Each June, Los Angeles lights up with creativity, experimentation and neighborhood spirit because the Hollywood Fringe Pageant (HFF) takes over the town. This yr marks its fifteenth anniversary – a serious milestone for LA’s largest performing arts pageant. But it surely additionally marks 12 years of the pageant working with 99designs by Vista.
Since 2012, the Hollywood Fringe Pageant has tapped into our international neighborhood of designers to assist carry their iconic occasion branding to life every season. From hanging illustrations and typographic posters to vibrant social content material and advertising and marketing supplies, HFF companions with a brand new designer yearly to evolve their feel and look. It’s a inventive collaboration that displays the very coronary heart of Fringe: unfiltered expertise, daring concepts and a worldwide spirit.
This yr’s designer, Donn Marlou Ramirez – who beforehand collaborated with Fringe in 2022 – introduced his inventive instinct, inspiration and signature visible type to curating the 2025 identification.
“Hollywood Fringe messaged me a few proposal for 2025 and shared my earlier design together with just a few pattern ideas. They wished one thing related in spirit, and requested for a collage of the artists to be the principle function on the information cowl.”
Beginning with picture cleanups and background removals, Donn shared how he experimented with layouts to highlight every artist individually. As soon as the core composition was in place, he added customized results to unify the look and a hand-lettered occasion title for that DIY Fringe aptitude.
“For the sticker type, I used to be impressed by my water container coated in stickers. I’d been taking a break, occupied with structure, and the concept simply got here to me.
After a number of rounds of colour variations and structure choices, the ultimate design route was chosen. The information cowl now options daring, punk-inspired visuals with a palette impressed (partially) by the colourful look of Nerds sweet and quirky pet adverts seen on-line.
“What I appreciated most was that I didn’t overthink it. I usually get caught up attempting to satisfy each a part of a short, however this time I leaned into my very own instincts and on a regular basis inspiration. I felt the liberty and fluidity of the entire course of as if the universe had been giving me indicators on what I ought to do subsequent. However after all, my previous expertise and prior information on design psychology and software program helped me to create this one. I strongly consider and uphold moral designing, we are able to’t simply copy different designs, recycle shopper’s supplies, or to only paste all the things in a canvas.”
This yr’s inventive additionally contains t-shirt graphics, structure revisions and interactive belongings – constructed with a deep understanding of the pageant’s evolving wants and a design ethic grounded in originality and respect.
We now have labored with so many artists over time, and every one breathes new life into our annual performing arts pageant. Their work turns into integral in shaping every new pageant’s advertising and marketing. The expertise of the artists on 99designs is unbelievable!
From the colourful interpretation of ‘the freaks’ in 2012 to this yr’s punk, candy-inspired theme, each design displays the second it was created in and the neighborhood it was made for. Our designers haven’t simply captured the Fringe aesthetic – they’ve helped form it.
I just like the chain from artist to group. 99designs makes it tremendous straightforward to speak with the artist. I additionally love working with actual artists. As an arts pageant, it’s necessary to us to work with artists and never lean on AI.
For 12 unforgettable years, we’ve been proud to help this one-of-a-kind inventive occasion – and even prouder of the unbelievable designers who’ve helped carry Fringe to life.
So, right here’s to the following 15 years of daring concepts, good design and Fringe magic!
