Creative Director of The Paddy festival
Branding & Strategy
2022
Role
Creative Director
Project Head
Branding
Social Media
Team
Azil Zaneen
Diljith
NIhal
Vijay
Alif
Syed
Tools
Figma
Illustrator
Trello
Notion
Google docs
Timeline
3 months
Palakkad had no precedent for large-scale music festivals.
🎯 No audience awareness, no brand positioning, no ticketing framework.
🎯 Needed to feel local yet premium, community-driven yet aspirational.
🎯 Required a scalable brand & growth model to ensure sustainability.
Problem → Why This Was Needed
🔹 Defined brand positioning, personality & storytelling.
🔹 Built the strategic rollout → messaging, hype cycles, content timeline.
🔹 Led a team of 10 people for content production, social media, and digital marketing.
🔹 Managed the in-event media team, ensuring cohesive festival documentation.
🔹 Managed finance & budget for branding, marketing & social media.
My Role → Festival Creative Direction & Growth Execution
+
Problem:
No existing festival identity → Needed to feel authentic yet aspirational.
✅ Solution:
Developed the festival’s brand story, positioning, and messaging, tying it to Palakkad’s landscape, paddy fields, and sunset hues.
✅ Defined how the festival’s tone, energy, and community focus would evolve across marketing and communication.
📈 Impact: Consistent festival personality → Built early excitement & credibility.
👉 Visual: Brand Story & Messaging Framework
The Festival’s Brand Story → Strategy & Emotional Resonance
+
Problem:
Needed to build hype and credibility fast in a market unfamiliar with large-scale music festivals.
✅ Solution:
Led a team of designers, editors, and social media managers to execute a multi-phase content & branding strategy.
📌 What I Delivered:
50 reels | 45+ static posts | 12 carousels | 10+ motion posters | 1 CGI promo
Positioning Paddy Festival as a cultural movement rather than just an event.
📈 Impact:
Grew 0 → 6,500+ engaged followers in <75 days
Content-driven reach: 30L+ impressions & 2M+ views
👉 Visual: Social media engagement dashboard + viral post highlights
High-Impact Content & Brand Growth → 30L+ Impressions & Viral Reach
+
Paid Marketing & Ticketing Strategy → ₹20L+ in Ticket Sales
Problem: No pre-existing demand or ticketing framework → Needed a clear system to educate, engage & convert users
✅ Solution:
Conceptualized, scripted & directed high-impact video campaigns.
Managed ₹2L+ ad spend,
optimizing for different funnel stages → Awareness → Hype → Ticket Sales.
Integrated 15+ influencers for organic festival promotion.
📈 Impact:
Direct ticket sales: ₹20L+
2,600+ attendees at Palakkad’s first large-scale independent festival.
👉 Visual: Paid ad performance metrics + ticketing sales funnel
+
Paid Marketing & Ticketing Strategy → ₹20L+ in Ticket Sales
Key Takeaways & Learnings
💡 A brand is more than a logo. The right storytelling, personality & positioning create real engagement.
💡 Momentum is everything. A layered content & marketing strategy kept hype building at every stage.
💡 Budgeting & execution fuel success. Strategic finance & resource allocation ensured impact at scale
What I Designed & Built
Problem → Why This Was Needed
Palakkad had no precedent for large-scale music festivals.
🎯 No audience awareness, no brand positioning, no ticketing framework.
🎯 Needed to feel local yet premium, community-driven yet aspirational.
🎯 Required a scalable brand & growth model to ensure sustainability.
My Role → Festival Creative Direction & Growth Execution
+
🔹 Defined brand positioning, personality & storytelling.
🔹 Built the strategic rollout → messaging, hype cycles, content timeline.
🔹 Led a team of 10 people for content production, social media, and digital marketing.
🔹 Managed the in-event media team, ensuring cohesive festival documentation.
🔹 Managed finance & budget for branding, marketing & social media.
What I Designed & Built
The Festival’s Brand Story → Strategy & Emotional Resonance
+
Problem: No existing festival identity → Needed to feel authentic yet aspirational.
✅ Solution:
Developed the festival’s brand story, positioning, and messaging, tying it to Palakkad’s landscape, paddy fields, and sunset hues.
✅ Defined how the festival’s tone, energy, and community focus would evolve across marketing and communication.
📈 Impact: Consistent festival personality → Built early excitement & credibility.
