Michigan Brown Trout Festival Poster
I created an engaging poster for the 50th Anniversary of the Michigan Brown Trout Festival. Hosted every July in Alpena, Michigan, this unique fishing festival is filled
with fishing raffles, games, music, food, and family events. Growing up, I have attended the festival during my visits to my family’s cabin, located in the nearby village of Hubbard Lake. Through my personal connections to this event, I strived to create a dynamic poster that honors the patience and excitement of fishing in Northern MI.
Those who attend this festival and love to fish.
I began my research process by taking a deep dive into the festival logistics, location, and demographics of previous attendees. Having visited the city of Alpena many times, I had personal experience with the city’s history, geography, and values.I learned that the festival is centered around a rare catch by the name of “Big Brownie.” Each year, a brown trout is tagged and released into Lake Huron for the fishing competition. If Big Brownie is caught, there is a $25,000 prize. Big Brownie has also only ever been caught once in the 50 years of the festival.
After learning about the exciting challenge of catching Big Brownie, I heavily tapped into the idea of representing fishing as a game of chance. I gathered a series of poster assets, collaged together in a way that represented the time, patience, and dedication to sport. I incorporated important language that stemmed from the fishing culture surrounding Big Brownie. Phrases like, “Only one has been caught in 50 years” became integrated into my poster iterations.
I quickly realized that my initial design approach lacked a sense of playfulness. I shifted my poster’s visual aesthetic from photorealistic to vector-based, allowing for simplicity to unify my assets. I also experimented with overlapping type to display a sense of movement and a chance at ultimate success.
As a subtle textural element, I incorporated a pattern into the water background that represents fishing nets and scales. Throughout my design process, I had a great time playing with these unique visuals and paying close attention to subtle details.