DÍA SAN JOSE 2023
¡Levanta tu Alma! Lift Your Soul!
Goal: Create a brand refresh for San Jose’s premier Day of the Dead festival. In addition, Eric wanted to organize a digital campaign that outmatched last year’s presale records, continue cultivating the brand’s connection to Chicano identity, and direct the festival’s evolving content strategy. Lastly, he wanted a beer.
Results: Día San José nearly doubled its following on Instagram and pulled off a dynamic digital campaign. The previous presale record was broken, with a 30% increase from the previous year. Eric and his team completed a total brand refresh for 2023. He directed a crew of photographers and videographers to capture the beauty of Día San José while drinking a delightfully refreshing beer.
Credits: David Ocampo (Milagro Marketing Creative Director), Eric Perez (Art Director), Shay Hosian (Art Director), Nayeli Tostado (Graphic Designer), Marco Perez (Animator)
A Day of the Dead Festival with a sprinkle of Punk
Día San José is not your traditional Día de los Muertos festival, and Eric wanted to ensure it didn’t look that way either. Eric was brought on board the team at Milagro Marketing as art director for Día San José 2023. Together he and his team set out to create a fresh new look for the festival. This final brand book was created to identify key elements of the Día brand, including its brand voice, brand colors, and clear guidance when creating assets. Eric also included cultural notes for designers who were not familiar with the holiday or the Spanish language.
¡Levanta tu Alma!
Eric penned the tagline “¡Levanta tu Alma!” to represent his vision for the rebrand. The phrase is a short but powerful call to action that inspires the right blend of attitude and levity. While not overtly religious, the phrase conjures up a spiritualness that Eric was determined to introduce to the brand. Everything from the color gradients, fonts, logo, and our talented catrina was inspired by this phrase.
Cultural, Sharable Content.
Eric partnered with a talented Chicano artist and animator to create a pair of animated shorts to celebrate both San Jose’s unique culture and Día de los Muertos. These shorts were designed from the beginning to catch the attention of doom-scrollers. Eric worked closely with our animator, directing the shorts through the concept stage and into the final render.
Cruising Over to Día San José
With the cruising ban having only been lifted a year before, this short was created to celebrate the local cruising culture and highlight Día’s Lowrider ofrendas. The artist created a fictionalized version of San José, complete with a few nods to the event’s production company and event sponsor.
Rattle Those Bones
Featuring a cute calavera character, this short catches scrollers off guard and keeps them watching. The cute character is a nod to the sugar skulls popular during the holiday. The character dances to the beat of “El Sonidito,” the most viral song in Mexican history.