👉 Visual: Brand Story & Messaging Framework
High-Impact Content & Brand Growth → 30L+ Impressions & Viral Reach
+
Problem:
Needed to build hype and credibility fast in a market unfamiliar with large-scale music festivals.
✅ Solution:
Led a team of designers, editors, and social media managers to execute a multi-phase content & branding strategy.
📌 What I Delivered:
50 reels | 45+ static posts | 12 carousels | 10+ motion posters | 1 CGI promo
Positioning Paddy Festival as a cultural movement rather than just an event.
📈 Impact:
Grew 0 → 6,500+ engaged followers in <75 days
Content-driven reach: 30L+ impressions & 2M+ views
👉 Visual: Social media engagement dashboard + viral post highlights
Paid Marketing & Ticketing Strategy → ₹20L+ in Ticket Sales
+
Problem: No pre-existing demand or ticketing framework → Needed a clear system to educate, engage & convert users
✅ Solution:
Conceptualized, scripted & directed high-impact video campaigns.
Managed ₹2L+ ad spend,
optimizing for different funnel stages → Awareness → Hype → Ticket Sales.
Integrated 15+ influencers for organic festival promotion.
📈 Impact:
Direct ticket sales: ₹20L+
2,600+ attendees at Palakkad’s first large-scale independent festival.
👉 Visual: Paid ad performance metrics + ticketing sales funnel
Key Takeaways & Learnings
💡 A brand is more than a logo. The right storytelling, personality & positioning create real engagement.
💡 Momentum is everything. A layered content & marketing strategy kept hype building at every stage.
💡 Budgeting & execution fuel success. Strategic finance & resource allocation ensured impact at scale
Role
Creative Director
Project Head
Branding
Social Media
Team
Azil Zaneen
Diljith
NIhal
Vijay
Alif
Syed
Tools
Figma
Illustrator
Trello
Notion
Google docs
Timeline
3 months
Brief
As a designer at Workduck, my journey encompassed various aspects of design, ranging from prototypes to pitch decks, and culminating in product design.
Workduck's mission: Revolutionizing the way product and project managers collaborate, differentiating the roles and solving critical challenges.
More context
As a designer at Workduck, my journey encompassed various aspects of design, ranging from prototypes to pitch decks, and culminating in product design.
Workduck's mission: Revolutionizing the way product and project managers collaborate, differentiating the roles and solving critical challenges.
+
Critical takeaways
So, I got to work. Artist OS isn’t just another app; it’s a lifeline for creatives drowning in deadlines, stats, and revenue streams. It started as a simple idea: What if there was a platform that could help artists manage their projects, track their income, and collaborate with others all in one place? And what if it actually understood what we go through? I tapped into my own experiences, threw in some solid human psychology (thanks, Self-Determination Theory), and built something that doesn’t just manage your workload but actually fuels your creativity. We’re talking about a digital space that gets it—helping artists not just survive but thrive, no matter where they’re from or how much they’ve failed before.
+
Since launching, Artist OS has already started making waves. Artists are finding it easier to juggle their creative and business lives, leading to better work and less stress. It’s more than just a tool—it’s a movement towards empowering creatives to take control of their careers. We’re creating a community where artists can learn from each other, collaborate on projects, and finally break free from the constant grind. And guess what? We’re just getting started. As we grow, we’re bringing in designers, developers, and anyone who’s ever felt like the odds were stacked against them. The goal? To build something so solid that artists everywhere can focus on what they do best—create.
Next Steps:
Expand the Feature Set: Add more tools for project collaboration, data analytics, and financial management to give artists even more control over their work.
Gather User Feedback: Listen to the people using Artist OS and refine the platform to better meet their needs.
Build Industry Partnerships: Collaborate with labels, brands, and educational institutions to widen our reach and provide more opportunities for users.
Secure Funding: Find investors who believe in the mission to help scale the platform and keep it accessible for all artists.
Grow the Community: Continue to foster a supportive environment where artists can share, learn, and collaborate, making Artist OS the go-to hub for creatives everywhere.
Critical takeaways
So, I got to work. Artist OS isn’t just another app; it’s a lifeline for creatives drowning in deadlines, stats, and revenue streams. It started as a simple idea: What if there was a platform that could help artists manage their projects, track their income, and collaborate with others all in one place? And what if it actually understood what we go through? I tapped into my own experiences, threw in some solid human psychology (thanks, Self-Determination Theory), and built something that doesn’t just manage your workload but actually fuels your creativity. We’re talking about a digital space that gets it—helping artists not just survive but thrive, no matter where they’re from or how much they’ve failed before.
