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Building a Platform for
Spiral Film Festival
Project Overview
Spiral Film Festival is a new independent film festival in Toronto focused on beginner filmmakers.
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The project required designing without fixed content, as submissions, programming, and event details evolved across festival stages.
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I designed a modular website that allowed the content to shift without redesign.
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The project supported a successful funding pitch to the Toronto Arts Council, securing $15,000+ in support.
Role
UX/UI Design, Creative Direction
Tools
Figma, Illustrator, Photoshop
Year
2026
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The Problem
Financial Hesitation
Spiral Film Festival is a new festival with no track record yet. User interviews confirmed emerging filmmakers already distrust the festival submission process: high fees and opaque selection made them feel like participation wasn't worth the risk.
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Perceived Financial Risk
Festival submissions feel like a financial gamble, driven by high fees, strong competition, and unclear outcomes.
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User Interview Quote
Entry Barriers
High Submission Fees
Strong Competition
Restrictive Categories
"Why would I spend money to submit my work just to not be selected?"
Behaviour Insight
Hesitation to Submit
Self-doubt
Assumes Rejection
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What This Means for Spiral
For a new festival still its building credibility, every moment of confusion risked giving the perception of being disorganized, the opposite of what Spiral needed.
Industry Insight
Competitor research revealed an important consideration : most small and mid-size festival sites completely redesign their navigation and homepage between stages (submissions, ticketing and post-event).
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Credibility Risk
Constant redesigns force users to relearn navigation at key moments when trust and consistency matter most.
Refined Design Direction
The original brief was a static website, but research revealed the real challenge was to build a system: one that reduces hesitation and adapts across phases without starting over. I distilled my findings into three concise design principles.
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1
Dismantle the
Hesitation
Free to enter, built for beginners. That's communicated immediately, before doubt sets in.
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Built to Shift,
Not Reset
Website is built on a modular structure that adapts to shifting content priorities without redesigning.
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Welcoming
Visual Tone
An approachable, experimental visual tone to counter the intimidation of traditional festivals.
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The Solution
Festival Cycle
Festival platforms need to shift from attracting submissions to driving attendance and post-event engagement. The homepage and navigation adapt based on where the festival is in its lifecycle, surfacing one clear priority at a time.
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Content Strategy
One site cycling through three distinct stages.
Built on reusable components that can be reconfigured at each stage to centre the key user action without restructuring the site.
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Key User Actions at Each Stage
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Submissions
Submit through FilmFreeway
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Tickets
Register for
free tickets
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Archive
Browse past editions
Welcoming, Not Exclusive
Traditional festivals signal prestige, but Spiral needed to signal belonging and openess. Real creatives along playful styling, and an experimental aesthetic were chosen deliberately to counter the intimidation that was keeping filmmakers from submitting.
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Product-Aligned Visuals
The visual tone reinforces the product strategy by making the festival feel approachable and distinct.
Concept, custom props, photography, and promotional materials, were designed and executed independently.
Submission Stage
This stage surfaces submission requirements and deadlines, while focusing on inviting filmmakers to submit their work through FilmFreeway.
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Primary Goal
Reduce hesitation to submit work and clarify next steps.
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Strategy
Value and eligibility surfaced immediately.
Primary CTA placed early.
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Home & Submission Pages
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Mobile Home & Submission Pages
Discovery Stage
At this stage, priorities shifts to enable exploration and encourage attendance. Event details, film selections, and filmmaker discovery are shown while anchoring the key desired user action at this stage: ticket registration.
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Primary Goal
Support exploration to drive ticket registration.
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Strategy
Navigation structured to support browsing while maintaining a clear path to ticket registration.
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Home & Selection Pages
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Ticket Page
Archive Stage
After the event, the focus shifts to building credibility and setting up engagement for the next edition. The content prioritizes archived films, past editions, and festival highlights.
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Primary Goal
Build credibility and sustain engagement post-event
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Strategy
Past editions page is integrated without disrupting core navigation.
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Home & Past Editions Pages
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Contact Page
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Results & Impact
Over $15,000 in support
The project turned abstract value into a fundable narrative, supporting a successful Toronto Arts Council funding pitch.
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Key Takeaway
Clear product framing turns abstract ideas into fundable outcomes. Clarifying the festival’s purpose, audience made the concept legible to stakeholders
Lowered Submission Hesitation
Displaying requirements, deadlines, and value at the top of the flow removed uncertainty at the point of decision, making submission feel immediate and achievable.
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Key Takeaway
Reducing uncertainty can matter more than adding features. Prioritizing clarity around submissions made participation feel achievable.
A Site That Adapts Without Rebuilding
The final design delivers a modular website that adapts to the festival lifecycle. Delivered a high-fidelity website mockup with developer-ready documentation in Figma, enabling efficient handoff and implementation.
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Key Takeaway
Developer-ready delivery ensured the work can be implemented, not just presented.