Edit by Kayla Tran
Music by Cole Hudson
Edit by Kayla Tran
Music by Cole Hudson
FILM FEST AT UC DAVIS (2026)
FILM FEST AT UC DAVIS (2026)
FILM FEST AT UC DAVIS (2026)
FILM FEST AT UC DAVIS (2026)
Film Fest at UC Davis (FF@UCD) is a student-run film festival established by the UC Davis Cinema and Digital Media department, celebrating films created by the UC Davis and Northern California film community. As Content Creation Lead, I spearheaded the development of FF@UCD's official brand guidelines and content strategy, building outward from a new logo to create the festival's first evergreen identity system.
OVERVIEW
Social Media Design
Print & Collateral
Brand Guidelines
Visual Identity
Content Strategy
Project Management
SERVICES
Film
Education
INDUSTRY
For years, FF@UCD operated without a central visual language. Because the festival's aesthetic was reimagined from scratch each year, it was difficult to build long-term brand recognition across UC Davis's campus. For a festival meant to unite departments, student organizations, and local creative communities, brand inconsistency undercut its potential to represent a campus-wide tradition. FF@UCD needed a permanent foundation, an evergreen identity that is recognizable but can still evolve each year.
BRAND CHALLENGE
Film Fest at UC Davis (FF@UCD) is a student-run film festival established by the UC Davis Cinema and Digital Media department, celebrating films created by the UC Davis and Northern California film community. As Content Creation Lead, I spearheaded the development of FF@UCD's official brand guidelines and content strategy, building outward from a new logo to create the festival's first evergreen identity system.
OVERVIEW
For years, FF@UCD operated without a central visual language. Because the festival's aesthetic was reimagined from scratch each year, it was difficult to build long-term brand recognition across UC Davis's campus. For a festival meant to unite departments, student organizations, and local creative communities, brand inconsistency undercut its potential to represent a campus-wide tradition. FF@UCD needed a permanent foundation, an evergreen identity that is recognizable but can still evolve each year.
BRAND CHALLENGE
Film
Education
INDUSTRY
Social Media Design
Print & Collateral
Brand Identity & Guidelines
Visual Identity
Content Strategy
Project Management
SERVICES
Before any guideline could be written, the identity needed to be rooted in something more than aesthetics. The work began with FF@UCD's story and mission: a collective of filmmakers, campus leaders, and students who believe student cinema belongs to everyone, not just film majors. Guided by four core values—Radical Accessibility, Collective Strength, Cross-Campus Unity, and Student-Led Elevation—the new identity balances professional polish with resourceful, hands-on design.
ROOTING THE IDENTITY IN FF@UCD'S VALUES
Film Fest at UC Davis (FF@UCD) is a student-run film festival established by the UC Davis Cinema and Digital Media department, celebrating films created by the UC Davis and Northern California film community. As Content Creation Lead, I spearheaded the development of FF@UCD's official brand guidelines and content strategy, building outward from a new logo to create the festival's first evergreen identity system.
OVERVIEW
Film Fest at UC Davis (FF@UCD) is a student-run film festival established by the UC Davis Cinema and Digital Media department, celebrating films created by the UC Davis and Northern California film community. As Content Creation Lead, I spearheaded the development of FF@UCD's official brand guidelines and content strategy, building outward from a new logo to create the festival's first evergreen identity system.
For years, FF@UCD operated without a central visual language. Because the festival's aesthetic was reimagined from scratch each year, it was difficult to build long-term brand recognition across UC Davis's campus. For a festival meant to unite departments, student organizations, and local creative communities, brand inconsistency undercut its potential to represent a campus-wide tradition. FF@UCD needed a permanent foundation, an evergreen identity that is recognizable but can still evolve each year.
