Musikfest
They gave us Fire & Ice. We gave them the hottest poster in Musikfest history. Fastest sellout, most reprints, and more Addys than your high school art teacher could dream of. Oh, and a killer website to match. International awards? We’ve got ‘em. Rose Bowl and Disney? Beat ‘em.
Since
2006
What We Do
Website Design And Development , Logos and Brand Strategy , App Development , Content Creation , Graphic Design , Consulting
What You Think You Know
It’s just a poster, right? Maybe a nice little website too. Something festive. Maybe some flames. Maybe some snowflakes. You’ve seen ‘em all before, right?
Wrong.
This wasn’t just a poster. This was the poster. This was the one people stood in line to get signed. The one that didn’t just sell out, it broke records. This was back when websites were barely figuring out how to handle event mapping and digital ticket sales, and we were already pushing the damn envelope.
People think “event marketing” means slapping a logo on some swag, adding a date, and calling it done. But real event branding? That’s world-building. It’s building a hype machine that gets people off their couches, into a crowd, and shouting, “I was there.” In 2006, we didn’t just make something pretty. We made something collectible, clickable, and completely unforgettable.
How We Saw It
Let’s rewind to 2006. Musikfest, one of the largest free music festivals in the U.S., run by ArtsQuest in Bethlehem, PA, had a theme: Fire & Ice. Cool. Dramatic. Visually powerful. We were asked to create a commemorative poster that brought that concept to life—and also, you know, design their entire website for the year while we were at it. No big deal. Challenge accepted. We created a poster that balanced the delicate dance between intensity and serenity. Fire didn’t just blaze, it flickered with intention. Ice didn’t just freeze, it fractured with elegance. It hit hard, looked hot (and cold), and made people stop in their tracks. We designed it to be collectible because we knew the audience, we knew the culture, and frankly, we knew what the hell we were doing. That poster became the fastest-selling Musikfest poster in history, and the only one that had to be reprinted multiple times. It went on to win a Silver Medal at the 2006 International Festivals & Events Association awards, beating out heavyweights like Disney and the Rose Bowl. And that was just the start. It snagged two Gold Addys, two Best in Shows (local and regional), a National Gold Addy, and a Philly Gold Award, plus the website picked up another Gold Addy for digital design. And the best part? We got to sign posters like we were a band. (We may or may not have told some folks we were performing on one of the side stages. Legends only.)
What They Want You To Know
The 2006 Musikfest Fire & Ice project was a comprehensive festival branding campaign developed for ArtsQuest, a leading arts and culture nonprofit in the Lehigh Valley. The project included a commemorative poster, supporting print collateral, and the full design and build of the official Musikfest website for that year. The poster, which visually interpreted the Fire & Ice theme using bold graphic design and detailed print techniques, became the fastest-selling in the festival’s history and the only one to require multiple reprints. It received widespread recognition across the marketing and design world, earning accolades such as: • Silver Medal – International Festivals & Events Association • National Gold Addy Award • Regional Best in Show – Addy Awards • Two Local Gold Addys + Best in Show • Philly Gold Award The accompanying website allowed for full ticket purchasing integration, show listings, news, and interactive festival planning tools—an early example of fully functional event UX that blended form and function in one experience. This project remains one of the most celebrated in Musikfest’s legacy and is a cornerstone example of how strategic design and storytelling can elevate a regional event into an internationally recognized brand moment.
