The North Star Festival

The North Star Festival was created to highlight Toledo, Ohio’s role in the Underground Railroad and celebrate the musical contributions of Black Americans from the 1850s to the 1960s. Included in the lineup were Toledo Opera’s production of I Dream and Toledo Symphony’s Spotlight performance featuring famed Metropolitan Opera soprano Kathleen Battle.

I listened to the community and collaborated extensively before we landed on a design that was fitting for the festival. Ultimately, we went with a warm color palette of golds, coppers, browns, and blacks—inspired by a beautiful image of Kathleen Battle. Because direct mail and other grass roots distribution channels were leaders in our marketing strategy, I knew we had to create a piece that was not only beautiful but also sturdy and substantial enough to last the test of time.

We designed an 8-page, double gatefold brochure that carefully rolled out the messaging for the festival. Metzgers Printing in Toledo, Ohio printed and foil stamped the logo in copper on the front of the piece. The brochure served as the design inspiration for the entire marketing campaign which helped to bring in more diverse audiences to performances.

My role: community liaison, marketing strategist, design director, project manager, copywriter