Celebrating 26 Years of Short Film Magic in Dortmund

In 2024, the XXS Short Film Festival celebrated its 26th anniversary—a local tradition in Dortmund that has brought joy to filmmakers and audiences for a quarter of a century.

When I was asked to take over as Art Director ad Designer for this special edition, it felt like both a huge honor and a personal mission: I simply didn’t want to see this beautiful festival fade away.

As a film editor myself, I know there’s no greater thrill than seeing your own work on the big screen. It’s an experience I wanted others to feel as well.

The festival took place on December 12, 2024, at the historic Schauburg cinema in Dortmund. It was a volunteer-driven project, but with a very clear goal: to capture the magic of cinema—purely from an audience’s perspective.

Rethinking the Visual Identity

At first, I was given a small visual reference created by someone on the organizing board. I tried to modernize and design around it, but quickly realized it didn’t lead in the direction we were aiming for.

The original draft focused more on the creator’s point of view, whereas we wanted to communicate the feeling of watching—of being in the audience when the lights go down and the story begins.

So we made the decision to do a full visual reboot.

A New Logo, A Clearer Vision

Once I had redesigned the logo (see image), things really started to come together. That logo became the anchor for everything that followed. It gave the entire event a consistent tone and energy—and from there, I built the full visual system.

The Poster Journey – or “Designing by Committee”

Designing the official festival poster was one of the more interpretive challenges. Feedback from the board was open-ended to say the least—like trying to design based on a riddle from the Bible.

So I went wide: I developed several different directions, styles, and moods (Which one’s your favorite? For the record, mine isn’t the final one—maybe you can guess which one I preferred).

After lots of back-and-forth, I landed on a concept that struck the right chord:Popcorn.A universal symbol of cinema. Everyone connects with it. Everyone has a favorite version—salty or sweet. It was the perfect image for something fun, familiar, and celebratory.

I took care of the intro, trailer, and every visual element the event needed.