Background:
In this freelance project, I was tasked to create a series of automotive retail promotional designs for an official Audi/Rusnak Westlake event. This event targeted the car enthusiast community to come together to see a rare collection of supercars that are not often publicly displayed. One of the main objectives was to attract a wider audience and appeal to a younger crowd, such as teenagers or people in their twenties, so they thought I would be a perfect fit for the job by bringing in a modern and sleek illustrative touch to the project.

Brief:
Since this event landed in October with Halloween approaching just around the corner, the client requested that I integrate skeletons into the famous Audi logo design. During the beginning stages of the design process we decided to incorporate cigars into the overall event campaign to represent a luxurious lifestyle and a relaxed state of mind, hence the final name of the event “Cars & Cigars”. Lastly, the client requested that I make one of the skeletons female in order to create a gender-neutral design that once again appeals to a wider audience and does not exclude anybody. The final designs were to be displayed on banners that would wave in the wind and greet everybody that attended the event.

Solution:
With the skeleton illustrations, I was aiming for a slightly characterized look, while still keeping them as anatomically correct as possible. I began by examining the anatomical structures of the human skeleton three-dimensionally through image references and 360 degree renders before illustrating the skeletons in natural contrapposto positions. By leaning them against either side of the rings, I created an interaction between the skeletons and the central logo while simultaneously creating a strong horizontal balance in the overall composition.

Banner Designs:
For the event banners, I decided to change the orientation of the title to create a bold contrast while simultaneously still giving the skeletons something to interact with.






Banners in Action:
Front & Back T-Shirt Design:


Results:
Over 200 people attended the event from surrounding cities including Westlake, Thousand Oaks, and Simi Valley. Being the first time Audi/Rusnak Westlake hosts this event they did not expect such a successful turnout. They will now turn this into an annual event and continue the tradition!
Outcome:
The biggest takeaway from this experience for me was learning how to properly navigate through a project with a client and adapt myself accordingly to satisfy their needs. This freelance project was valuable to me because it also taught me how to professionally communicate to create clarity and understanding throughout the entire process.