Ada: Hey! Thanks for the invite to this conversation! My name is Ada Zielinska, and I specialize in illustration and graphic design, as well as teaching at the Academy of Fine Arts. For the past three years, I have been creating the visual identity for the “Freedom” Theatre Festival.

The Festiwal Teatralny Wolność is a nationwide event showcasing the best theatrical performances created by high school students. As the name suggests, the festival revolves around the theme of freedom in its many forms.

My task was to develop a comprehensive visual identity that moves away from historical interpretations of freedom, an important distinction given that the festival is organized by the Warsaw Uprising Museum, a historical institution. Instead, I aimed for a more versatile and contemporary approach. I chose geometric forms and abstract compositions that allow for broad interpretation while maintaining a fresh, dynamic, and uplifting feel. This direction resonates well with the festival’s target audience, young people.

My design process always follows a similar structure. The first step was creating the festival’s logo, selecting a typeface, and defining a color palette, one that changes with each edition. I also developed a set of geometric forms, which evolve every year to keep the identity fresh.

Since the festival poster and social media visuals were the priority, I started with those before moving on to print materials. From the beginning, I knew the designs would be animated, which is why I opted for vector-based forms. At that early stage, I didn’t yet know who would be handling the animations, but I was lucky to collaborate with Bartek on this project. I prepared key static frames as a guide, but the way he brought everything to life with movement was entirely his own creative input. The first time I saw the animations, I was genuinely amazed by how brilliantly he interpreted the forms, adding lightness and energy that perfectly complemented the identity.

Actually, it was when the entire identity, or rather its core, had already been designed. I sent individual frames with graphics, but it was Bartek who gave them his own language of movement and created the rest of the magic. I think at the beginning, we exchanged some references of what we liked, and that was pretty much it. Bartek interpreted my work perfectly, seamlessly fitting into the festival’s character and adding a sense of lightness through movement. 

I think that, above all, we both clearly understood our roles. After seeing the fantastic results of the first edition, I had complete confidence in Bartek’s work, which made our collaboration an absolute pleasure for me. I provided the files, and he transformed them into something even greater.

Bartek used an After Effects plug-in called Flex: https://aescripts.com/flex

For me, the first stage is always the coolest, i.e. choosing the right shapes and colors. And of course the end, the last stage when I see what Bartek created from my immobile elements.

Thank you for the interview!

Make sure you follow the fantastic

Ada: https://www.instagram.com/zielinska.ada
https://www.behance.net/adazielinska

and Bartek: https://www.instagram.com/bartobak
https://animuje.com