The History of ULICA

ULICA Street Theatre Festival is an annual festival held every summer in Kraków, Poland and is the biggest street theatre festival in Eastern Europe. Started in 1988, ULICA is the second oldest street theatre festival in Europe. The festival regularly hosts acts ranging from traditional clowns and theatre performances to acrobatic routines and shows with intricate sets and animatronics.

ULICA focuses on several key points. Cultural promotion and collaboration are achieved by inviting troupes from across Europe and encouraging collaborative performances between countries. Interaction and education are encouraged through inviting the audience to participate, and promoting knowledge about the arts and social issues in performances.

Room to Grow

As of now, ULICA has no consistent brand. There is no website, advertising is sporadic and limited to just posters. Other than free program booklets there are no brand extensions. As the event expands to more locations across Kraków and to other towns, there is a desperate need for way-finding signage.

ULICA is a unique and growing festival. They need a consistent and strong brand that can grow with them and better communicate their values. Creating an interactive brand experience will add greater value to the event and further immerse spectators in performances.

The Brand

To capture both the spirit and legacy of the festival, the brand combines historical elements with modern, lighthearted fun. Inspired by the old street signs in downtown Kraków where the festival is held, the logo uses hand drawn type based on the 1980’s font used in the signs. The annual number in the logo changes each year so it is highlighted in color to draw attention to the current year.

Bright colors and a cobblestone pattern add to the fun and add visual interest. The tagline "Life Imagined" encapsulates the goal of ULICA: seeing life in whimsical and outlandish ways as well as looking at how the world could be helped or harmed by our actions. Transparency will be featured in various touch-points to help reinforce the ideas of interaction and collaboration.

The Website

Currently, the festival webpage is housed as a single page in the main website for the Teatr Kto theatre troupe. By having a separate website for ULICA, information can be expanded upon and organized more efficiently. Visitors can access the festival schedule and artist lineup, see a map of where events are being held, view and register for workshops, and read about the history of the festival and it's founder, Teatr Kto.

The Mobile App

Like the website, the app will feature a schedule, workshop registration, and historical info. It will also have an offline map that spectators can use to navigate around the city as they go from performance to performance.

The Program

The event program is provided for free to all visitors and has more detailed information about performers and the story behind their acts. It also features a daily schedule and map of the event locations.

Way-Finding

Due to ULICA's exploding popularity, many visitors who are unfamiliar with the city may be unsure of their location in the large market squares, even with the assistance of a map. Therefore, large signs with directional arrows and location names will be set up to direct spectators to the correct area. The signs will feature the cobblestone pattern as well as a transparent background. Branding would extend to caution tape used to mark areas for performers.

The Advertising

To showcase the interactive and playful aspects of ULICA, interactive advertisements will utilize popular forms of advertising in Kraków, such as lamp post banners, bus and tram windows and posters at stops. People passing by can stop and interact with the advertisement by posing and becoming part of the image. Advertisements on windows will alter the way commuters see the passing scenery in the same way ULICA artists alter our perspective on life.

Additional Elements