ADFEST unveils new logo by Santosh Padhi ahead of 30th anniversary

PATTAYA: ADFEST is putting a fresh spin on its identity as it heads towards a major milestone. The festival has unveiled a new logo designed by creative leader Santosh Padhi, popularly known as ‘Paddy’, and his Mumbai-based agency Into Creative, ahead of ADFEST 2027 and its 30th year of creative excellence.

The new identity is more than a change of look. ADFEST says it is designed to reflect three decades of creativity while signalling its ambitions for the next generation of ideas, culture, technology and innovation. The festival’s official 2027 positioning also frames the milestone around “30&BEYOND”, with a focus on what comes next rather than simply looking back.

At the centre of the new logo is a simple paper strip bent into a curved form. The negative space created by the fold brings together several references, including the shape of the ADFEST trophy, a lotus bud, a lotus petal and a gateway.

The lotus connection is deliberate. Deeply associated with Asian culture, the flower represents resilience, awakening and the ability to rise above its surroundings. The gateway element, meanwhile, is intended to suggest openness and the coming together of different ideas, perspectives, talent and possibilities.

The design also moves away from the more conventional pencil-as-creativity metaphor. Instead, paper represents the point at which an idea starts taking shape, whether as a sketch, thought or concept that eventually develops into creative work.

The colour palette follows the same lotus-inspired thinking, with baby pink as the primary colour and pastel green as the secondary shade.

“I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to design the new adfest logo as the festival enters its 30th year,” said Into Creative founder, CCO and chairman Santosh Padhi. He said the festival’s focus on creativity in Asia and beyond called for a logo that was itself “interesting and creative”.

Padhi said the initial concept emerged from experimenting with a simple piece of paper. Bending a strip created the negative space that eventually became the logo, while also suggesting an “A” and a gateway welcoming the creative community.

He recalled presenting the idea to Vinit Suraphongchai and the wider team over a Zoom call, using a bent piece of paper to demonstrate the concept. The simplicity of the idea became central to the final identity, particularly as the creative industry becomes increasingly complex.

For ADFEST, the redesign is also about maintaining a link with its past while opening up the festival to new forms of creativity.

“Reaching 30 years is a significant milestone, but we don’t see it as a moment to look backwards. It is a moment to look forward,” said ADFEST chairman Vinit Suraphongchai. He said the new identity carries elements of the festival’s heritage while remaining open and dynamic, adding that Padhi’s long association with ADFEST made his involvement particularly meaningful.

Over three decades, ADFEST has evolved from an awards-focused event into a wider gathering for Asia’s creative community, bringing together different markets, cultures, generations and disciplines.

That evolution is reflected in the wider industry too. Creativity increasingly overlaps with technology, entertainment, media, gaming, culture and new forms of storytelling, creating new spaces for the festival to connect disciplines and audiences.

“Thirty years is something to celebrate, but the more exciting question is what adfest can become over the next thirty,” said ADFEST Collective Advisory Board chair Rob Sherlock. He said the industry’s relationship with technology, media and culture is reshaping the definition of creativity and that ADFEST has an opportunity to bring these worlds together while retaining its Asian identity.

Founded in 1998, ADFEST is a not-for-profit creative festival supporting the creative industries across the Asia Pacific and MENA regions. It is currently listed among the regional festivals featured in the WARC Creative 100, Campaign Brief Asia and The Drum World Creative Rankings.

ADFEST 2027 will take place from 18 to 20 March 2027 at the Royal Cliff Hotels Group in Pattaya, Thailand. The festival’s 30th anniversary will mark not just three decades of creative work, but the opening of another chapter for the ideas and communities shaping the region’s creative landscape.