Queensland Poetry Festival

Queensland Poetry Festival is an independent festival and arts organisation, which exists to support, cultivate and promote a vibrant poetry and spoken word culture in Queensland, as well as Australia and beyond. Gilimbaa was asked to develop the artwork for the 2017 Festival with the theme ‘Distant Voices’.

The brief was to conceptualise and challenge borders and barriers. The title became the key insight that informed the creative direction. In response to this, we developed a look and feel that was inclusive and conceptual. We re-imagined the perception of a border, creating a type treatment which challenged how to define a space, switching between soft, blurred open edges to sharp, distinct lines. The sandscape background adds depth and distance – imagining sand blowing in the wind, like a distant voice. This was paired with a ‘travel document/passport’ design style, taking inspiration from formal travel documentation.