Access
Credential
Systems
GOLDENVOICE / AEG PRESENTS · 2016–2022
It looks like graphic design.
It functions as access control infrastructure.
CONTEXT
Every credential is a permission statement
A major festival has multiple access tiers: artists, VIPs, production, staff, media, sponsors, volunteers, and GA. Each tier has specific zone permissions. Security makes access decisions in real time, under variable lighting, often with minimal training. The credential design is the system. If it fails visually, operations fail physically.
100+
DISTINCT CREDENTIAL TYPES PER COACHELLA WEEKEND + STAGECOACH
11-22
FESTIVAL WEEKENDS PER YEAR FROM 2016-2022
7
YEARS OF CREDENTIAL SYSTEMS ACROSS GOLDENVOICE / AEG EVENTS
ACCESS ARCHITECTURE
Coachella's credential program alone involved hundreds of distinct credential and pass variations per weekend: attendee access tiers, day-specific and full-weekend passes, pre-show and post-show access, multiple worker and staff classifications, vendor and contractor identifiers, parking passes across multiple lots and tiers, production vehicle identifiers, and specialized access for media, sponsors, and VIP guests. Every variation had to be visually distinct, immediately legible, and correct. A misread credential at an event of this scale has direct operational consequences.
I worked cross-functionally with ticketing, security, and production departments, collaborating with a project manager through vendor notes and specification cycles before fabrication. The work required building and maintaining a coherent visual logic across hundreds of variations annually, balancing color differentiation, typography, iconography, and brand alignment simultaneously. Final approvals involved executive and director-level stakeholders at Goldenvoice, including the company's senior leadership.
Anti-counterfeit requirements, fabrication lead times, vendor handoffs, last-minute changes days before an event. Designs needed cross-functional sign-off across ticketing, security, and production before going to print.
GOLDENVOICE / AEG EVENTS
SCOPE OF WORK
VEHICLE PASS DESIGN COLOR HIERARCHY SYSTEMS
ANTI-COUNTERFEIT DESIGN PRODUCTION SPECIFICATIONS
FABRICATION COORDINATION CROSS-FUNCTIONAL APPROVALS
MULTI-YEAR SYSTEM MANAGEMENT