Developing unique film-forward festival creative for 20+ years.

DENVER FILM
Denver Film Festival Branding & Marketing Through The Years
Industries
Arts & Culture
Nonprofit
Solutions
Digital
Naming

Making Everyone In Denver a Cinephile

That’s the goal, right? Denver Film works tirelessly to spread the word about cinema throughout Colorado: it’s a timeless art form made for everyone.

As a non-profit organization and a small team dedicated to dozens of events all year long, AOR acts as a marketing partner and sponsor, here to support and uplift cinema in the best way we know how: through branding and strategy.

 
 

Evolution Over Reinvention

Fun designs and eye-catching visuals are the most fun part of this project each year, but through it, we have the challenge of generating real awareness regarding the festival and driving ticket sales among Denver locals, the Colorado region, and nationwide.

We need to appeal to everyone and live by our mantra that film is for everyone. In our work, we consider:

  • Seasoned Donors
  • Cinephiles Young and Old
  • New Movie-Goers
  • Skeptics
  • Local Residents Looking For a Saturday Night Activity

 

Consistency Through The Years

The key to our success working with the Denver Film team each year is collaboration and consistency. We meet at the beginning of the year to discuss vision and deliverables, and start our brainstorming with a strong seed provided by Denver Film.

From there, we develop the final cut of our idea, oftentimes linked directly to the world of film and storytelling, and assist Denver Film with all required deliverables, such as:

  • Social Media Copy & Posts
  • Wall Decals
  • Signage
  • Flyers
  • Programs
  • Etc.

 

Here are the Final Results…

2025: Enter a Kaleidoscope of Human Experience

2024’s design was so well-received, Denver Film wanted to repeat and elevate it for this year. Cinema never stands still. It’s our job as viewers to keep up with the bends, the twists, the fractures, and the illusions of life reflected on screen. Film asks us to experience everything, to move beyond the borders of our stories, to enjoy the art of beautiful disruption. We asked audiences to rotate their view and enter a kaleidoscope of human experience at this year’s 48th Denver Film Festival.

2024: Life’s Infinite Possibilities

Film is self-expression. It’s a rebellion against everything you think you know. It’s a reflection of the possibilities of human existence, and they are infinite. For this year’s branding concept, we asked our audiences to dare to submerge themselves in Denver Film Festival and see life’s infinite possibilities. The idea of reflection, movement, power, and infinity was directly reflected in the repetitive patterns of the graphics. We asked our audiences to look in a mirror, so we gave them designs that did just that.

2023: Saul Bass

Denver Film came to us with a strong idea to capture the work of Saul Bass in the film festival branding. Saul Bass’s contributions to 1950s/60s cinema revolutionized the way we view it today. His original typography, kinetic title sequences, and extremely recognizable design style directly impacted the final results of this year’s branding. This concept utilizes his style to tell the story of the film-going experience. It makes use of powerful visuals and taglines to explain the universal wonder of film. While you might recognize this style in other places, at the Denver Film Festival, attendees enjoyed a display of cinema magic they couldn’t find anywhere else.

2022: Stories That Stay With You

It doesn’t take being a movie star to see yourself on screen. Film has something to offer everyone, whether you’re an enthusiast or not. This concept makes a promise to our audience that, through their experience, they will find impactful stories that will stay with them long after they walk out of the theater. The choice to use a mixed medium of photography and illustration allows viewers to actually see how their ‘real’ life would look inside classic movie genres. It encourages Denver residents to embrace their own story while also creating their own unique relationships with the stories on screen.

2015: Come Sit and Be Swept Away

This year’s creative worked to play up the “storytelling” elements of the festival. It asks attendees to sit and be swept away. The strategic approach to copy and design directly resonates with our audience members who attend movies to be taken to another place and experience the love of film from their seats.

SingleWave-2pt-Copper-2000 1