adfest has unveiled a new logo designed by renowned creative leader Santosh Padhi aka ‘Paddy’ and his agency Into Creative, marking a new chapter for the festival as it prepares to celebrate 30 Years of Creative Excellence at adfest 2027.
More than a new visual identity, the new symbol represents adfest’s evolution, honouring three decades of creative achievement while opening the door to the next generation of creativity, culture and innovation.
Paddy, Founder, CCO and Chairman of Into Creative, Mumbai, has created a simple and distinctive form inspired by the lotus, a symbol deeply connected to Asian culture and to adfest’s own heritage.
At its heart, the logo is created from an incredibly simple playful gesture: a strip of paper bent into a curved form. The resulting negative space creates the distinctive shape of the adfest trophy, while simultaneously evoking a gateway, a lotus bud and the form of a lotus petal. The baby pink as a primary colour and pastel green as the secondary colour too comes from lotus.
While the pencil is often used as a symbol of ideas and creativity, paper is where an idea ultimately comes to life. A simple sheet of paper becomes the starting point for an idea, a sketch, a thought and eventually, great creative work. The use of a paper strip is also deliberate.
The lotus has deep cultural significance across Asia, symbolising resilience, awakening, purity and the ability to rise above its surroundings. The gateway, meanwhile, represents coming together, an opening to new ideas, new perspectives, new talent and new possibilities. Even the adfest trophy itself continues this connection, its form is inspired by a lotus petal, creating a natural relationship between the festival’s identity and the symbol of its creative achievement.
“I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to design the new adfest logo as the festival enters its 30th year. adfest has always been about celebrating creativity in Asia and beyond, so how could the new logo not be interesting and creative?” says Santosh Padhi “Paddy” CCO of Into Creative.
“While exploring the initial concept, a simple piece of paper gave birth to the new logo. When you bend a small strip of paper, the negative space naturally forms the shape of the trophy, lotus bud/ lotus petal. It also begins to look like “A” and also a gateway something that welcomes the creative community.”
“I still remember presenting the idea to Vinit and the team over a Zoom call. We simply bent a piece of paper to demonstrate the logo form, and everyone was amazed by its simplicity. There was a very conscious decision to keep the logo simple and minimal particularly in a world that is becoming increasingly complex.”
“Reaching 30 years is a significant milestone, but we don’t see it as a moment to look backwards,” says Vinit Suraphongchai, Chairman of adfest. “It is a moment to look forward. The new logo represents that spirit. It carries elements of our heritage, but it also feels open, dynamic and ready for what comes next. Having Paddy create it makes it particularly meaningful, given his long relationship with adfest and his understanding of the creative community we represent.”
Over three decades, adfest has grown into far more than an awards event. It has become a meeting place for the region’s creative community, bringing together markets, cultures, generations and disciplines to recognise outstanding work, exchange ideas, develop talent and build genuine connections.
As creativity itself changes increasingly intersecting with technology, entertainment, media, gaming, culture and new forms of storytelling, adfest is evolving with it.
“Thirty years is something to celebrate, but the more exciting question is what adfest can become over the next thirty,” says Rob Sherlock, Chair of the adfest Collective Advisory Board. “Our industry is being fundamentally reshaped by technology, media and culture, and the definition of creativity is becoming broader by the day. adfest has an extraordinary opportunity to be the place where those worlds come together while remaining unmistakably Asian, deeply human and genuinely connected. To me, the new identity captures exactly that: respect for where we have come from, with the door wide open to what comes next.”
adfest 2027 will mark the festival’s 30 Years of Creative Excellence and will take place from
18–20 March 2027 at the
Royal Cliff Hotels Group, Pattaya, Thailand.
adfest is one of Asia’s leading international creative festivals, celebrating creativity, culture and innovation. Since 1998, it has brought together the creative community across Asia and beyond to recognise outstanding work, exchange ideas, nurture talent and celebrate the diverse cultures and perspectives that inspire creativity.
As a not-for-profit organisation, adfest is committed to nurturing and supporting the creative industries across Asia Pacific and MENA. It is one of only seven regional creative festivals featured in the WARC Creative 100 Rankings, one of 12 awards included in the Campaign Brief Asia Rankings, and one of 22 awards recognised in The Drum World Creative Rankings.
Stay tuned for more news from adfest, with announcements about adfest 2027, call for Program Proposal, and Call for Entries opening soon.
