Contents:
- Reflection on communication theory in the field of design
- Presentation of the FESPACO Local Editions festival for a broad audience
- Presentation for a professional audience (designers)
- How the strategy was developed (linking theory and practice)
1. Reflection on communication theory in the field of design
In the contemporary understanding, design is not only an aesthetic practice but also a form of communication. Any visual object: a logo, poster, visual identity, interface, or space, participates in the process of transmitting meanings, shaping perceptions, and constructing social reality. Communication theory makes it possible to consider design as a systematic process of exchanging meanings rather than as neutral visual decoration. Within the course, communication theory is defined as a symbolic, systemic, and context-dependent process in which participants jointly produce and interpret meaning. This means that communication is not reduced to the direct transmission of a message from sender to receiver: meaning is always formed through interpretation and depends on cultural, social, and historical context. Design, as a visual language, follows the same principles.
According to Robert Craig’s classification, communication theory includes seven traditions, each offering its own analytical perspective. For the analysis of design, those traditions that consider communication as a process of producing meanings, cultural norms, and power relations are especially important. Visual design becomes a field where rhetorical, phenomenological, cybernetic, socio-psychological, semiotic, sociocultural, and critical traditions intersect.
Thus, communication theory allows design to be understood as an active communicative practice involved in the production of meanings, cultural identities, and social representations. The semiotic tradition reveals design as a system of signs, the sociocultural tradition as a tool for forming collective experience, and the critical tradition as a space of representation and ideological choice. Together, these approaches provide a basis for analyzing visual strategies not only in terms of form and aesthetics, but also from the perspective of meaning, context, and social responsibility. It is within this theoretical framework that the communication strategy of the FESPACO Local Editions festival is further examined.
2. Presentation of the FESPACO Local Editions festival for a broad audience
Our Brand
FESPACO Local Editions is a film festival which travels across Africa and brings together thousands of directors, producers, actors, and viewers from all over the world. Since its creation, it has been conceived as a platform for African stories told by Africans themselves.
Target Audience
- People aged 29–45
- Residents of Africa
- Emerging filmmakers
- Curators searching for new talents and visual styles
Positioning
FESPACO Local Editions is not just a film festival, but a key platform for showcasing African cinema in all its diversity. The festival brings together unique stories, bold ideas, and promising directors and actors from across the continent. It is a space where Africa’s cultural heritage and contemporary creativity enter the global stage, drawing attention to the continent’s unique cinematic perspective. In this way, FESPACO Local Editions does not simply screen films but promotes African cinema as an important cultural phenomenon and a tool for social dialogue.
Mission
The main goal of FESPACO Local Editions is to support the development of African cinema. The festival creates a space where film industry professionals and creative individuals can exchange ideas and experiences, as well as explore the cultural diversity of Africa. FESPACO aims to strengthen and promote African cinematic identity and contribute to its recognition at the global level. It is a platform that stimulates innovation and the development of new talents, contributing to sustainable growth.
Brand Values
- Support for cultural diversity — FESPACO Local Editions values and presents the diversity of African cultures through cinema, showcasing different languages, traditions, and historical contexts.
- Inclusivity — the festival is open to everyone, bringing together creators and audiences regardless of their background, gender, or social characteristics.
- Innovation — a commitment to finding new forms of storytelling and using contemporary technologies and methods in film production.
- Talent development — active identification and support of young filmmakers, providing opportunities for professional growth and international recognition.
- Inspiration and unity — through films, FESPACO Local Editions encourages respect and understanding between cultures, creating a global community of like-minded people.
Thus, the FESPACO Local Editions brand is an integral part of Africa’s cultural and creative identity, a driving force for the continent’s film industry and its global recognition, while also giving young talents the opportunity to express themselves and enter the international scene.
