The new visual identity of Drama International Short Film Festival

DISFF new visual identity

Drama International Short Film Festival obtains a refined profile.

The Festival is changing and consequently its image is changing too.

We are pleased to present the new visual identity of DISFF created by Dimitris Papazoglou and his team (creative office DpS/Athens).

What follows is the rationale behind this choice, guided by an identity that will be able to support the institution over time, marching along with the visual language of a constantly evolving digital world.
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The preceding visual identity of the Drama International Short Film Festival was designed thirty years ago and was limited to be expressed by a logo including some basic colors. It has successfully served the needs of the institution for the past decades. Naturally, however, it became insufficient to express the continual evolution of the Festival in a wider frame and time length and to keep pace with the visual language in a continually changing digital world.

Our aim was to create a complete system of visual expression that would consolidate the current mission of the Festival, making the institution instantly recognizable to the Greek and international film audience: for the professionals working with the motion picture and for the individuals that are simply inspired by it; for young professionals and acclaimed filmmakers.

Firstly, in a climate of harmonious cooperation with DpS Athens, we defined the basic elements that the new visual identity should reflect in order to be consistent with the original essence of the institution:

  • The art of cinema at its core and the reason for its existence.
  • The format of “short film” as the representative field.
  • The attribute of the emblematic award, since the distinction in the competition sections of the festival is not only a locomotive to boost creativity but also a guarantee for recognition in the film industry.
  • The established international character that the Festival has acquired in the long run functions as a springboard for Greek and foreign artists at international markets.
  • The modern digital dimension of the institution as an organic adaptation to the new rituals of cinematic content consumption.
  • The factual intention of the festival is to embrace and shed light on individuals regardless of origin, religion and sexual orientation, with the main medium being the cinema that unites and serves for the collective progress and development.

We sought an identity consistent with the modern visual language, but which also will be able to support the institution throughout time. From the past until now; from now until the future.

That is why the option of creating a “firework”, that would look impressive in the short term in the form of a polished event, never crossed our minds. From the beginning our goal was to lay the foundations for implementations intended to last in the long run, without the need to depend on design trends.

Lengthy participatory workshops and constant interaction with the associates of the Festival co-formed the final design proposal by Dimitris Papazoglou that superseded our expectations by meeting the desired outcome:

  • The use of the film perforator (the small perforated squares that frame the strips of the analog film) works as a transition from our old logo to the new one. This classic element simultaneously represents the pixels or screens, signifying not only the cinematic mission of the Drama Film Festival but also its timeless continuity.
  • The imprinting of the pixels in such an arrangement that refers to the system of awards in film festivals – with the awarded party being placed in brackets from laurels – gave us a direct connotation to the concept of the cinematic competition, but also of the digital age.
  • The elliptical trace of the logo referring to the globe, offers us in a discreet but clear manner a visual depiction of the international character of an institution that is gaining more and more ground in the international cinematic terrain.
  • The codification of all verbal information into abbreviations that convey their message directly, is for us an organic symbolism for the power and format economy of the short film storytelling.

The patterns of the shapes and the distinct verbal presence that result from the above, in combination with the deep red color that connects our preceding identity with the refined one, constitute a complete visual system that we believe will enable the Festival to express itself audibly, recognizably and consistently in its function for the coming years.

We are grateful to Dimitris Papazoglou and DpS Athens for the thorough research, their inexhaustible creativity, elegant cooperation and the excellent final design.

George Demertzis, President of the Cultural Organization of Drama International Short Film Festival
Yannis Sakaridis, Artistic Director of Drama International Short Film Festival

Do not forget to download the new edition of our website application for mobiles and android tablets from the following address: https://www.dramafilmfestival.gr/en/about/download-the-app-of-our-website/