ART & CREATIVE DIRECTION
Art Direction / Creative Direction roles vary across agencies and companies, so for clarity, we are defining these project roles as the primary high-level creative decision-maker; responsible for the main concept, aesthetics, and styling. In lieu of a gallery, select projects are featured to discuss in-depth.
red bull unlocked: detroit & atlanta
Red Bull Unlocked is a 360° celebration of the the best nightlife from around the world, offering the ultimate immersive experience for party-goers who love socialising and good times. CFCM was hired by BROK Decor International as creative lead for the design of the Account Rooms for the Detroit and Atlanta events that were one month apart.
Working under BROK as part of a multi-agency team, CFCM developed the look and feel for the six account rooms for each city, using in-person site visits, photos, and interviews with the business owners to develop mini versions of each place that were true to the essence and vibe of the original. Each room had a mix of custom pieces, in-house inventory, and rental inventory. Since the budget needed to accomplish a lot, the event required a lot of creativity and ingenuity to recreate elements in a way that made sense for a single night event.
One notable example was recreating an iconic stained glass window in a Detroit tiki bar from a single bad photograph. Thanks to CFCM's design background, the bad photo was carefully reconstructed in Photoshop and printed on white-backed acrylic, framed out in painted wood, and mounted in front of an existing light fixture in the venue. The result was a softly-glowing "stained glass" window that looked exactly like the original! Collaborating with the talented BROK fabrication team on these solutions was a highlight of the project for us.
CFCM modeled out the event venue for each city and designed the spaces in 3D, using the final renders as installation blueprints for the BROK crew. BROK did a beautiful job fabricating the custom elements including all of the bars and signage, working closely with CFCM for dimensions and materials. CFCM managed the styling budget and procurement of custom decor, and developed the install plan alongside the BROK crew leads. In addition to creative directing BROK's install of the account rooms, CFCM also graphic designed many of the print needs for the event and handled all last-minute onsite creative requests and troubleshooting as needed.
The events were a smashing sold-out success, and praised by all stakeholders including Red Bull North America's National Director of Music Festivals & Events as "the most successful Unlocked events Red Bull has ever done."
VENMO SUPER VIP LOUNGE AT MUSIC MIDTOWN
CFCM Design partnered with our friends at Seattle-based Goodwurk to tag team the deco department for the entire Music Midtown festival in 2023, including design, fabrication, styling, install and strike, and department staffing festival-wide.
The Super VIP deck sponsor, Venmo, approached us for help designing and installing an ultra-premium experience for the most exclusive guests.
After designing several options that were in-budget, Venmo chose the secret garden theme which fit really well within the beautiful park setting, and allowed us to use a lot of existing decor inventory to give the client the most bang for their buck. Detailed 3D renders of the entire deck and all elements helped sell the vision and allowed for several plus-up add-ons.
Some custom highlights included garden coffee tables handmade with cut acrylic and faux floral arrangements and branded with Venmo icon decals; a full back bar made from artful furniture collaged together and accented with glass bottles, florals, and CNC-cut logo sign; branded high-top tables; custom printed logo throw pillows; hanging wisteria trellises with festoon lighting suspended from the lower deck ceiling; and a holistic day spa experience featuring a local wellness company. We also brought in a henna artist to provide complimentary henna art to SVIP attendees.
RED BULL FRATERNITY LOT EVENT BAR
Our friends at Red Bull South approached CFCM with a really fun challenge: can you turn this little 8ft deep x 15ft wide x 8ft high space at a popular venue in a college town into a functional bar space to serve thousands of people over the football and concert season, on a tight budget and within 1 month?
Challenge accepted :)
Thanks to a small but mighty team, including the talents of lead carpenter Ausar Ward, we were able to deliver a great and very functional little space that the clients were thrilled with. We saved money and time on a site visit thanks to incredibly accurate measurements by our onsite contact, modeling out the space to use as our fabrication reference. We pre-built everything and prepped as much as possible before driving the 5 hours to Columbia, SC where we completed our install in under 2 days.
A few troubleshooting moments occurred when trying to fit in the Red Bull coolers, but with the ingenuity and suggestions of our awesome Red Bull partners and a quick hardware store trip we were able to adjust and pivot to make it all look fantastic.
Before the build, just a few old vending machines