3. Presentation for a Professional Audience (Designers)
Festival Platform and Positioning
Category Cultural film festival and communication platform
Format Local edition of an international African film festival
Positioning FESPACO Local Editions is a cultural platform that translates African cinema into the language of local, culturally rooted visual communication, allowing cinema to be perceived not as an abstract global product but as part of everyday social and cultural life.
The festival is positioned not only as an event but also as a communication system that connects cinema, place, and community.
Theoretical “Lenses” (Robert Craig)
From Robert Craig’s perspective, the visual communication of FESPACO Local Editions is examined through several complementary traditions:
- Semiotic tradition — visual language as a system of signs and codes
- Sociocultural tradition — communication as a process of producing and reproducing culture and collective identity
- Critical tradition — communication as a space of power, representation, and resistance
These approaches make it possible to view the festival’s visual strategy not as decorative design, but as an infrastructure of meaning-making.
Visual Strategy (Semiotics + Visual Rhetoric)
The visual system of FESPACO Local Editions is constructed as a coherent language of signs, in which each element: color, form, ornament, photography, functions not in isolation, but as part of a shared rhetorical structure.
Color Palette
The palette is based on orange, white and black.
- Orange refers to the African context through associations with the sun, hot climate, earth, and fire. It functions as a sign of vitality, movement, and collective action, enhancing the emotional perception of the festival.
- Black is associated with the cinematic environment, the darkness of the screening room, the screen, night screenings, and performs a structuring function by creating contrast and visual focus. In combination with orange, it forms a strong and non-decorative visual code.
- White functions as a neutral and balancing element. It creates visual breathing space, improves readability, and enhances contrast between graphic elements. In the context of the visual system, white supports clarity and structural order without introducing additional semantic load.
Logo
The FESPACO Local Editions logo is constructed from repeating vertical elements placed at the top and bottom of the layout, forming a stable framing structure.
From a semiotic perspective, these elements operate on two levels. On one hand, they refer to wooden poles traditionally used in Ouagadougou to support house roofs, acting as an index of everyday architectural practice. On the other hand, the same form functions as an iconic reference to film perforation — an essential technical element of cinema.
Thus, the logo simultaneously connects the festival to local material culture and to the cinematic medium itself, uniting everyday life and screen-based art.
Graphic Elements
The graphic elements of the visual system are based on ornaments traditionally painted on houses in the capital of Burkina Faso. These patterns do not serve a purely decorative function but operate as cultural markers referring to local visual memory and craft practices.
Within the semiotic tradition, ornaments function as cultural codes that are read within context and enhance the sense of authenticity and rootedness of the festival in a specific place.
Photography
The photographic material consists of black-and-white images created in a unified visual style. The photographs used are film stills from movies included in the festival program.
Black-and-white treatment reduces spectacle and emotional overload, shifting the viewer’s attention from visual effect to content and context. From a semiotic perspective, the photographs function as documentary evidence of cinematic expression rather than as advertising images.
Graphic System and Modularity
The entire visual system is built on a modular grid that establishes strict rules for the placement of elements. The logo, ornaments, text blocks, and images are integrated into a single structure and may change position only within the limits of the grid.
This modularity ensures visual consistency and reproducibility across different media while maintaining flexibility and variation. From the perspective of visual rhetoric, it creates a sense of order, stability, and professional communication.
Verbal Strategy and Message Structure (Rhetorical Approach)
The festival’s communication messages are structured using a classical rhetorical model of persuasion adapted to visual and cultural communication:
- Logos — the rational level of communication, including information about the festival program, film geography, screening formats, local editions, and participants. These elements provide clarity, structure, and functionality.
- Ethos — the level of trust and credibility, formed through a consistent visual language, cultural rootedness of the identity, coherence in the use of symbols, and respect for the local context. The festival positions itself as an internal voice of African cinema rather than an external curator.
- Pathos — the emotional level, built through visual imagery, color palette, ornamentation, and bodily involvement of the viewer. Communication appeals to feelings of belonging, collective experience, and cultural pride.
