Ballad of the Queens

Ballad of the Queens Senior Thesis Project

Ballad of the Queens is a women-driven festival where hip-hop and rock fans unify alongside their favorite artists exploring women's empowerment, the power of femininity, and self-expression. Fans will be expecting an event where they can build a spiritual connection together or amongst themselves while listening to hip-hop icons during the daylight and rock legends during the nighttime. For my senior year project, I wanted to pitch a business proposal centered around this festival idea where I design the branding, merchandise and marketing advertisement that helps promote the project.

Ballad of the Queens Primary and Alternative Logos

How did you come up with the name? Ballad comes from the music icons' skill in vocal range and stage presence that captures the essence of the music. It also can represent the stories of each Queen and how they collectively share their experiences as musicians. Thus combined Ballad of the Queens embodies that message.

Ballad of the Queens Design Elements

Ballad of the Queens Persona

Why is the project centered around women? After being raised by powerful women such as my mom and grandma, I wanted to propose this music festival that celebrates the evolution of these talented ladies in order to provide a safe space in hip-hop/rock music.

In the music world today, fans are witnessing talented women that are winning all the awards and receiving their flowers more often. Victoria Monet started off as a song writer then won her first Grammy as an artist or Sza ranking number on the charts every week since she released hit song “Snooze.” Seeing these artists perform in an event where women can express themselves, speak their mind and grow together as a community can influence positive change.

Color Palette

How did you come up with colors? When researching, I knew immediately I needed to have an equal balance of colors that fit the “Mystical Glam” vibe I had in mind. I have looked up hours of references used throughout tarot cards and readings and noticed the colors that were mainly used are blues, reds, pinks and golds. From there I considered my color palette to match with my mystical design elements throughout the designs I have chosen for the festival. (Pink Sun, Blue Moon, Black Cloud and Red Star.)

Pink was a must because it represents the power of femininity, inner peace, and spreading love. Red is the color that represents boldness, fiery passion, and courage. Blue represents calmness, emotional depth and trustworthiness. Lastly, black represents mystery, rebirth, and rebellion. The purpose of this color palette is to connect what spiritual energy/vibe each Queen or fan fits into the universe. Whether you are feeling like a red star or a pink sun, each person shines in their way.

Heading and Sub-Heading Font Choices

Music Line-up posters (Nighttime and Daytime Version)

Why two music genres in the festival and not just one? With my dying love for hip hop and being open-minded towards rock, I wanted to challenge myself by giving opposite categories of music to shine together and individually in this project. As an active listener of both genres, I feel that they’re very opposite yet share a lot of things in common. Hip-Hop and Rock Queens have different tastes in styles, men, lifestyles, and sounds, but tend to sing about women's empowerment and self-expression. They also explore the importance of loving their body, spiritual growth, and celebrating the success of the sisterhood.

Ballad of the Queens Music Festival Tickets

Ballad of the Queens Lanyard Designs

Ballad of the Queens Merchandise Advertisement

Artist Affirmation Cards (Front and Back)

How did you come about designing Artist Tarot Cards? The design elements and color palette came in handy for these cards because I categorized each artist based on the sun/moon/star/cloud energy the artist radiates. The affirmations on the front of the cards are song lyrics as self reminders for the fans to take home. The cards are intended to be sold only at the festival and fans can collect up to 30 to exchange or to keep as a collective. For example, SZA embodies a blue moon spirit because her presence seems calm and sweet yet she’s vulnerable when it comes to her emotions in her music. Another example, Hayley Williams embodies a red star spirit because she’s the life of the party, confident, and doesn’t take shit from anyone. For the fans, I wanted them to feel motivated enough to read these affirmations on the tarot cards.