No trip to a festival would be complete without purchasing a limited edition piece of merchandise, and this year we are delighted to have partnered with the art portfolio course at Orkney College, to create a brand new t-shirt design.
After weeks of design development, each student submitted one final design to be considered by the festival board. Following lengthy deliberation, Kelly Marwick’s design was chosen as the winner, and so her t-shirts are now in production, ahead of the festival kicking off in just a few weeks.
With just two colours, and strong graphics incorporating instruments and Orcadian archaeology, whilst with a clear view of the festival logo, the festival team felt that it made a striking image for printing.
Eileen Linklater, from the Orkney Folk Festival, explained: “We’re always looking for new inspiration for festival merchandise, and, in talking to Kirsteen Stewart, at the college, the idea of a collaboration arose – and one that would be advantageous to both sides. We gave a project brief at the start of the term, and returned at the end of term to see what the students had come up with. I was genuinely blown away by the creativity that came across in their designs.”
So impressed were the festival board by a number of the designs, that some have also been used as designs and textures throughout this year’s programme brochure. Eileen continued: “It was very difficult to choose a winner, and as we were so taken with the students’ work, we decided to extend what we would do and how we would use the artwork.”
Kirsteen – who heads up the art portfolio course at Orkney College – added: “Working with with the folk festival on this live project has been a fantastic experience for the students. Each student created an excellent final design as well as a sketchbooks brimming with ideas. This project was a real confidence builder.”
Kelly’s Orkney Folk Festival t-shirts will be available from the festival shop, in the Pier Arts Centre, Stromness, from the week of the festival.