River & Sky
River & Sky is an annual music and camping festival along the Sturgeon River in Field, Ontario, Canada thats merges art and nature at Fishers’ Paradise, an amazingly secluded campground that feels a million miles away from the city and the doldrums of modernity.
I have had the pleasure of working with the R&S team as lead designer for the festival since 2019. My work has included posters, social media graphics, web and billboard ads, and merch.
Client
River & Sky Music and Camping Festival
Disciplines
Branding & Identity, Illustration
Exploration
Working with the festival director and marketing lead, I presented different ideas, with themes exploring the festival experience and the intersection of river, sky, art, nature, and culture.
Denouement – The Untagnling
After experiencing the festival for the first time in 2018, I concluded the single most unique experience is the ability to lay in the river and listen to music surround you in nature — that is captured in the illustration that merges river, sky and musical bliss. I used colour to create two versions to depict both night and day. The 2019 festival also included the creation of a series of social media graphics, a t-shirt design, web media, billboard and print ads, as well as a printed program, which is used by almost everyone in attendance as there is no cellular or internet connection at the venue — attendees must rely on the program to learn about some of the more obscure acts and vendors on the lineup.
2020 Festival
With no audience except for a few lucky campers and staff running the production, the festival went on in a different format in 2020 — a series of live videos recorded over a 1 month period at Fishers’ Paradise, and released online throughout the year. I illustrated a poster depicting the empty Beach Stage – the secret favourite stage of most attendees – longing for its audience. I created a poster and social media graphics that were used to promote the series of videos.
2021 Festival
In 2021, the festival went on with a reduced capacity due to the ongoing pandemic, but returned to an in-person format. I worked with a fellow illustrator, Sonia Ekiyor-Katimi, who created the main image. I designed the poster, social media promos and the program to compliment and feature the artwork by the artist.
2022 Festival
Since 2019, I’ve had the pleasure of creating the poster and design for R&S, and in 2022 I was able to finally create a concept that I have been thinking of since the beginning. I illustrated local flora and fauna you may find lurking in the woods at the venue at Fishers’ Paradise in Field, Ontario along the Sturgeon River to create a poster, program, social media content and merchandise including a t-shirt and bandana. I used my favourite palette – technicolour.
