Brief Explanation

The Festival relies on funding from government partners and sponsorship, leaving very little money for paid media. Our challenge was to find a way to change the perception of influential food people and get them talking about the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival again.

The Brief

Melbourne is a city obsessed by food and wine. However, with a bounty of world-class culinary experiences on offer year-round, the locals are spoilt for choice. As a result, Melbourne’s Food & Wine Festival was struggling to maintain relevance. After 22 years it was beginning to feel stale and attendance was in decline. Melbourne Food & Wine Festival asked us to create a sophisticated campaign that would inspire local industry and food lovers to see their city’s Festival with fresh eyes.

How the final design was conceived

With a target market made up of the fussiest food critics, we knew standard advertising fare wasn’t going to cut it. Once we came up with the concept ‘Discover Something New’, we worked on creating posters with as much craft as the food in Melbourne’s top restaurants. Using a hand-made process inspired by classic food and beverage posters, we blended traditional screen-printing with a modern style, to give this genre a fresh twist. Each poster is designed to have a double meaning, taking the viewer on a sensory journey as they discover new elements with each look.

Indication of how successful the outcome was in the market

These limited edition A1 posters were hand-numbered, embossed, and delivered to Melbourne’s best restaurants with a personal note from the Festival encouraging restaurant owners to display them in their dining areas. With an overwhelming response, the posters served as a major talking point in the food community – igniting renewed interest from the press and receiving generous coverage on food, culture, and even design blogs.