The SLO Film Center

Client Lead | Creative Director | Co‑Designer

Rebranding the Palm Theatre and shepherding its merger with the San Luis Obispo International Film Festival was a legacy project—one full of emotional weight, local loyalty, and significant opportunity. The Palm, a beloved independent cinema in downtown SLO, has been showing alternative, arthouse, and classic films since 1988 and is deeply woven into the region’s cultural identity. In July 2024, operations formally transitioned to the nonprofit SLO Film Center, establishing a new chapter while inheriting that legacy.

My role was to guide this delicate evolution as Client Lead, Creative Director, and Co‑Designer. The mission: unite two respected brands (the Palm Theatre and SLOIFF) under one roof without erasing their distinct identities. We needed to honor the past while making the merged brand feel fresh, relevant, and magnetic to younger audiences.

To do that, I:

Led brand strategy and conceptual direction that balanced heritage and innovation, retaining signature visual and emotional cues from both entities while forging a shared narrative.
Facilitate and produce two branded photoshoots, one for the SIFF and one for the Palm. Each with their own unique vibe while still fitting into the same brand ethos.
Co-designed key visual motifs that echo the film world (light, frames, marquee references) in a modern, modular way—so they feel cinematic without being literal or nostalgic in a stale way.
Managed client relationships, ensuring every decision was grounded in understanding the values and fears of longtime patrons and festival organizers alike.
Consulted on the brand transition and launch campaigns, guiding how messaging, visual assets, and tone-of-voice would carry the Palm’s spirit into its new home as a film center.

The new identity stands as a bridge between old and new: visually bold, emotionally rooted, and future-forward. It signals that The Palm still belongs to its community, now amplified by fresh ambition.