Event Pass - Pumpkins & Portals Samhein Festival

Illustration | Advertising Design

OBJECTIVE

Pumpkins & Portals Samhein Festival organizers were looking for a design for their annual fall festival. The pass needed to reflect the celebration’s magical spirit, blending seasonal motifs with portal-inspired elements, ensuring that the pass was both functional and collectible. It needed to evoke curiosity, celebrate their folklore roots, and offer attendees a memorable keepsake as a reminder of the festival.

bEHIND THE dESIGN

The Samhein Festival was created with the history of Samhein in mind - the Gaelic festival that marks the end of the harvest season.

Design choices included playful, Halloween-themed illustrations that tie in both the connection to the pagan culture and Halloween itself and a colour palette that was inspired by the elements of the design. The use of the cauldron represent potions of transformation and rebirth; while the ghost represents the time of year where it is believed that the veil between the living and the dead becomes thin, allowing for a connection between the two realms.

Target Audience

  • Autumn aesthetic enthusiasts, roughly 18-40

  • Fall festival fans

  • Individuals looking for witchy, whimsical, and enchanted events and activities

Tools Used

Adobe Illustrator | Adobe InDesign | Adobe Photoshop | Figma

Event pass with a bubbling cauldron dated 10.31.25 above the text ‘Pumpkins and Portals Samhain Festival, 50+ vendors,’ surrounded by ghost and pumpkin illustrations.
Event pass with cartoon ghosts and a bubbling cauldron, promoting the Pumpkins and Portals event on October 31, 2025, with activities such as an artisan market, tarot readings, metaphysical workshops, and food trucks.
Event pass featuring a bubbling cauldron, ghosts, pumpkins, and the text ‘10.31.25 Pumpkins and Portals Samhain Festival, 50+ vendors,’ attached to a black lanyard with white ghost illustrations.
Event pass with the text ‘Pumpkins and Portals, Sunday October 31, 2025, 11–4, Alexandria Park – Strathroy, ON,’ clipped to a black lanyard patterned with white ghosts.
A canvas tote bag sits on a wooden surface outdoors with autumn trees beh, surrounded by a small pumpkin, pinecones, and dried leaves. The tote has a black cauldron with green bubbles and the words "Pumpkins and Portals" below.
White sweater with event logo laid flat on a grey background.
Light-coloured water bottle with illustrated ghost pattern.
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