Timeframe
September – November 2025
SIAFF - Festival Concept
Breathing Modularity
Into Architecture.
Breathing Modularity
Into Architecture.
Context
In this project, I developed a visual brand and contexts for a conceptually modified festival called ‘Seoul International Architecture Film Festival’.
The theme of this festival will center around balance, exploring the relationship between structure and creativity using modular forms. In SIAFF, Architecture is the focus, and the film is the lens.
The goal of this project is to conceptualize a brand for a bilingual festival and to creatively apply it onto various applications. In this project, you’ll find custom typefaces, HTML/CSS prototyped websites, augmented reality, and interactive 3D architecture.
Team
Individual
What is SIAFF?
Similar to Design festivals and events such as DesignThinkers and the World Architecture Festival, the Seoul International Architecture Film Festival [SIAFF] connects the minds of architects together to share insights and outstanding architecture that inspires greatness.
research
Time to set the Stage
What is the theme and focus of this festival? Where does it take place? What are the primary languages used?
The Focus
The Seoul International FIlm Festival is a modified festival that focuses on the celebration of architecture.
The Theme
The visual style of SIAFF will emphasize modularity and structure, echoing the festival’s thematic focus of modularity.
Location & Languages
SIAFF takes place at Arthouse Momo in South Korea and is designed as a bilingual festival, presented in both Korean and English.
poster moodboards
Developing brand directions
To get started on this project I created three refined conceptual posters under a symbolic, representational, and abstract intent. This developed directions and options for the branding and styles that best fit the festival’s thematic concept of balance and modularity.
In the abstraction-focused moodboard, I explored abstract architectural references such as M.C. Escher’s ‘Relativity’, real-world architecture, and typographic and geometric posters that use alignment to construct visual structure.
For my representational and symbolic moodboard, I drew inspiration from real-life architectural works—particularly brutalist structures—alongside architectural sketches, blueprints, and materials, connecting physical buildings with the planning and construction processes behind them.
Focus on Typefaces
• The focus of these moodboards involved a lot of modular typography as well as creative architecture.
• For the typographic development of my posters, I will need to emanate the balance between form and function.
Living Architecture
• Designing a poster for a festival means designing a visual identity. I have to be able to consider it’s core points.
• In seeing through an architectural lens, I need to be able to develop an aligned, structural, and bold style.
Modularity allows components to be swapped without redesigning the rest.
design planning
Creating a modular typeface
Focusing on the idea of architectural structure, I developed sketches based on a typograhic moodboard I compiled from the other moodboards.
How do we visually design across languages?
Developing a multilingual typeface
Typeface design is an extensive process, especially for multilingual use. However, the benefit of creating my own typeface means that I have full control of how the visual style translates from English to Korean.
Developing a multilingual typeface
Typeface design is an extensive process, especially for multilingual use. However, the benefit of creating my own typeface means that I have full control of how the visual style translates from English to Korean.
Modularity and visual branding
I developed a simple yet easy to follow grid system to create my glyphs in both Korean and English.
One benefit of this grid is that it forces a visual style and also allows for further expansion into emoticons, symbols, etc...
poster design
Poster Sketches & Concepts
Symbolic Posters
The idea for these posters to display the process and origins into planning the actual physical architecture.
Abstract Posters
The idea for these posters to display the boldness and structural components of architecture through modularity.
Representational Posters
This poster should play on the ideas of form and function, contrasting or blending architectural creativity and usability.
Final Symbolic Poster
This poster is symbolic of architecture by visually representing the process and origins into planning the actual live buildings.
Final Symbolic Poster
This poster is symbolic of architecture by visually representing the process and origins into planning the actual live buildings.
Final Abstract Poster
This was ultimately the poster I chose, mainly because of it’s modular typeface and potential for system expansion.
Final Representational Poster
This poster is a mashup of brutalist buildings across the world, inspired by M.C Escher and the style of Cubism.
website advertisements
Spreading the word
The abstract styling was ultimately the main brand style I decided to continue developing, mainly because of it’s modular typeface. My typeface is systematically consistent in both Korean and English, and visually builds onto the idea of structure and balance within architecture.
The main visual identity of this festival branding is the custom typeface from the abstract poster, accompanied by blue rectangles and free flowing yellow arrows on a black gridded background.
early mistakes
Fixing inconsistencies
Early on in the project I horribly misbranded my landing page as it was extremely inconsistent from the original style of my poster.
brand reminders
What’s the big idea?
My biggest mistake here was the misuse of colours and imagery. This landing page should be showing off the modular typeface as well as utilizing the mix of my bold red, blue, yellow, and white colours as I did in my poster.
branding applications
Building a bold structural brand
website design
Augmented Reality & HTML/CSS
In my branding applications, I designed 3D architectural models for festival attendees to experience it through augmented reality and interact with it on my website. This however, was not going to work on a Figma mockup as it didn’t allow embeds, so I decided to code an MVP in HTML/CSS and JavaScript.
What's the challenge?
• Figma is limited and cannot implement interactive 3D objects in the website mockup.
• Augmented Reality is a new medium/experience I’m new to.
This branding application is highly experimental, but it creates strong memorability for the festival. It can be extended across multiple touchpoints, including take-home QR-code business cards, presentation decks, and even 3D-printed objects.
This branding application is highly experimental, but it creates strong memorability for the festival. It can be extended across multiple touchpoints, including take-home QR-code business cards, presentation decks, and even 3D-printed objects.
View a live demo of the AR experience!
In this demonstration, we take a look at the SIAFF scannable cards and the process of experiencing live architecture through augmented reality.
View a live demo of the AR experience!
In this demonstration, we take a look at the SIAFF scannable cards and the process of experiencing live architecture through augmented reality.
Experience it from your phone!
learning
Let’s talk software
The difference of creating an MVP in HTML/CSS rather than Figma is the ability to further design for more accessibility features, 3D objects, and sense.
team empathy
Why use HTML to design?
While this approach is less efficient than standard workflows, I also chose it as a challenge to better understand how developers interpret and implement design. Working this way pushed me to create more intuitive, responsive solutions grounded in real-world constraints.
final website
Welcome to a modular SIAFF
In this project, I designed a poster and extended its visual language into a cohesive branding system across multiple applications, culminating in an MVP that demonstrates creative branding, multilingual support, accessibility, and festival logistics.
Site Walkthrough
I designed pages for the landing experience, program schedule, and interactive map, along with responsive layouts optimized for multiple screen sizes and API integrations like Google Maps and AR viewers, implemented with bilingual support in both Korean and English.
Click here to open the website in your browser!
Try out the website for yourself below, or click here to open it in your browser!
reflection and conclusion
My design feats
Multilingual Typeface Systems
Through this project, I created multiple fonts in different languages with a cohesive modular type system, sharpening my ability to design visually complex structures, including full brand identities.
Design into Functional Websites
I learned HTML, CSS, and accessibility best practices to bring my designs to life as a fully functional website.
This process allowed me to create responsive, inclusive web experiences while deepening my understanding of front-end development.
Multilingual Typeface Systems
Through this project, I created multiple fonts in different languages with a cohesive modular type system, sharpening my ability to design visually complex structures, including full brand identities.
Design into Functional Websites
I learned HTML, CSS, and accessibility best practices to bring my designs to life as a fully functional website.
This process allowed me to create responsive, inclusive web experiences while deepening my understanding of front-end development.
So what did I learn?
- Design isn’t limited to what’s on Figma, get active and explore!
- Built and maintained a consistent brand identity.
- Expanded beyond the generic layout with API integrations.
- Bring the brand to life—let the applications reflect the theme.
- A strong visual foundation is vital to building an entire system.
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