FIESTA VILLAGE
Knott’s Berry Farm
Buena Park, CA, USA
Opened May 26, 2023
ROLE:
Lead Environmental Graphic Designer / Graphics Director
CLIENT:
Knott’s Berry Farm / Cedar Fair
DIRECTED & DESIGNED:
Land Marquees / Attraction Marquees / Wayfinding / Food and beverage
TEAM:
1 Land Art Director
1 Lead Environmental Graphic Designer / Graphics Director (me)
1 Junior Environmental Graphic Designer
1 Producer
TIMELINE:
4 Months from Concept to Production
CHALLENGES FACED:
Budget Constraints
Compressed Schedule
Preserving a Beloved Legacy
Cultural Sensitivity & Authenticity
THG Creative was commissioned to redesign Fiesta Village at Knott’s Berry Farm. As Project Graphics Manager, I led the graphic design effort across the land, developing a significant portion of the guest-facing work myself while directing a team of designers. My scope encompassed attractions, food and beverage, retail, and overall area development, with designs carried from initial concept through schematic documentation.
I led in-depth research to establish distinct graphic languages for three environments: a historic Mexico-inspired village, an Aztec-inspired jungle, and an alebrije-focused Mexican fiesta. This research informed a cohesive environmental graphics system that reinforced the individual identity of each zone while creating a unified visual language across the land.
In addition to hands-on design, I provided creative direction and oversight to direct reports, guiding their work within the established design language and project goals. I presented concepts directly to the client, led design development through review and approval, coordinated deliverables across stakeholders, and prepared final schematic redlines for production vendors to ensure design intent was accurately translated into fabrication and implementation.