BRAND CHALLENGE
Film
Education
INDUSTRY
Social Media Design
Print & Collateral
Brand Identity & Guidelines
Visual Identity
Content Strategy
Project Management
SERVICES
Before any guideline could be written, the identity needed to be rooted in something more than aesthetics. The work began with FF@UCD's story and mission: a collective of filmmakers, campus leaders, and students who believe student cinema belongs to everyone, not just film majors. Guided by four core values—Radical Accessibility, Collective Strength, Cross-Campus Unity, and Student-Led Elevation—the new identity balances professional polish with resourceful, hands-on design.
ROOTING THE IDENTITY IN FF@UCD'S VALUES
Before any guideline could be written, the identity needed to be rooted in something more than aesthetics. The work began with FF@UCD's story and mission: a collective of filmmakers, campus leaders, and students who believe student cinema belongs to everyone, not just film majors. Guided by four core values—Radical Accessibility, Collective Strength, Cross-Campus Unity, and Student-Led Elevation—the new identity balances professional polish with resourceful, hands-on design.
ROOTING THE IDENTITY IN FF@UCD'S VALUES
Marcelle Weaver's trailblazing logo design anchored the visual system. My role was to expand that mark into a comprehensive design system and cross-platform rollout plan, including clear frameworks for graphic assets, social media, and event collateral that keep the festival's brand presence consistent, recognizable, and scalable year after year.
BUILDING ON A NEW LOGO
Marcelle Weaver's trailblazing logo design anchored the visual system. My role was to expand that mark into a comprehensive design system and cross-platform rollout plan, including clear frameworks for graphic assets, social media, and event collateral that keep the festival's brand presence consistent, recognizable, and scalable year after year.
BUILDING ON A NEW LOGO
The guidelines lay out the essentials, including typography, color palette, and adaptation across formats like Instagram posts, program trailers, and merchandise. Alongside these fundamentals, the system marks out where the guardrails are and where there's real room to experiment. Built less as a rigid rulebook and more as a foundation, it gives future FF@UCD leadership a clear starting point—not just how the brand looks, but why—while leaving space to build something that feels entirely their own.
A FOUNDATION, NOT A RULEBOOK
The guidelines lay out the essentials, including typography, color palette, and adaptation across formats like Instagram posts, program trailers, and merchandise. Alongside these fundamentals, the system marks out where the guardrails are and where there's real room to experiment. Built less as a rigid rulebook and more as a foundation, it gives future FF@UCD leadership a clear starting point—not just how the brand looks, but why—while leaving space to build something that feels entirely their own.
A FOUNDATION, NOT A RULEBOOK
The guidelines lay out the essentials, including typography, color palette, and adaptation across formats like Instagram posts, program trailers, and merchandise. Alongside these fundamentals, the system marks out where the guardrails are and where there's real room to experiment. Built less as a rigid rulebook and more as a foundation, it gives future FF@UCD leadership a clear starting point—not just how the brand looks, but why—while leaving space to build something that feels entirely their own.
A FOUNDATION, NOT A RULEBOOK
By establishing FF@UCD's inaugural evergreen brand ecosystem, the project shifted the festival from a fragmented seasonal event into an enduring campus tradition. The unified identity gives future student organizers a clear visual blueprint, empowering them to produce high-caliber content, foster cross-departmental collaboration, and elevate student filmmaking in the UC Davis and Northern California community.
THE TAKEAWAY
Edit by Isis Chu-Jacoby
Music & Sound Mixing by Cole Hudson
Edit by Isis Chu-Jacoby
Music & Sound Mixing by
Cole Hudson
Edit by Keira Chen & Isis Chu-Jacoby
Music & Sound Mixing by Cole Hudson
Edit by Keira Chen &
Isis Chu-Jacoby
Music & Sound Mixing by
Cole Hudson
Photography by Sasha Levy
By establishing FF@UCD's inaugural evergreen brand ecosystem, the project shifted the festival from a fragmented seasonal event into an enduring campus tradition. The unified identity gives future student organizers a clear visual blueprint, empowering them to produce high-caliber content, foster cross-departmental collaboration, and elevate student filmmaking in the UC Davis and Northern California community.
THE TAKEAWAY