Spotlight on The 5 Years of betahaus Visual Director: Vivian Kvitka

For 5 Years of betahaus, we (naturally) wanted nothing but the best. For us, that meant hiring a visual director who could bring the festival experience from just-another-day-at-betahaus to out-of-this-world-awesome. Enter Vivian Kvitka, freelance visual artist and designer. Vivian was the brilliant mind behind the scenes, creating a seamless experience for festival-goers. It's an abstract and nuanced job, and she managed it with eloquence and grace. We could try to explain more, but we thought it would be best to let Vivian explain it in her own words:

You were the head of the visual team for 5 Years of betahaus. Can you explain to us what a "visual team" does?

My visual team functioned like a real world UX design. We were in charge of creating the right feel as participants entered the party and moved from space to space within the festival. Not only did we need to design a map system we also needed signage inside the house and out. During the party we needed places to sit, drink, dance and all of these things needed to be visually cohesive and encourage the mood we intended.

What was your inspiration for the festival aesthetics?

The poster for the festival was finished before I jumped on and I was particularly fond of it. I loved that it could be read as popsicles and ice cream, beer foam, or thought bubbles, all of which I associate with betahaus. As we began planning, the weather was still warm with hints of cooler weather. I wanted to give betahaus an end of summer backyard birthday bash. A party that focused on the incredible community that surrounds betahaus; a party where we could relish in all the warm fuzzies that strong connections make. My team worked primarily with the orange creamsicle, royal blue, and bone white of the posters and repeated the bubbles and stripes through out the closing party.

Can you give some tips on how to fit in all that creativity and still work with a real budget?

I am nothing if not scrappy. Nearly all of our materials came from free resources. My team and I focused on making the materials for the party sustainably sourced. 90% of the decor was borrowed, repurposed, and scavenged, and largely from prinzessinnengarten around the corner. Berlin's love for industrial rustic decor is great because it allows for a lot to be done with a very small budget. My main tip is that everything can be sourced free or cheaply if you are willing to search for it!

You keep a busy schedule. What's next on your calendar?

I have several projects on the horizon but at the moment they are all a bit hush-hush. What I can tell you is that my next projects are in the fine arts sector and focus on bringing in wider audience members to unconventional art spaces.