[ON YOUR] marc
21:41
vancouver, canada [ ]
Role — Content Design Lead, Visual Design Lead
Timeline — 5-week academic project (2024)
Type — Festival Event Mircosite
Scope — Interaction Design, Content Design, Art Direction
[ SCAR: Holland Festival ]
Currently available and seeking new work opportunities.
Thanks for stopping by! Get in Touch:
An expressive visual identity system and interactive microsite designed to extend the festival beyond the stage, giving audiences a way to (re)live and deepen their appreciation of favourite moments, long after the curtains close.
Currently available and seeking new work opportunities.
Thanks for stopping by! Get in Touch:
[Re]Live Moments Through a Visual-First Storytelling
[Re]Live Moments Through a Visual-First Storytelling
Hosted annually, the Holland Festival is the largest international performing arts festival in the Netherlands. It is known for its diverse mix of theatre, dance, music, opera, and multidisciplinary art, blending well-established artists with emerging global talent. The 77th Edition explores the theme of SCAR: resilience, memory, and the traces of something that happened to you. An injury. A wound. A cut…
Today, every decision starts with the people it is crafted for. My work is grounded in research and intent, guided by strategy, collaboration, and direction. I’m most engaged when breaking down ideas, uncovering insights, and exploring new directions before bringing them to life. I think
through ideas strategically, then express them through design solutions, building clear, considered visual systems and experiences that connect with people and the communities they serve.
Over five weeks, I led the content and art direction for a visual identity system and thematic expressive microsite designed to extend the festival beyond the stage.
Today, every decision starts with the people it is crafted for. My work is grounded in research and intent, guided by strategy, collaboration, and direction. I’m most engaged when breaking down ideas, uncovering insights, and exploring new directions before bringing them to life. I think
through ideas strategically, then express them through design solutions, building clear, considered visual systems and experiences that connect with people and the communities they serve.
[ The Need To Understand and Appreciate]
Today, every decision starts with the people it is crafted for. My work is grounded in research and intent, guided by strategy, collaboration, and direction. I’m most engaged when breaking down ideas, uncovering insights, and exploring new directions before bringing them to life. I think
through ideas strategically, then express them through design solutions, building clear, considered visual systems and experiences that connect with people and the communities they serve.
While the festival brings together global performances and spectacles, audiences often leave with a short-lived impression or an incomplete understanding of the nuanced details of what they experienced.
Today, every decision starts with the people it is crafted for. My work is grounded in research and intent, guided by strategy, collaboration, and direction. I’m most engaged when breaking down ideas, uncovering insights, and exploring new directions before bringing them to life. I think
through ideas strategically, then express them through design solutions, building clear, considered visual systems and experiences that connect with people and the communities they serve.
The goal is to create an immersive post-festival experience that helps people relive and deepen their understanding and appreciation of favourite moments, long after the event and the curtains close.
Today, every decision starts with the people it is crafted for. My work is grounded in research and intent, guided by strategy, collaboration, and direction. I’m most engaged when breaking down ideas, uncovering insights, and exploring new directions before bringing them to life. I think
through ideas strategically, then express them through design solutions, building clear, considered visual systems and experiences that connect with people and the communities they serve.
[ Challenge Statement ]
Today, every decision starts with the people it is crafted for. My work is grounded in research and intent, guided by strategy, collaboration, and direction. I’m most engaged when breaking down ideas, uncovering insights, and exploring new directions before bringing them to life. I think
through ideas strategically, then express them through design solutions, building clear, considered visual systems and experiences that connect with people and the communities they serve.
How might we provide additional content, understanding, and appreciation
to post-festival goers to enjoy their favourite moments, beyond the stage?
Today, every decision starts with the people it is crafted for. My work is grounded in research and intent, guided by strategy, collaboration, and direction. I’m most engaged when breaking down ideas, uncovering insights, and exploring new directions before bringing them to life. I think
through ideas strategically, then express them through design solutions, building clear, considered visual systems and experiences that connect with people and the communities they serve.
[ What Remains ]
Today, every decision starts with the people it is crafted for. My work is grounded in research and intent, guided by strategy, collaboration, and direction. I’m most engaged when breaking down ideas, uncovering insights, and exploring new directions before bringing them to life. I think
through ideas strategically, then express them through design solutions, building clear, considered visual systems and experiences that connect with people and the communities they serve.
