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 operates multiple access tiers simultaneously: artists, headliner guests, VIPs, production, venue staff, media, sponsors, volunteers, and general admission. Each tier carries specific zone permissions. Security staff make accurate access decisions in real time, under variable lighting, in high-density crowd conditions often with minimal event-specific training.

The credential design is the system. If it fails visually, operations fail physically. A wristband that reads ambiguously under bad lighting is not a design problem. It's a security breach.

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

Credential tier structure · Coachella / Stagecoach New set each weekend · Dashed (5, 7, 8) = daily pass
Artist
Wknd 1
Wknd 2
Production
Wknd 1
Wknd 2
Guest
Wknd 1
Wknd 2
VIP
Wknd 1
Wknd 2
GA
Wknd 1
Wknd 2
Film
Wknd 1
Wknd 2
Security
Wknd 1
Wknd 2
Field
Wknd 1
Wknd 2
Boarding
1 · W1
2 · W1
3 · W1
4 · W1
Boarding / camp
1 · W2
2 · W2
3 · W2
4 · W2
Labor
1 · W1–W2
2 · W1–W2
3 · W1–W2
4 · W1–W2
Labor / vendor
5
6 · W1–W2
7
8

WHAT I DESIGNED

Not a handful of badge types. Hundreds of variations.

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

Coachella Indio, CA · 2016–2022
Stagecoach Indio, CA · 2016–2022
Camp Flog Gnaw Los Angeles, CA · 2016–2019
Day N Vegas Las Vegas, NV · 2019, 2021
Desert Trip Indio, CA · 2016
Splash House Palm Springs, CA · 2016–2019
FYF Fest Los Angeles, CA · 2016–2017
Panorama New York, NY · 2016–2018
Arroyo Seco Weekend Pasadena, CA · 2017–2018
Just Like Heaven Queen Mary, Long Beach, CA · 2019, 2022
Smokin' Grooves Queen Mary, Long Beach, CA · 2018–2019
Cali Vibes Queen Mary, Long Beach, CA · 2022

Why this connects beyond live events

Most designers don't have this work in their portfolio because most designers haven't had to think about permission structures, role-based access, and the real-world stakes of visual hierarchy failures. The domain is live events, but the underlying problem is universal: communicating trust, access, and differentiation clearly and instantly, in systems where getting it wrong has real consequences.

SCOPE OF WORK

TIERED CREDENTIAL DESIGN WRISTBAND SYSTEMS
VEHICLE PASS DESIGN COLOR HIERARCHY SYSTEMS
ANTI-COUNTERFEIT DESIGN PRODUCTION SPECIFICATIONS
FABRICATION COORDINATION CROSS-FUNCTIONAL APPROVALS
MULTI-YEAR SYSTEM MANAGEMENT