Play: No Restrictions · Ines Babić

The brief

Design the supporting visual material for the 9th STIFF, the Student International Film Festival held at Art-kino Rijeka from 24 to 27 November 2022. The festival theme that year was “Play. No restrictions.” The task, set within the Visual Communications and Print Design course at the Academy of Applied Arts in Rijeka, covered the poster, outdoor advertising, merchandise and the programme booklet.

The approach

The word “play” pointed to video games, and two directions were developed side by side. The pixel concept borrows from Galaga, the 1981 arcade game: a dark blue background sprinkled with tiny coloured pixels, the title in a bright pink pixel font, and the spaceship at the bottom as the motif that repeats across every piece. The isometric concept builds the letters as 3D blocks that recall game controllers, connected by wires that run through the whole layout on a blue to purple gradient; the letters are outlined in a glowing white line, like neon wire plugged into a socket, and the festival information follows the same perspective.

The outcome

Each concept was carried through a full set of materials: the poster, a citylight, a black tote bag, badges, stickers and the programme booklet with schedule, day dividers and film pages. Both were presented on A1 boards with the references and the concept text in Croatian and English.

Poster with PLAY in isometric orange, pink and cyan letters on a blue to purple gradient, the text No Restrictions and 9th International Student Film Festival set along an isometric grid — Final poster, isometric concept: 3D letters outlined like neon wire, with the festival information following the same perspective.

Poster on a near black background with PLAY in bright pink pixel letters, No Restrictions in white pixel type, 09 STIFF, the dates 24 to 27 November 2022, Art Kino Rijeka, and a small white and red pixel spaceship at the bottom — Final poster, pixel concept: a Galaga inspired arcade screen with the spaceship as the recurring motif.

Tote bag, isometric concept.

The pink pixel PLAY poster mounted in a backlit citylight display on a busy shopping street — Citylight, pixel concept.

Stickers, isometric concept.

Five wide programme booklet screens on a blue to purple gradient: the title, a four day schedule, a Day 1 divider, a film still with its description, and a vote page — Programme booklet pages, isometric concept.

Five wide programme booklet screens in dark blue with pink pixel type: the title, a four day schedule, a Day 1 divider, a film still with its description, and a vote page — Programme booklet pages, pixel concept.

Presentation board for the isometric concept: tote bag, badges, stickers, citylight, four reference images, programme booklet pages and a column of concept text in Croatian and English — Presentation board, isometric concept.