At its core, SCAR is about what stays with you, from fragments and traces to the tension between what is visible and what is hidden. This concept became the visual storytelling foundation of the entire project.
Today, every decision starts with the people it is crafted for. My work is grounded in research and intent, guided by strategy, collaboration, and direction. I’m most engaged when breaking down ideas, uncovering insights, and exploring new directions before bringing them to life. I think
through ideas strategically, then express them through design solutions, building clear, considered visual systems and experiences that connect with people and the communities they serve.
Guided by the expressive qualities of Chris Ashworth and the principles of Ellen Lupton, I developed an art direction focused on translating emotion, tension, and imperfection into a cohesive visual language, with a key line of investigation centred on using colour as a guide within a modular system.
[01] Complex Grids for expressive asymmetrical compositions: Not to contain, but to create tension and visual movement.
[02] Using Colour For Visual expression: creating flow between disordered elements.
Today, every decision starts with the people it is crafted for. My work is grounded in research and intent, guided by strategy, collaboration, and direction. I’m most engaged when breaking down ideas, uncovering insights, and exploring new directions before bringing them to life. I think
through ideas strategically, then express them through design solutions, building clear, considered visual systems and experiences that connect with people and the communities they serve.
This line of investigation produced a cohesive visual system across different media, designed to feel both intentional and slightly unresolved, reflecting the nature of scars themselves, flexible enough to hold both structure and disruption.
Today, every decision starts with the people it is crafted for. My work is grounded in research and intent, guided by strategy, collaboration, and direction. I’m most engaged when breaking down ideas, uncovering insights, and exploring new directions before bringing them to life. I think
through ideas strategically, then express them through design solutions, building clear, considered visual systems and experiences that connect with people and the communities they serve.
[ The Evolution of the Glitch Block ]
Today, every decision starts with the people it is crafted for. My work is grounded in research and intent, guided by strategy, collaboration, and direction. I’m most engaged when breaking down ideas, uncovering insights, and exploring new directions before bringing them to life. I think
through ideas strategically, then express them through design solutions, building clear, considered visual systems and experiences that connect with people and the communities they serve.
The rectangular block "cut" motif didn't arrive fully formed. Across weeks of iteration, the blocks, type, image treatment, and selection were pushed and redefined.
Today, every decision starts with the people it is crafted for. My work is grounded in research and intent, guided by strategy, collaboration, and direction. I’m most engaged when breaking down ideas, uncovering insights, and exploring new directions before bringing them to life. I think
through ideas strategically, then express them through design solutions, building clear, considered visual systems and experiences that connect with people and the communities they serve.
[ Content Strategy: From Static Poster to Screen ]
Today, every decision starts with the people it is crafted for. My work is grounded in research and intent, guided by strategy, collaboration, and direction. I’m most engaged when breaking down ideas, uncovering insights, and exploring new directions before bringing them to life. I think
through ideas strategically, then express them through design solutions, building clear, considered visual systems and experiences that connect with people and the communities they serve.
To further guide both the art direction and the microsite, I developed three core principles, a content strategy focused on translating the emotional weight of live performance into a cohesive visual and digital experience:
Today, every decision starts with the people it is crafted for. My work is grounded in research and intent, guided by strategy, collaboration, and direction. I’m most engaged when breaking down ideas, uncovering insights, and exploring new directions before bringing them to life. I think
through ideas strategically, then express them through design solutions, building clear, considered visual systems and experiences that connect with people and the communities they serve.
[01] A Visual-First Approach for Storytelling: Prioritizing imagery and composition as the primary way users engage with content, allowing performances to be understood and felt before they are explained.
[02] Expressive Interactions: Using motion and interaction to mirror the tension and emotion of the SCAR theme, encouraging users to actively engage rather than passively consume.
[03] Uncovering the Details: Designing layered moments of discovery that reveal additional context, insight, and meaning over time, deepening the user’s understanding of each performance.
Today, every decision starts with the people it is crafted for. My work is grounded in research and intent, guided by strategy, collaboration, and direction. I’m most engaged when breaking down ideas, uncovering insights, and exploring new directions before bringing them to life. I think
through ideas strategically, then express them through design solutions, building clear, considered visual systems and experiences that connect with people and the communities they serve.
