Rebranding a Beloved Cultural Festival in East Harlem

What: Union Settlement’s annual Ethnic Festival is one of East Harlem’s most vibrant cultural events. Held onEast 104th Street, it brings together the neighborhood with live performances, local food vendors, art, and family-friendly activities. Studio Usher was engaged to rebrand the 27th annual festival, developing a refreshed visual identity that included a new festival logo, event signage, promotional materials, advertising and branded swag. Our work spanned everything from the smallest button to large-format banners lining East Harlem.

Goal: Our goal was to create a joyful and inclusive system that reflected the diversity and creative spirit of East Harlem. This was mission-driven design in its purest form—elevating a beloved community event through vibrant, accessible visuals. Importantly, the brand system needed to be flexible enough to serve a small nonprofit and support the festival team in building visibility year after year.

Notable: Union Settlement had considered renaming the festival, but the success of our rebrand changed their minds. The new logo and custom illustration grid created a toolkit that empowered their in-house team to produce high-quality materials with ease, ensuring consistency and visual impact across all public-facing touchpoints.