Branding ❋ Print ❋ Layout

ZEAL MAG

Zeal is a hybrid magazine blending the physical and digital, with a focus on fashion, art, and culture through the lens of emerging technology. Issue 002 – The Identity Issue explores the reclamation and evolution of identity in the digital age.

As Design Director, I led the layout design, contributed to branding efforts, and photographed the content for the Morgen Los article in Berlin, which became the cover feature of the second issue.

The Project

Logo

Section 1

Wordmark
& Colours

The concept of a wordmark for the brand came up during a team conversation about logos and branding. Playground already has a logo, so why would we need a wordmark? The Playground logo, or "Symbol" as we now call it, is beautifully intricate, but I explained that there would be times when a simpler, less detailed representation would be more practical.

I felt that the Symbol should always carry weight and feel intentional whenever it’s used. This mindset comes from my time working with Apple, where the Fruit logo was never used lightly. It acted as a stamp of quality, and I felt the same principle should apply to the Playground Symbol.

Section 2

Lineup Poster

The Design for the lineup had to bring together all aspects of the festival and give them equal footing.

Using Midjourney I created a soft, floral background that captures the warm, end-of-summer energy of the festival. Inspired by wellness and holistic design trends, the background brings a sense of calm and connection, reflecting the festival’s focus on mindfulness and community.
I designed a clear visual hierarchy for the poster, placing the headlining DJs prominently at the top to immediately draw attention. Below, workshops, artists, and wellbeing activities are carefully arranged to create a cohesive layout while allowing each element its own space to stand out. This structure ensures the lineup is easy to follow while maintaining balance and a natural flow.
For the typography, I chose a mix of modern serif and sans-serif styles to balance elegance with approachability. Combined with the earthy colors and organic design elements, the poster feels aligned with the festival’s blend of creativity, wellness, and celebration.

Visual Inspiration Gallery:

Section 3

Booklet

The 68-page booklet offers a comprehensive overview of all festival activities, including lineups, workshops, and wellness experiences.

The booklet was undoubtedly the most demanding part of the project. With 94 separate events packed into the weekend including 32 DJs, 44 workshops, and a wide array of food and wellness activities—there were countless moving pieces to coordinate. Crafting a cohesive visual language for such diverse genres of events was a significant challenge.

The printed booklet also provided a sense of legitimacy and reinforces the brand in a physical space

I used a combination of colour and illustration to create unique profiles for each type of activity. Each category was also assigned a corresponding symbol, adding another layer of clarity and consistency. These elements worked together to make the booklet visually engaging while ensuring the event timetable was easy to navigate, helping attendees find their way through the weekend’s rich and varied offerings.
The Cover is arguably the most important element to get right when designing a festival booklet—it needs to capture the excitement and energy of the event at first glance. For our cover, we chose a striking illustration of a lone figure lifting the universe above their head, paired with the quote: “Lift the Veil, Enter the Playground.”
The concept behind this design speaks to the experience of many attendees who arrive at Playground alone. The lone figure on the cover symbolises this moment of individual transformation. However, once inside the booklet, no illustration stands alone, just as no guest remains alone once they enter the festival.

Deep Dive

Here, I delve into some of the design thinking and decision-making processes involved in creating the booklet.

Sounds, a chapter representing music, is paired with one of my illustrations that captures the freedom and joy of dance. A bold, vibrant background colour ties the elements together, creating a striking visual identity that flows consistently throughout the chapter.
The Sounds Layout carries over the design themes established in the poster, blending serif and sans-serif typography to create a harmonious and visually engaging style.
A playful overlay of text on the artists’ images adds a dynamic and modern touch, allowing for creative experimentation with the scale of artist names.
To make the layout both functional and user-friendly, key information such as location, date, and time is provided alongside each artist, ensuring the reader has everything they need to attend the sets.
The layout maintains clarity and balance by adhering to a structured 3x2 grid per spread, giving each artist ample space to stand out while keeping the overall design cohesive and easy to navigate.
The 10 Codes of Playground embody the core behaviours expected not just from individual guests but from the entire community.
This page holds significant importance, which is reflected in the inclusion of the Playground Symbol in a refined two-colour variant.
To enhance the visual impact, I used Generative AI to extend the forest landscape to the right of the castle, creating a sweeping sky canvas. This design choice symbolises the elevated role of the Codes, placing them above the activity and energy of the Castle, as if watching over everything that unfolds below.
The result is a page that feels both grounded in the festival's environment and imbued with a sense of aspiration and collective responsibility.

The Map was a fantastic example of external collaboration. I enlisted the help of my brother Will, a training architect, to create a clean and simple 2D map of the Castle. Using the architectural plans as a reference, he crafted a straightforward vector sketch that perfectly captured the layout.
From there, I added small aesthetic elements, including colours, room numbers, and markers for out-of-bounds areas, ensuring the map was both functional and visually aligned with the overall design of the festival materials.
This collaboration brought together precision and creativity to deliver a clear and engaging guide for attendees.
The Timetable is a perfect example of why the use of colours and symbols was crucial in distinguishing between activities. With such a wide variety of stages, rooms, and events taking place, these visual cues allowed readers to instantly identify the category of each activity at a glance, making the timetable both functional and easy to navigate.
The design process for this page was particularly challenging, as the schedule was constantly evolving—sometimes changing every other hour—right up until we went to print. Keeping track of these updates and ensuring consistency in times and details throughout the entire booklet was a major task, requiring meticulous attention to detail and a flexible approach to design. In the end, the timetable became a clear and accessible guide, tying together the complex logistics of the weekend.
The Last Page serves as the perfect closing note for the festival booklet. Showcasing the Playground Symbol at a size where every intricate detail can be appreciated was the only fitting way to end. Alongside it sits a list of the core organisers, highlighting all the incredible individuals who came together to make this event possible.

Section 4

Content Capture

Filming and photography of the event was also my responsibility, capturing content to advertise next year’s festival and ensure the spirit of the festival is preserved.

I’m currently making a coffee table style book, to showcase the photos from across the festival and featured here is a short video of a performance by Rogue Slang, an experimental electronic musician based out of Berlin.