BIG on Bloor 2009

website: bigonbloor.com/festival
click here for program guide (printed in local paper)
click here for the block-by-block logistics map (for the permit)

BIG on Bloor happened again in 2009, on the rainiest day of summer up to that point, having most of the participants styaing dry in their homes—only the troopers with tents survived. Nevertheless they got their $25 table money worth the listing in the program guide printed in the new local paper and the festival's website. The rain did stop halfway through the day and the results were pretty much like last years.

BIG on Bloor organically grew to be the festival that it became by the need to connect the fragmented groups, organizations, residents and businesses along 2.5 km on Bloor Street West, covering the Bloorcourt and Bloordale BIAs. The reason why the area has been deprived has been due to a lack of ownership and leadership in the business community to make it unified and distinct. So the festival celebrated this fact by inviting anyone to buy a table and bring any business they had onto the street.

My role in this festival was the branding, poster design, bus-shelter design, flyer design, t-shirt design, map design, program design and the site I had designed from the year before made into a database by Dougal Bichan—the superhero programming coordinator for the festival along with Sid Bruyn on the production. I adjusted the brand slightly from the year before as you can see here.

I also facilited Alpha Alternative School (local grade 7 and 8) students paint a banner to be hung at the south west corner of Bloor and Dufferin promoting the festival. I went into their classroom for a few sessions and got their creative juices out by brainstorming concepts and getting them out in drawings. They did an amazing job of depicting the spirit and diversity of the festival visually. It was a pleasure working with them. Thank you to Gabrielle, Zio and Dave for making it a wonderful experience.