MY EMPLOYMENT AND ROLE AT TLN MEDIA GROUP
FESTIVAL BACKGROUND
Directed by the Canadian Salsa Festivals Project, the annual Salsa in Toronto Festival sponsored by TD is the largest Latino-themed cultural celebration in Canada. The award-winning festival presents unique cultural experiences, including the best Latino music, dance, street food, and visual art exhibitions.
From 2018 to 2021, I served as a Senior Creative Designer at TLN Media Group, where I led the creative development of the organization's flagship event, the Salsa in Toronto Festival. In this role, I was responsible for designing and executing integrated marketing campaigns across print, outdoor, digital, social media, and event environments.
Key deliverables included billboard banners, advertising campaigns, social media assets, event collateral, and branded apparel. I also led the redesign and reorganization of the festival's brand standards manual, helping to establish a more cohesive and consistent visual identity across all marketing and promotional materials. In addition, I supported a wide range of creative initiatives for TLN Media Group, delivering high-quality design solutions that aligned with organizational objectives and audience engagement goals.
FESTIVAL BACKGROUND
Directed by the Canadian Salsa Festivals Project, the annual Salsa in Toronto Festival sponsored by TD is the largest Latino-themed cultural celebration in Canada. The award-winning festival presents unique cultural experiences, including the best Latino music, dance, street food, and visual art exhibitions.
PROJECT OVERVIEW:
2019 Salsa in Toronto Festival Logo Rebranding
2019 Salsa in Toronto Festival Logo Rebranding
As the lead designer for the 2019 Salsa in Toronto Festival rebranding initiative, I was responsible for modernizing and refining the festival’s visual identity. The project involved redesigning the logo to create a more contemporary, versatile, and recognizable brand presence while preserving the energy and cultural spirit of the event. I also established the official brand colour palette, including CMYK and RGB specifications, to ensure consistency and accuracy across all print and digital applications. The refreshed identity provided a strong visual foundation for the festival’s marketing, advertising, event signage, merchandise, and promotional materials.
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PROJECT OVERVIEW
2020 & 2021 Salsa in Toronto Festival Poster Design
2020 & 2021 Salsa in Toronto Festival Poster Design
The official festival posters for the 2020 and 2021 Salsa in Toronto Festival were developed to capture the vibrant energy, cultural diversity, and celebratory spirit of one of Canada's largest Latin festivals. Through the strategic use of typography, colour, imagery, and composition, the designs were created to maximize audience engagement across print, digital, transit, and outdoor advertising platforms while maintaining consistency with the festival's evolving brand identity. Each poster was carefully crafted to strengthen the festival's visual presence and create a memorable connection with attendees and the broader community.
Left: 2020 Salsa in Toronto Festival Poster Design
Right: 2021 Salsa in Toronto Festival Poster Design
Right: 2021 Salsa in Toronto Festival Poster Design
The Design Process Behind the 2021 Poster.
Putting it all together to create an effective design.
Due to the ongoing challenges of COVID-19 during the event year, the TLN team remained committed to promoting and hosting the Salsa in Toronto Festival while continuing to bring entertainment, culture, and connection to Toronto’s Latino community. As a result, the campaign strategy shifted toward social media, online programming, and television broadcasts, allowing the festival to reach audiences in a safe and accessible way.
Through the dedicated efforts of the design and marketing teams, the 2021 Salsa in Toronto Festival maintained the energy, spirit, and success of previous years despite the limitations of an in-person event. The continued support of the Latino community played an essential role in keeping the celebration alive and sharing that joy throughout the city.
A subtle but important detail within the final design was the use of a background pattern. This understated visual element added depth, unity, and structure to the overall composition, helping to create a more cohesive and polished campaign aesthetic.
The design approach for the 2021 festival campaign intentionally shifted from a photography-based direction to a more illustrative visual style. During the initial design briefing with the Director of Communications and Marketing and the creative team at TLN, the main objective was to create a campaign aesthetic that felt expressive, flexible, and visually distinct.
Illustration provided greater creative control than a static photograph, allowing the campaign to communicate mood, movement, emotion, and cultural energy in a more dynamic way. This direction also helped differentiate the 2021 campaign visually while making it more adaptable and engaging for a
diverse audience.
diverse audience.
The process began by revisiting the 2020 photograph of the couple and reworking their pose as the foundation for the new composition. The image was carefully isolated from its original background and transformed into an illustrative treatment. This allowed for more refined control over colour, tone, and overall atmosphere, while still preserving a strong connection to the source material. TLN Media Group provided the original photograph.
Putting it all together to create an effective design.
Due to the ongoing challenges of COVID-19 during the event year, the TLN team remained committed to promoting and hosting the Salsa in Toronto Festival while continuing to bring entertainment, culture, and connection to Toronto’s Latino community. As a result, the campaign strategy shifted toward social media, online programming, and television broadcasts, allowing the festival to reach audiences in a safe and accessible way.
Through the dedicated efforts of the design and marketing teams, the 2021 Salsa in Toronto Festival maintained the energy, spirit, and success of previous years despite the limitations of an in-person event. The continued support of the Latino community played an essential role in keeping the celebration alive and sharing that joy throughout the city.
A subtle but important detail within the final design was the use of a background pattern. This understated visual element added depth, unity, and structure to the overall composition, helping to create a more cohesive and polished campaign aesthetic.
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PROJECT OVERVIEW
Multicultural Design
Multicultural Design
This multicultural design was created to visually represent and reinforce TLN Media Group’s position as one of Canada’s leading multicultural media organizations. The creative concept is centered around a custom pattern language integrated within the typography, drawing inspiration from diverse cultural motifs and graphic elements that symbolize the richness, inclusivity, and interconnectedness of the communities served by the company.
Through the strategic use of colour, form, and pattern, the design communicates a unified multicultural identity while maintaining a modern and impactful visual presence. The pattern system was developed as a flexible brand asset and adapted across multiple applications, including television set backdrops, corporate office environments, pull-up banners, large-format displays, and billboard advertising.
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PROJECT OVERVIEW
TLN Soccer – Halftime Show hosted by Camila Gonzalez
TLN Soccer – Halftime Show hosted by Camila Gonzalez
ABOUT THE SHOW
The Halftime Show is a weekly television program hosted by Camila Gonzalez and broadcast during halftime of TLN’s live coverage of Italy’s Serie A soccer league. The program delivers a dynamic mix of exclusive interviews, behind-the-scenes stories, and cultural features that explore the food, music, traditions, and personalities that shape the world of Italian soccer.
The Halftime Show is a weekly television program hosted by Camila Gonzalez and broadcast during halftime of TLN’s live coverage of Italy’s Serie A soccer league. The program delivers a dynamic mix of exclusive interviews, behind-the-scenes stories, and cultural features that explore the food, music, traditions, and personalities that shape the world of Italian soccer.
ROLE
This project involved the development of a promotional poster campaign designed to capture the energy, passion, and cultural richness of the program. Working in collaboration with the Senior Director of Communications & Marketing, I led the creative direction and execution of the campaign from concept development through final production. Responsibilities included creative strategy, visual design, art direction, production oversight, and the preparation of final artwork for print and promotional distribution.
This project involved the development of a promotional poster campaign designed to capture the energy, passion, and cultural richness of the program. Working in collaboration with the Senior Director of Communications & Marketing, I led the creative direction and execution of the campaign from concept development through final production. Responsibilities included creative strategy, visual design, art direction, production oversight, and the preparation of final artwork for print and promotional distribution.