[ The Visual System]
Today, every decision starts with the people it is crafted for. My work is grounded in research and intent, guided by strategy, collaboration, and direction. I’m most engaged when breaking down ideas, uncovering insights, and exploring new directions before bringing them to life. I think
through ideas strategically, then express them through design solutions, building clear, considered visual systems and experiences that connect with people and the communities they serve.
The final direction landed on gradient-textured coloured blocks set against stark black and white image treated photography, to simulate "SCAR" or scab.
Today, every decision starts with the people it is crafted for. My work is grounded in research and intent, guided by strategy, collaboration, and direction. I’m most engaged when breaking down ideas, uncovering insights, and exploring new directions before bringing them to life. I think
through ideas strategically, then express them through design solutions, building clear, considered visual systems and experiences that connect with people and the communities they serve.
Juxtaposed typefaces keep supporting information readable without competing for attention. The colour palette, set against a white background, creates flow between disordered elements, giving the composition its sense of controlled tension.
Today, every decision starts with the people it is crafted for. My work is grounded in research and intent, guided by strategy, collaboration, and direction. I’m most engaged when breaking down ideas, uncovering insights, and exploring new directions before bringing them to life. I think
through ideas strategically, then express them through design solutions, building clear, considered visual systems and experiences that connect with people and the communities they serve.
[ Cut to Reopen ]
Today, every decision starts with the people it is crafted for. My work is grounded in research and intent, guided by strategy, collaboration, and direction. I’m most engaged when breaking down ideas, uncovering insights, and exploring new directions before bringing them to life. I think
through ideas strategically, then express them through design solutions, building clear, considered visual systems and experiences that connect with people and the communities they serve.
By extension, the microsite translates this art direction into an interactive post-event platform, extending the festival experience into a digital space. Rather than acting as a static archive, the site invites users to relive performances through the continued visual-first approach, where imagery, motion, and interaction drive the experience.
Today, every decision starts with the people it is crafted for. My work is grounded in research and intent, guided by strategy, collaboration, and direction. I’m most engaged when breaking down ideas, uncovering insights, and exploring new directions before bringing them to life. I think
through ideas strategically, then express them through design solutions, building clear, considered visual systems and experiences that connect with people and the communities they serve.
[ Selecting the Performance ]
Users enter through an interactive landing page that asks them to cut open the scar using a click-and-drag animation. It's the first thing you do, and it sets the tone immediately.
[ Playback Timeline ]
Once inside a performance, the experience deepens. white boxes shifting colour, a sidebar glitching in with additional context tied to specific moments in the video.
[ Additional Content ]
Bonus content sits beyond the main performance, offering richer content that they might not have otherwise accessed, providing
a deeper understanding and connection to the performances and artists.
[ The Evolution of the Glitch Block ]
Today, every decision starts with the people it is crafted for. My work is grounded in research and intent, guided by strategy, collaboration, and direction. I’m most engaged when breaking down ideas, uncovering insights, and exploring new directions before bringing them to life. I think
through ideas strategically, then express them through design solutions, building clear, considered visual systems and experiences that connect with people and the communities they serve.
This academic project reinforced that design is not just about capturing what happened, but shaping how it is remembered. By grounding the work in a clear narrative and visual system, it becomes a way to hold meaning beyond the moment, allowing audiences to engage with performance in ways that last.
Today, every decision starts with the people it is crafted for. My work is grounded in research and intent, guided by strategy, collaboration, and direction. I’m most engaged when breaking down ideas, uncovering insights, and exploring new directions before bringing them to life. I think
through ideas strategically, then express them through design solutions, building clear, considered visual systems and experiences that connect with people and the communities they serve.
More than a documentation tool, the visual identity and expressive microsite became an extension of the festival, creating a space where moments can be revisited, reinterpreted, and relived.
Today, every decision starts with the people it is crafted for. My work is grounded in research and intent, guided by strategy, collaboration, and direction. I’m most engaged when breaking down ideas, uncovering insights, and exploring new directions before bringing them to life. I think
through ideas strategically, then express them through design solutions, building clear, considered visual systems and experiences that connect with people and the communities they serve.
[ONYOUR]Marc © 2026 | last updated 04.2026 .