Rising is the new arts event of Melbourne, replacing Melbourne International Arts and White Night Festivals. Clear was pivotal in defining the foundations of the new festival, which is soon to be the largest arts festival in the Southern Hemisphere.

We conducted a series of collaborative brand workshops and together with the Festival Directors, internal team and key stakeholders—including Visit Victoria and Creative Victoria—developed the brand strategy, naming and initial messaging behind Rising. The brand strategy defined what this festival means to Melbourne, how it can be truly inclusive, but also how it can reflect the changing demographic of Melbourne while remaining relevant to the established local arts community.

The Rising Festival announcement in May calls out to artists of Victoria to put forward their bold and ambitious ideas of what art can be.

At the rise of the full moon on 26 May 2021, the inaugural Rising festival will be freed onto the streets of Melbourne.