Saratoga Jazz Festival

2021

Overview

The Saratoga Jazz Festival is one of the longest-running jazz festivals in the United States, held annually at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center in New York. Celebrating the rich and diverse sounds of jazz, the festival brings together iconic legends and emerging talent for a weekend of unforgettable performances.

As part of a collaboration between the Skidmore College Communication Design Department and the Saratoga Jazz Festival event team, the Communication Design III class had the opportunity to pitch their own creative work for that summer’s festival. My design was chosen, and I worked over the course of the next few weeks to develop a visual identity for the Summer 2021 festival.

Process

The Saratoga Jazz Festival is one of the longest-running jazz festivals in the United States, held annually at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center in New York. Celebrating the rich and diverse sounds of jazz, the festival brings together iconic legends and emerging talent for a weekend of unforgettable performances. Set against the picturesque backdrop of Saratoga Springs, the event features multiple stages, food vendors, and a welcoming atmosphere for music lovers of all ages. With its blend of world-class music and vibrant energy, the Saratoga Jazz Festival has become a beloved summer tradition for jazz enthusiasts.

The 2020 festival was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so this summer marked a huge milestone in the comunity, with vaccination widespread, the community was eager to return to group activities and an event they alwasy looked forward to.

In developing the visual identity for the festival, I focused on jazz instruments to create a composiiton for posters, T-shirts, and more. Hand-drawn illustrations highlighted the fun and family friendly nature of the events. I designed posters and T-shirts for the festival, which advertised the event in town and shirts were sold at the festival.