Case Study Branding • Mobile Wayfinding Solo project

Beargrass.

I designed a cohesive festival brand + mobile experience to help college students discover the lineup, plan their day, and navigate on-site without confusion.

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Case Brief

In HCDE 308, I designed an indie music festival experience tailored for college students. The goal: reduce “where do I go next?” moments and make the brand feel welcoming, playful, and easy to follow.

The Team

1 Product Designer (Solo)

What I owned

User research, journey mapping, brand identity (logo + wordmark), UI wireframes, festival merchandise, hi-fi prototype, and physical touchpoints (poster, signage, wayfinding). I treated the “festival” as a product ecosystem, not just an app.

Problem

Festivals overload first-time attendees with schedules, stages, and choices—especially when students are coordinating with friends and moving between sets.

Design decision: I prioritized wayfinding and clarity first (what’s happening, where it is, and how to get there), then layered in “delight” through brand and illustration so the experience still felt indie + fun.

Crowded festival map showing navigation confusion — Festival map illustrating navigation confusion and wayfinding challenges.

Beargrass festival signage mockup — Signage mockup used to establish festival tone and on site guidance.

Competitive Insights

I studied successful music festivals to understand how strong branding and clear wayfinding coexist under time pressure. The goal was to translate those patterns into a student first experience.

What I learned

Bold visuals only work when paired with clear hierarchy. Limited color systems, repeatable icons, and environmental cues help users scan quickly and make confident decisions.

Why it mattered

Festival goers do not read. They scan. Designing for speed meant prioritizing clarity, consistency, and recognizable patterns across screens, signage, and maps.

Awareness

Research lineup

Consideration

Research festival further

Purchase

Purchase tickets

Typography + Visual System

I built a lightweight system that works across small mobile screens and large signage. The goal was “friendly + readable at a glance.”

stylgeguide.png

Typography choices

I paired Margeo (playful, rounded personality) with Anybody (bold, highly legible weights) to balance vibe with accessibility. This ensured headings pop from a distance and body text stays readable in motion.

Iconography + mood

I used expressive bear icons to reflect attendee diversity and create a welcoming feel. The icon style doubles as a wayfinding tool—users can match icons on-screen to icons on signs.

The Solution

A cohesive festival ecosystem: mobile prototype for planning + navigation, and a matching physical system (poster, signage, wayfinding) so students get the same cues everywhere.

What I designed

Logo + wordmark
Mobile prototype (schedule, stages, navigation cues)
Poster + on-site signage
Wayfinding system (icons + color-coded locations)
Merchandise

Why it works

Reduced cognitive load: consistent hierarchy + repeated patterns.
Faster scanning: bold headers, simple labels, clear grouping.
Cross-channel consistency: same visual language in every touchpoint.

Mobile app planning and navigation screens — Mobile app screens: I designed 12 total screens.

Festival poster and signage system — Beargrass Festival Poster.

Festival merchandise in theme with the festival's colors.

UI components and button states — Additional merchandise: festival stickers that matched the iconography.

What I Learned

This project taught me how much “product design” is about systems. The strongest outcome wasn’t a single screen— it was designing repeatable rules that scale across contexts (mobile, print, environmental).

Big takeaway: When users are moving fast (and distracted), consistency is usability. Repeating the same cues across surfaces is what makes the experience feel intuitive.

What Could Be Better

I would run usability testing earlier with low-fidelity flows to validate hierarchy and naming before polishing visuals. That would reduce rework and make the final system even more cohesive.

Future Opportunities

I’d explore an on-site “assist” mode—quick directions, set reminders, and accessible routes. Longer-term, an AR layer could help users orient themselves, but only after validating that core wayfinding is strong.