You may have noticed something different about Film Independent lately. We’re very pleased to be launching our new visual identity. Although the look is new, we still stand for the same thing: championing the cause of independent film.

The new identity is sturdy, offbeat and approachable, spurred by a need to unify Film Independent’s diverse and ever-growing roster of offerings—which includes the Film Independent Spirit Awards, the LA Film Festival and Film Independent at LACMA, as well as a host of in-house Programs including Artist Development, Project Involve and our various Education resources. The new identity organizes these parts into a coherent whole, while imbuing all of it with the spirit of the organization—commitment to a community of artists who, day in and day out, embody diversity, innovation and uniqueness of vision.

Designed by Emily Oberman and her team at Pentagram Design in New York, the new identity includes logotypes and distinct colors for Film Independent and each of our many events and programs.

“One of our key goals embarking in this process was unifying our many programs and events into one cohesive brand, which Pentagram’s work certainly addresses,” said Maggie Moe, Film Independent’s Director of Marketing. “I couldn’t be happier with the new look and I’m so pleased our visual identity now reflects the excellence of our programs and events.”

Elements of the New Design
“The logotype system—and its many irregularly stacked variations—is designed to subtly evoke the hand-drawn lettering of old movie posters, and is the core component of Film Independent’s new identity,” said Oberman.

“The words of each logo are broken up and built into multiple offbeat shapes, embodying the flexible, unconventional spirit of Film Independent,” she said. “The typeface’s distinctive lowercase i is embedded throughout the brand, providing a constant reminder of the spirit of independence that is the organization’s foundation.” The logotypes were created with a font designed exclusively for Film Independent by Swiss type foundry Grilli Type, named “Font Independent.”

New Look. Same Commitment.
As part of the process, Oberman and her team worked closely with the Film Independent community to better understand our organization and create a powerful platform:

We are a community of individuals from all over the world united by a common passion. We are the beating heart of independent film.

Film Independent celebrates visual storytelling in all its forms, regardless of scope or medium, offering the boots-on-the-ground support and training needed to empower makers and viewers alike. We identify and encourage new talent. We mentor artists and exhilarate fans. We expose audiences to compelling new work and we award each year’s finest examples.

We’re here to make the world of film a more accessible and inspirational place, so creative minds can do what they do best.

The platform informs the new design but, more importantly, reaffirms who we are and what we stand for.

And we’re just getting started! A full website relaunch in the coming months will help us better serve our community of filmmakers and film lovers.

Special thank you to Film Independent’s Board task force—Mary Sweeney, Sue Kroll, Alan Poul and Allan Mayer—for their time, expertise and input during this process, and to Oberman’s full team at Pentagram: Jonathan Correira, Todd Goldstein, Franziska Stetter and Kerry Griner.

Tom Sveen / Film Independent Blogger