Frameline Brand & Digital Redesign
WEBSITE UX & UI, MOBILE PROGRAM GUIDE UX & UI, SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY, EMAIL MARKETING, BRAND REDESIGN INTERNAL LEAD, EVENT PRODUCTION, VIDEO & CAMPAIGN PRODUCTION
I came to Frameline at a pivotal point in its history. The world’s largest and longest-running LGBTQ+ film festival needed a brand refresh to commemorate its 40th year and usher the organization into the digital age.
As Communications Manager, I was in charge of social media, community outreach, marketing, strategy, and design. My first major task was finding a world class design partner to help reshape the brand. After an RFP process, Frameline selected Rob Duncan, partner at global boutique design firm Mucho. I acted as the liaison between the two organizations, communicating the language of design to Frameline and the intricacies and nuances of the queer community to Mucho. After a brand workshop with the Frameline board and staff, the Mucho team created an elegant, timeless, and flexible brand that worked across print and screen applications. I not only managed the rebrand, I also supervised a team of six people responsible for producing the festival program, video interstitials, social media campaigns, community outreach efforts, and public relations. I coordinated and produced the Mucho photo shoot for the festival’s identity. As a representative of Frameline, I called up infamous drag queens to borrow wigs and crowns and emailed queer history giants like Cleve Jones to locate iconic props, like Harvey Milk’s bullhorn, for the Festival’s branding.
I also coordinated the printing and posting of all MUNI and BART signage, the production of t-shirts, and the production and design of a 120+ page program, party tickets, and VIP passes. Along with Frameline Executive Director Frances Wallace and Director of Marketing and Strategic Partnerships David Warczak, I helped produce and shape the concept of the Frameline40 trailer directed by Aron Kantor.
The operational changes, programs, and digital interfaces I created in my time at Frameline boosted sponsorship and donor interest and increased the visibility of the organization. Read more about the website and marketing redesign below.
Credits:
Frameline Logo & Branding: Mucho
FL40 & FL41 Festival Branding, Taglines, & Photography: Mucho
FL40 Trailer: Aaron Kantor
FL40 Festival Art & Trailer Production:Frances Wallace, David Warczack, Reena Karia
Website UX/UI: Reena Karia
Website Development: Ingeniux
Mobile Program Guide UX: Reena Karia
Mobile Program Guide Development: David Averbach
Social Media Strategy: VaynerMedia, Reena Karia
Social Media Design & Execution: Reena Karia
FL40 & FL41 Communications Manger: Reena Karia
SITEMAP & INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE
CONTENT STRATEGY & USER EXPERIENCE
A Digital Makeover
As part of the exclusive Bloomberg Philanthropies Arts Innovation and Management grant, I worked closely with VaynerMedia mentors to hone Frameline’s voice and social media strategy, resulting in a 1000% increase in platform visibility and a 30% increase in year-round screening attendance. By the time Frameline’s 40th anniversary came around, I was equipped with the social media strategy and Facebook ad placement know-how to manage the 11-day, three-city festival with 60,000 attendees.
The brand refresh and festival branding launched in May 2016. Then came the immense task of applying the new brand assets across all platforms and audience touch points. In addition to all internal print materials, I redesigned Frameline’s email marketing to be more visual and punchy. In place of signing an expensive 3-year binding contract with a mobile app development firm, I worked with long time Frameline database wizard David Averbach, Creative Director at The Film Collaborative, to create a mobile film guide for the 2016 festival in just four weeks.
After the festival in June, email readership was up 20%, Instagram followers 100%, Facebook 50%, and Twitter 25%. The heightened visibility and elevated look of the brand directly correlated with an increase in sponsorships the following year, the largest being a partnership with Hilton Hotels.
In the run up to the 2017 festival season, Frameline desperately needed new digital infrastructure. I worked with the head of IT, the new ticketing vendor, BoxCubed, the Frameline Director of Distribution, the Director of Exhibition, and the development team at Ingeniux to create a website that met all the organization’s needs. I created the site map and content plan. Then I designed the UX / UI-based on Mucho’s brand assets and the limitations of the Ingeniux contract / CMS. I worked for months to debug and tweak a responsive site that removed the need for a separate mobile film guide. As moviegoers used the new system, we received feedback from them in-person at the festival, through our customer service channels, and we sent out email surveys after the Festival to all ticket buyers.
