Case Study: Smeerboel Festival transforms into a living brand with Lava

Smeerboel Festival transforms its brand for 20,000 visitors with Lava

The Dutch techno and house festival Smeerboel needed a rebrand that would allow for variation across each edition of their event. They approached the design studio Lava to create a new identity that could embrace the playfulness of both the festival and its audience.

Lava created a living brand identity centered on the behavior of 'smearing', featuring a brightly colored design system. The key solution was the bespoke Smeer Tool, an online application that allows the client to generate endless smearing-based expressions for posters, campaigns, and decorations. This resulted in a highly recognizable and playful identity, which was also extended into an Instagram filter for audience engagement and used to design merchandise. The Head of Marketing noted being delighted with the new, easy-to-use direction.

Smeerboel Festival