Tin Type Portrait of Landon Elmore by Jeff Howlett
Landon Elmore - Independent Creative Director & Designer
Landon Elmore is a creative director–level consultant specializing in branding, live event creative, and visual identity systems for music, culture, and experience-driven organizations.
Working independently, Landon partners with artists, labels, festivals, venues, and creative organizations to develop cohesive visual identities that extend across digital platforms, live experiences, merchandise, campaigns, and print. He is both a hands-on designer and a strategic creative lead—personally executing core design while guiding the broader visual direction of each project.
For more than a decade, Landon led creative for the International Bluegrass Music Association and its flagship event, World of Bluegrass, an annual festival drawing over 150,000 attendees to downtown Raleigh. In this role, he developed yearly brand systems and oversaw their application across every audience touchpoint—from digital campaigns and social media to stage environments, environmental graphics, signage systems, and large-format event visuals. He also designed the organization’s (IBMA) corporate brand refresh, helping establish a unified identity across its programs and initiatives.
Landon’s work in the Bluegrass and Americana space includes long-term creative partnerships with artists such as Hank, Pattie & The Current, where he has served as an embedded creative partner across six releases—developing visual identities that evolve alongside the music itself. His label work includes release campaigns and brand systems for Common Loon Records artists, as well as early identity development for The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys, whose logo and visual identity remain in use more than a decade later.
In addition to his work in music and live events, Landon has collaborated with brands and organizations including Levi Strauss & Co., Netscape, Live Nation Entertainment, and a range of cultural and experience-focused clients requiring both creative vision and practical execution.
Depending on the scope of a project, Landon works either independently or assembles and collaborates with teams of writers, photographers, developers, illustrators, and production partners—bringing together creative direction, project leadership, and hands-on execution within a single streamlined process.
Case Studies
IBMA World of Bluegrass (Event)
Scaling a Cultural Brand: Creative Direction for World of Bluegrass
For over a decade, Landon Elmore led creative for the International Bluegrass Music Association’s flagship event, World of Bluegrass—an annual conference and festival whose weekend outdoor event draws more than 150,000 attendees to downtown Raleigh.
World of Bluegrass is not a single event—it’s a multi-day, multi-audience experience that includes:
– Industry conference
– Showcase performances
– Awards Show
– Large-scale public festival
– Industry conference
– Showcase performances
– Awards Show
– Large-scale public festival
Each year requires:
– A fresh creative identity
– Immediate recognition and continuity with the IBMA brand
– Scalable design across dozens (often hundreds) of deliverables
– A fresh creative identity
– Immediate recognition and continuity with the IBMA brand
– Scalable design across dozens (often hundreds) of deliverables
The challenge is not just design—it’s maintaining cohesion at scale.
Working as an independent creative partner, Landon developed the annual brand system, ensuring its consistent execution across all touchpoints—from print to digital campaigns and social media, to stage environments, large-scale signage, and on-site experience.
Scope of Work:
– Annual event creative development
– Digital campaign assets (ads, social media, monitors, web)
– Environmental design (signage, wayfinding, stage graphics)
– Print materials and promotional collateral
– Cross-platform consistency across all event touchpoints
– Annual event creative development
– Digital campaign assets (ads, social media, monitors, web)
– Environmental design (signage, wayfinding, stage graphics)
– Print materials and promotional collateral
– Cross-platform consistency across all event touchpoints
Impact:
– Supported a flagship cultural event attracting 150,000+ attendees annually
– Established long-term visual continuity while allowing for yearly creative evolution
– Enabled scalable execution across entire event structure
– Served as a consistent creative partner for over a decade—ensuring trust, efficiency, and brand integrity
– Supported a flagship cultural event attracting 150,000+ attendees annually
– Established long-term visual continuity while allowing for yearly creative evolution
– Enabled scalable execution across entire event structure
– Served as a consistent creative partner for over a decade—ensuring trust, efficiency, and brand integrity
“Landon has taken a genuine interest in the IBMA’s mission to grow the audience for bluegrass music. His commitment has resulted in the most effective marketing assets our event has ever seen—communicating a cohesive and on-brand message to a broad audience of industry professionals and fans and lifting the tide for bluegrass music.”
– EDDIE HUFFMAN, CONVENTION SERVICES DIRECTOR, IBMA
Hank, Pattie & the Current (Band)
Embedded Creative Direction Across Six Album Releases
Landon Elmore has served as an ongoing creative partner to Hank, Pattie & The Current (Robust Records)—collaborating across six releases to develop a visual identity that evolves alongside the band’s music. Landon integrates directly into the band’s creative process; attending shows and recording sessions, and developing concepts rooted in the band’s internal vision.
Scope of Work:
– Album artwork and packaging
– Release campaign visuals
– Merch design
– Photoshoot/Illustrator direction
– Ongoing brand evolution
– Album artwork and packaging
– Release campaign visuals
– Merch design
– Photoshoot/Illustrator direction
– Ongoing brand evolution
"One of Landon's favorite questions to ask us as clients remains, "what do you see in your mind's eye?", and to us, that demonstrates a dedicated desire to understand our creative process intimately. He integrates his process into our vision and the results make up very striking album art and advertising assets. Just as our music is thematically linked, so is the design that accompanies it as though he were part of the band."
– HANK SMITH & PATTIE KINLAW - HANK, PATTIE & THE CURRENT
Common Loon Records (Label)
Landon Elmore works with Common Loon Records to develop release creative for label artists—approaching each project as a distinct visual identity while applying a consistent level of creative direction, process, and execution.
Landon worked as a creative partner across the label’s roster, shifting roles between:
– Interpreting each artist’s vision
– Developing a tailored creative direction for each release
– Executing core design work personally
– Building assets needed for real-world rollout (digital, print, merch)
– Interpreting each artist’s vision
– Developing a tailored creative direction for each release
– Executing core design work personally
– Building assets needed for real-world rollout (digital, print, merch)
Scope of Work:
Artist: Michael Prewitt – Something He Can Handle
– Album artwork and packaging
– Digital single release covers
– Social media assets
– Print materials and promotional design
– Merchandise
– Digital single release covers
– Social media assets
– Print materials and promotional design
– Merchandise
Artist: Dan Eubanks – Rust Belt Town
– Album artwork and packaging
– Digital release assets
– Social and marketing materials
– Posters and merchandise
– Album artwork and packaging
– Digital release assets
– Social and marketing materials
– Posters and merchandise
"I’ve worked with Landon in several contexts now, merch design for a project I had a few years ago, website design and management for my solo project and album design and layout for my newest solo record and I could not be happier! Everything looks amazing, attention to detail and customer service is second to none, on top of that he’s a pleasure to work with and I would recommend him without reservation."
– DAN EUBANKS, COMMON LOON ARTIST
"Landon and I have worked together on several records in the last couple years. He is always professional and is a pleasure to work with for a few specific reasons. Landon understands the direction of the project, he is patient with the back and forth of edits, and most importantly, he delivers a quality final product on time!"
– JUSTIN STICKLER, OWNER–COMMON LOON RECORDS
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Green Day - Raleigh, NC Photo: Landon Elmore