Mnarja

This feast is one of the oldest feasts celebrated in Malta and Gozo. The Feast commemorates two important Saints in Maltese religious lore, St. Peter and St. Paul. The word luminarja is derived from the Latin word Luminare – to light up. This was the way people manifested their joy in recognition of a particular feast, such lighting being offered by burning bonfires and candles. This feast has somewhat moved away from the traditional village ‘festa’ style and has developed a different type of merriment which is held in Buskett Garden on the eve of June 29 the day of the feast.

The word luminarja is derived from the Latin word Luminare – to light up.

The approach

Due to Mnarja's history, the festival has been branded very traditionally throughout the years and although one has to be mindful of the brand's departure I felt that it needed to attract new audiences by becoming more in line with today's design trends whilst keeping the heritage in mind.

Something that is very evident if you look through the photos of Mnarja since day one is the burst of colours, this can be seen in traditional Maltese costumes, fruits, decorations, fireworks, and much more. That is why I opted for a colourful approach, as for the typography is was important to use a typeface that has a presence without being too bold.

One needs to keep in mind that this brand will be applied across a lot of different mediums and used by different people from government departments to individuals with stalls. This is why it was important to find a unique typeface that works within different contexts.

Going Forward

One has to keep in mind that this brand was done during the pandemic, as a result, the event itself could not take place as usual. I'm looking forward to next year to develop this brand even further and seeing it come to life. Can't wait for the day to see people interact with the brand in different ways as I believe that is when an identity is born.