Dark Souls Fest
A conceptual fan festival that translates a community's shared passion for an iconic game into an immersive, physical experience...
Focus
Brand Identity
Completed
Nov 2025
Thematic Fan Festival for Gamers
Dark Souls Fest is a conceptual festival designed specifically with the Dark Souls fanbase in mind, drawing inspiration from the community-run online event, Return to Lordran. During the online event, players return to the game for a new playthrough to engage in cooperative gameplay. Dark Souls Fest is designed as a physical extension of that camaraderie, giving the fanbase a dedicated space to meet in person and celebrate their shared love of the Dark Souls franchise, much like a traditional fan convention.
A promotional graphic from the r/darksouls subreddit for Return to Lordran.
Technical Considerations
Logistics & Localization: This three-day event would be hosted at the Los Angeles Convention Center and feature bilingual English and Spanish communications to reflect the location's demographics and support wider accessibility.
IP Separation & Community Identity: While celebrating the game, the festival's primary core is its community. To distinguish the event from the stark, grim tone of the official Dark Souls IP, the visual identity establishes a playful and inviting atmosphere centered around the game's core community concept of "jolly cooperation."
Visual Aesthetic: The design language is bold and playful, featuring a warm color palette and high-contrast silhouettes of recognizable in-game motifs.
Copywriting & Verbal Tone: The verbal identity is a deliberate mix of archaic phrasing that mirrors the game's official world-building, the structured constraints of the in-game player messaging system, and a sprinkle of popular community lingo.
Immersive Experience: The entire design system is focused around the player's perspective. By translating gameplay mechanics and community references into tangible, physical details, the space encourages a role-playing atmosphere. The audience aren't treated as spectators, but as the main characters of the festival, mirroring how players experience the game itself.
Badge Design
The ID ticket badges for each day of the festival features one of the three iconic cover art knights from the Dark Souls trilogy, paired with the respective titles players earn in-game: the "Chosen Undead" for Day 1, the "Bearer of the Curse" for Day 2, and the "Ashen One" for Day 3. The special pass design combines all three knights alongside the "Lord of Cinder" title, earned upon beating the game. The back of the badge is styled after the in-game player status menu.
In-game UI character stat menu.
Program Guide
The festival program guide is shaped like a sword, tying into the world of the game and inviting attendees into a playful role-playing experience for greater immersion and engagement. Everything from the icons and language choices to the renamed locations on the Los Angeles Convention Center map and the scheduled events is a nod to the game and its community.
Wayfinding
The festival entrance serves as a physical manifestation of the game's atmosphere, brought to life to create an immersive environmental experience for attendees. The design features a dramatic stone archway paired with a prominent bonfire in the background to make visitors feel as if they are about to step directly into another world.
The wayfinding signage is designed to reference various elements from the game, including weapons, items, locations, and lore. These designs feature the same festival map icons to ensure a clear and cohesive navigational system across the physical space.
Merch Designs
Apparel and desk pad designs.
Digital Promotion
