Moon Man’s Landing was created as more than a festival. Curated and headlined by Kid Cudi, it was designed as a homecoming and a love letter to Cleveland. Cudi has often shared that he didn’t grow up with access to large-scale festivals, and this event was his way of bringing that experience back to the city and the people who shaped him.

The creative direction pulled from Cudi’s Man on the Moon universe, with inspiration rooted in space travel, NASA, and sci-fi storytelling. Astronaut imagery and the idea of “landing” shaped both the visuals and the emotional tone. As the final stop on his To the Moon tour, the festival completed a narrative arc that began with exploration and ended at home.

The challenge was to translate a deeply personal story into a cohesive, large-scale festival experience. Moon Man’s Landing needed to feel cosmic and immersive while staying grounded in Cleveland’s industrial character and strong sense of community.

I worked closely with the main marketer and a contract illustrator to help shape the visual world. My role included guiding illustration direction, contributing to logo development, and refining assets for production. I also oversaw the UI design for the website and app, ensuring the digital experience felt connected to the physical environment. Social media assets and on-site print were designed to feel unified, intentional, and part of the same world.

The inaugural Moon Man’s Landing took place on September 17, 2022, and was widely considered a landmark cultural moment for Cleveland. The festival drew approximately 19,000 attendees to the West Bank of the Flats at the Nautica Entertainment Complex.

Cudi curated a diverse lineup that blended global artists with hometown legends, reinforcing the festival’s identity as both expansive and deeply local. Ticket pricing was praised for accessibility, while demand drove strong secondary market interest. Local media and city leadership highlighted the event’s cultural and economic impact, helping establish Moon Man’s Landing as a meaningful extension of Cudi’s creative world.

Art Director

• Creative lead contributor for Moon Man’s Landing’s inaugural year, shaping visual direction and storytelling with the festival marketer

• Co-developed the logo system and guided final approval to match the Man on the Moon universe and Kid Cudi’s likeness

• Partnered with freelance illustrator Logan Walden to direct key art, ensuring files were production-ready and transferable across digital, print, and on-site applications

• Art directed cohesion across the full brand ecosystem, from key art to social, on-site print, and event touchpoints

• Collaborated with the UI designer to approve website and app UI, ensuring consistency with the style guide, theme, and overall festival world

• Maintained cross-platform consistency through reviews, feedback loops, and final QA, keeping the experience unified from announcement to show day

• Helped bridge creative intent with real-world execution so every deliverable felt like one cohesive universe