Glastonbury Festival 2024 is in full swing at Worthy Farm, promising five days of music, pagan rituals and toilet horror stories. People might be questioning the lineup this year , but who goes to Glasto for the lineup? The festival is as legendary for what happens away from the main stage as much as for any big names who might happen to play. And the 2024 Glastonbury Festival logo and poster design perfectly encapsulates that.
Glastonbury is so famous, and tickets sell so fast, that it perhaps doesn't need to do much in terms of brand design, and often it hasn't. Glastonbury logos and posters have ranged from the iconic to the unreadable over the years , and yet the festival has forged a recognisable visual identity while avoiding modernising too far .
Coupled with the elaborate lettering of the logotype, with its low-hanging 'G' and 'Y', and ball terminals, it perfects the vintage folksy vibe that the festival has long channeled while employing a more sophisticated execution than we've seen in some previous years. Colours are another big part of the Glastonbury's identity: usually lots of them. This year's design retains that tradition to an extent while toning things down with a more muted palette.
But besides that milestone in festival branding, the poster is hardly a feast for the eyes, looking more like a district council planning notice you might find pinned up on a wall. This was an era when people would mainly see the poster as a full-page ad in NME, at which size the text would at least be legible. The line up was great. You'll just have to take my word for it.The Glastonbury logo featured prominently on the posters for the next few festivals, including this gem from 1993.
Responding to a more digital age, the festival today communicates more regularly on social media between as well as during the events, and it's developed more consistent branding to promote initiatives like the Worthy Pledge, asking festivalgoers to commit to following a few ground rules. But this year's poster design stays true to the festivals roots in the traveller and peace movements and avoids modernising too far.