Thailand’s adfest has unveiled a new logo designed by Santosh Padhi and his agency Into Creative. adfest 2027, which will mark the festival’s 30th year, takes place March 18–20, 2027, in Pattaya.
According to adfest, it’s more than a new visual identity, the new symbol represents its evolution, honoring three decades of creative achievement while opening the door to the next generation of creativity, culture and innovation.
Padhi, Founder, CCO and Chairman of Into Creative, Mumbai, created a form inspired by the lotus, which adfest describes as a symbol connected to Asian culture and to the festival’s own heritage.
The logo is created from a strip of paper bent into a curved form. The resulting negative space creates the shape of the adfest trophy, while also evoking a gateway, a lotus bud, and the form of a lotus petal. Baby pink is the primary color and pastel green the secondary color, both of which also come from the lotus.
According to adfest, the pencil is often used as a symbol of ideas and creativity, while paper is where an idea ultimately comes to life, and the use of a paper strip is deliberate. A simple sheet of paper becomes the starting point for an idea, a sketch, a thought and eventually creative work.
adfest added that the lotus has cultural significance across Asia, symbolizing resilience, awakening, purity and the ability to rise above its surroundings. The gateway represents coming together and an opening to new ideas, new perspectives, new talent and new possibilities. The form of the adfest trophy is also inspired by a lotus petal.
“I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to design the new adfest logo as the festival enters its 30th year,” said Padhi.
“adfest has always been about celebrating creativity in Asia and beyond, so how could the new logo not be interesting and 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,” said 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.”
According to adfest, over three decades it has become a meeting place for the region’s creative community, bringing together markets, cultures, generations and disciplines to recognize outstanding work, exchange ideas, develop talent and build connections.
“Thirty years is something to celebrate, but the more exciting question is what adfest can become over the next thirty,” added 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.”
