UrbanEye
Film Festival
the context
the client
UrbanEye is a platform for ideas based on the link between the city and cinema, opening the dialogue about the places we live in.A film festival, held annually in Bucharest since 2013 and in Cluj since 2022, offers screenings accompanied by guided tours, curated film selections, based on current international topics, talks and workshops about the living environment.Each year the festival has a different theme. The key visual is a reflection upon this theme.
visit websitethe concept
UrbanEye Film Festival celebrated its 10-year anniversary edition with the provocative theme “Where to?”, between November 8 to 12 at Cinema Elvire Popesco.
This anniversary moment is an occasion for introspection and reflection on our future. Looking back at our achievements and
challenges, we now look to the future with curiosity and hope. This edition invites you to explore the changes that have shaped our cities, how society is redefining itself, and the great global challenges of the moment.
my role
Graphic designer as part of the team that created the key visual for the 10th edition of the UrbanEye Film Festival in Bucharest and Cluj.
• sketches
• key visual
• social media materials
the approach
the idea
“Where to?” as the theme of the anniversary edition asks for a moment of reflection, looking back to the past and forward to the future. But
usually the path is not straightforward. We come across dead ends, crossroads and often have the feeling that we are just going round in
circles but the possibilities are endless and we have to choose our path.
Inspired by the work of Escher, I embarked on creating 3D labyrinths in isometric projection. These experiments focused on forming a single, interconnected structure with no definitive start or end — an endless entity where pathways and architectural elements flow seamlessly into one another.
the final key visual
The team enhanced the final key visual by introducing a more intricate structure, enriched with additional architectural elements and floating blocks, adding depth and visual complexity.
After incorporating client feedback, we brought the “city” to life, adding figures strolling through the streets and occupying the apartments, adding a dynamic, lived-in feel to the visual.
As a final step in our design process, we provided the clients with a selection of color variations, allowing them to explore different options and find the palette that best aligned with their and visual preferences.
Social media materials
Based on the key visual, I designed social media materials for the festival’s opening, program highlights, and related events.
2024 - Where to? Cluj edition
For this year’s Cluj edition, I created the key visual by incorporating iconic buildings from the city into the main design element, inspired by the visual of the Bucharest edition.
2022 - Transform
If cities and the environment we live in have always been changing, the speed at which it is happening now is unprecedented. As a reflection on what is happening, but also a call to action, the theme of 2022’s edition was “Transform”. We question to whom cities belong to and who can still live in them, and propose films that investigate the transformations brought about by gentrification, tourism or migration.
the idea
How can we visualize the process of change within an urban context? Is it possible to present the old and the new simultaneously? This project explores these questions by blending analog and digital techniques. I printed the word 'CHANGE' and scanned it while shifting the paper, creating a dynamic interplay between stability and transformation. The outcome is a captivating typographic solution that embodies the fluidity of change.
explorations
With several scanned versions of the word 'CHANGE', I began experimenting with layouts and color palettes. Midway through the process, the client decided to replace 'CHANGE' with 'TRANSFORM', leading me to apply the same technique to create new variations. These scans were then refined through color adjustments, enhancements, and complemented with digital illustrations.
the final key visual
The final key visual was modified in a way so it shows the skyline of a city, while preserving readability. After color explorations the final decision was made in favour of a vivid green.
