During my graphic design internship at AKA NYC, I collaborated with a multidisciplinary team to develop a marketing campaign for Holes: The Musical. While other team members focused on social media strategy, paid partnerships, and marketing initiatives, I led the visual design direction and campaign development.
Goal / Brief
My role was to create a cohesive visual identity that captured the themes and atmosphere of the story while appealing to a contemporary audience. I developed two key art concepts and expanded the selected direction across a variety of marketing applications, including social media assets, digital advertisements, front-of-house materials, branded partnerships, and a teaser video.
Process
To establish the art direction, I conducted extensive visual research inspired by both the original Holes novel and film adaptation. My research explored motifs such as barren landscapes, circular symbolism, Southern-inspired design elements, children's book illustration styles, and darker narrative themes. I also examined contemporary Disney musical campaigns to better understand how theatrical properties are marketed to broad audiences.
This research informed two distinct creative directions: one that paid homage to the original film through familiar visual references and illustration, and another that reimagined the story with a more modern, adventurous tone focused on curiosity and discovery.
What I'm Proud Of
I'm particularly proud of the research and concept development process behind this project. By grounding the visual identity in the themes of the story while exploring multiple creative directions, I was able to create a campaign that felt both recognizable and fresh.
Credits
Internship: AKA NYC
Teammates: Aliya Johnson, Kara O'Rourke, Ari Boldur, Jeremiah Onyango, Navi Jamil
