Montclair Film, in Montclair, NJ, is a non-profit organization connecting international filmmakers with audiences through the power of visual storytelling. The team at Hieronymus was thrilled to engage with the organization to come up with a new identity that supports Montclair Film’s diverse year-round programming while staying true to their original purpose—having some fun with film.

Born as a 10-day film festival, The Montclair Film Festival quickly expanded, moving into a permanent home on Montclair’s main street and developing year-round workshops, lecture series, screenings, and a party or two. The original name, "Montclair Film Festival" was no longer relevant to the expanded year-round programming, so the next logical step was to create a brand architecture that spoke to the expanded mission of the organization.

Starting with a brand audit and naming, the challenge was to develop a naming system that preserved the brand equity of The Montclair Film Festival to date, while representing the diverse programming to come. The name Montclair Film is a nice large umbrella, providing a seamless rollout of sub-brands—some workhorses, and some of the cheekier variety (Montclair Film + Chill).

Working hand in hand with the Montclair Film team, Hieronymus devised a flexible identity system that reflects their core mission; bringing together many different people—audiences, filmmakers, students and artists—with the goal of educating and entertaining at the same time. The new identity allows for unique yearly festival applications with some rules in place to keep it all cohesive.

The final rollout was huge and included website design, motion graphics, interior and exterior signage and merchandise; as well as a festival campaign design with coordinating digital and printed marketing materials.