+
Since launching, Artist OS has already started making waves. Artists are finding it easier to juggle their creative and business lives, leading to better work and less stress. It’s more than just a tool—it’s a movement towards empowering creatives to take control of their careers. We’re creating a community where artists can learn from each other, collaborate on projects, and finally break free from the constant grind. And guess what? We’re just getting started. As we grow, we’re bringing in designers, developers, and anyone who’s ever felt like the odds were stacked against them. The goal? To build something so solid that artists everywhere can focus on what they do best—create.
Next Steps:
Expand the Feature Set: Add more tools for project collaboration, data analytics, and financial management to give artists even more control over their work.
Gather User Feedback: Listen to the people using Artist OS and refine the platform to better meet their needs.
Build Industry Partnerships: Collaborate with labels, brands, and educational institutions to widen our reach and provide more opportunities for users.
Secure Funding: Find investors who believe in the mission to help scale the platform and keep it accessible for all artists.
Grow the Community: Continue to foster a supportive environment where artists can share, learn, and collaborate, making Artist OS the go-to hub for creatives everywhere.
Role
Creative Director
Project Head
Branding
Social Media
Team
Azil Zaneen
Diljith
NIhal
Vijay
Alif
Syed
Tools
Figma
Illustrator
Trello
Notion
Google docs
Timeline
3 months
Palakkad had no precedent for large-scale music festivals.
🎯 No audience awareness, no brand positioning, no ticketing framework.
🎯 Needed to feel local yet premium, community-driven yet aspirational.
🎯 Required a scalable brand & growth model to ensure sustainability.
Problem → Why This Was Needed
🔹 Defined brand positioning, personality & storytelling.
🔹 Built the strategic rollout → messaging, hype cycles, content timeline.
🔹 Led a team of 10 people for content production, social media, and digital marketing.
🔹 Managed the in-event media team, ensuring cohesive festival documentation.
🔹 Managed finance & budget for branding, marketing & social media.
My Role → Festival Creative Direction & Growth Execution
+
The Festival’s Brand Story → Strategy & Emotional Resonance
+
Problem: No existing festival identity → Needed to feel authentic yet aspirational.
✅ Solution:
Developed the festival’s brand story, positioning, and messaging, tying it to Palakkad’s landscape, paddy fields, and sunset hues.
✅ Defined how the festival’s tone, energy, and community focus would evolve across marketing and communication.
📈 Impact: Consistent festival personality → Built early excitement & credibility.
👉 Visual: Brand Story & Messaging Framework
High-Impact Content & Brand Growth → 30L+ Impressions & Viral Reach
+
Problem:
Needed to build hype and credibility fast in a market unfamiliar with large-scale music festivals.
✅ Solution:
Led a team of designers, editors, and social media managers to execute a multi-phase content & branding strategy.
📌 What I Delivered:
50 reels | 45+ static posts | 12 carousels | 10+ motion posters | 1 CGI promo
Positioning Paddy Festival as a cultural movement rather than just an event.
📈 Impact:
Grew 0 → 6,500+ engaged followers in <75 days
Content-driven reach: 30L+ impressions & 2M+ views
👉 Visual: Social media engagement dashboard + viral post highlights
Paid Marketing & Ticketing Strategy → ₹20L+ in Ticket Sales
+
Problem: No pre-existing demand or ticketing framework → Needed a clear system to educate, engage & convert users
✅ Solution:
Conceptualized, scripted & directed high-impact video campaigns.
Managed ₹2L+ ad spend,
optimizing for different funnel stages → Awareness → Hype → Ticket Sales.
Integrated 15+ influencers for organic festival promotion.
📈 Impact:
Direct ticket sales: ₹20L+
2,600+ attendees at Palakkad’s first large-scale independent festival.
👉 Visual: Paid ad performance metrics + ticketing sales funnel
Key Takeaways & Learnings
💡 A brand is more than a logo. The right storytelling, personality & positioning create real engagement.
💡 Momentum is everything. A layered content & marketing strategy kept hype building at every stage.
💡 Budgeting & execution fuel success. Strategic finance & resource allocation ensured impact at scale
What I Designed & Built
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