarzia
Web Development:
Nick DiMatteo
Nick DiMatteo
Event Photography:
Ignacio Linares and Makeout
Ignacio Linares and Makeout
Recap Video:
Courtesy of Makeout
Courtesy of Makeout
