Mainstay Dance Showcase
Every year, Cruz Ctrl hosts an annual dance showcase called Mainstay. In the past two years, I’ve designed merchandise, event programs, and social media posts for Mainstay. This page highlights some of my favorite work from our 2024 showcase.
What is Mainstay?
mainstay · noun
- A person or thing on which something else is based or depends.
- A stay that extends from the maintop to the foot of the foremast of a sailing ship.
Born from the Santa Cruz dance community’s efforts to stay connected during the pandemic, Mainstay serves as a pillar of our dance community. As such, our logo is that of a ship sailing through the Santa Cruz waters.
Merch Design
In honor of Cruz Ctrl’s dreamscape-themed performance at Mainstay 2024, I designed this year’s merchandise to evoke dreamy feelings of enchantment and wonder, while remaining true to Mainstay’s roots.
Event Programs
Initially, my fellow design director was responsible for creating the event programs for Mainstay. Upon reviewing her design, I saw opportunities to enhance its professional image and ensure better alignment with our branding. As such, I took the initiative to polish up the design, making changes in regards to color, typography, spacing, alignment, and consistency.
My iteration:
Old version:
