The Texas Tribune Festival

360 CAMPAIGN, FULL SCOPE
ART DIRECTION | EXPERIENTIAL | SOCIAL | PRINT | VIDEO

Two women are installing a large artwork of a Texas longhorn steer with yellow background. One woman is holding the artwork while the other is on a ladder, attaching it to the display. A large screen behind them shows a social media post about The Texas Tribune Festival.

The Texas Tribune Festival is a vibrant, annual gathering of political leaders, journalists, and change-makers, hosted by The Texas Tribune — an independent, nonpartisan newsroom covering Texas public policy and politics.

DESIGNING THE EXPERIENCE
Revitalize the Festival’s visual identity to reflect its dynamic, high-energy spirit designed to resonate with newcomers to The Texas Tribune. The refreshed look aimed to boost brand visibility, grow membership engagement, and attract new sponsors and partners across both Festival and year-round programming.

WHO WE’RE SPEAKING TO
Civically curious individuals unfamiliar with The Texas Tribune: especially younger, digitally native audiences drawn to culture, current events, and political discourse.

ART DIRECTION
Alfredo Palacios, Jacob Villanueva

PRINT DESIGN
Alfredo Palacios, Carla Garcia Leija

CAMPAIGN/MARKETING CREATIVE
Alfredo Palacios

VIDEO/LIVESTREAM
Alfredo Palacios, Jacob Villanueva

Two women sitting on a staircase at an indoor festival. One woman in a blue dress is holding a brochure, and the other woman is leaning in, smiling. The woman in the blue dress is wearing white cowboy boots with drawings on them and a watch. There are plants and a sign in the background that reads 'The Festival'.

WHAT CHANGED THIS YEAR?

We gave the Festival brand a light refresh by leaning into the motion within our modular grid system. New collage styles and graphic elements introduced a playful tone, opening the door to fresh, unique iterations of our visual identity.

People ascending stairs decorated with signs and images promoting The Texas Tribune Festival, featuring Texas-related symbols like a cowboy hat, the Texas flag, a longhorn steer, and the Capitol building.
A yellow sign indicating entry into Palo Duro, with a map and schedule for an open Congress event, sponsored by Google, and displaying sponsor logos and activities.
A large yellow and white billboard celebrating the Texas Tribune Festival featuring the event name, sponsor logos, and illustrations including a microphone, a star, a cowboy hat, a bull, a person's silhouette wearing a cowboy hat, and a cowboy boot, set against the backdrop of tall modern office buildings and trees.
Registration desk at the Tribfest event with people checking in, large banners reading 'Welcome to Tribfest,' and a yellow sign indicating 'General Admission.'
Four young people taking a selfie in front of a yellow sign that reads "Howdy! from the Texas Tribune" at an outdoor event. They are wearing festival badges and smiling.
A man wearing a white shirt, glasses, and a maroon cap stands outdoors in an urban area during the Texas Tribune Festival. He has a clear plastic bag with a yellow and black badge hanging from his neck. The background features tall glass buildings, street signs, and banners advertising the festival and other events.

GETTING THE WORD OUT

I led the production and visual execution of promotional graphics. I was also intentional with the UX strategy behind all marketing creative:

  • Designing “mobile-first”, which is how audiences view our content.

  • Integrating animations in email marketing and socials to capture attention.

  • Creating a color system for audiences to identify different campaigns.

By implementing this design system, I created an efficient workflow for producing and distributing marketing creative.

Three smartphones displaying promotional social media stories for the Texas Tribune Festival. The first shows event dates and location with images of government and crowd; the second features a speaker, Laura Barrón-López, with her title; the third prompts viewers to learn more at tribfest.org.
A promotional flyer for The Texas Tribune's Open Congress event, featuring a yellow and black design announcing a free street festival on September 7 in Downtown Austin with RSVP instructions.
Advertisement for The Texas Tribune Festival with dates September 5-7 in Downtown Austin, highlighting a flash sale with a 'Buy Now' button and event details.
People walking at an outdoor event in front of the Texas State Capitol in Austin on a sunny day.
Two men on stage at The Texas Tribune Festival, one with arms raised, with large screen in background displaying event name, surrounded by plants, seating, and decorations related to Texas.
A young man with curly black hair and glasses speaking into a microphone at a conference.

LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION

As a recorded and livestreamed event, The Texas Tribune Festival blends
in-person and digital experiences.

I designed and templatized title cards for efficient production and oversaw the creation of video graphics like lower thirds and special callouts to support both live and post-event viewing.

A television monitor showing multiple video feeds, including interviews and event segments, in a dark studio with technical equipment and wires in the foreground.
A promotional image for a panel discussion titled 'No Bull from the Bulwark,' featuring a person wearing a cowboy hat, seen from the back, against a yellow background, with text listing participants and moderator.
Screenshot of a web article titled 'Watch Liz Cheney at the 2024 Texas Tribune Festival' with a video thumbnail of Liz Cheney, wearing glasses and a dark blazer, in black-and-white. The webpage is from texatribune.org with navigation links at the top and a yellow 'Donate' button.

THESE EFFORTS LED TO…

7,000+

ESTIMATED ATTENDEES

2.27 M

SYNDICATED SESSION VIEWS (TRIBUNE AND PARTNERS)

AS WELL AS ATTENDEE SATISFACTION OF…

96.5%

WILL ATTEND
TRIBFEST AGAIN

94%

RATED THEIR ROI ON FEST TICKETS AS EXPECTED OR HIGHER

8/10

MORE INCLINED TO CHOOSE TRIBUNE-SUPPORTING ORGS

WANT TO SEE A BIT MORE?

CHECK OUT THE OFFICIAL TTF24 VIDEO OR OUR BEHANCE PAGE FOR THE FULL BREADTH OF THIS FESTIVAL, AND YEARS PAST!