III Points festival's circular lineup poster disrupts traditional billing hierarchy

III Points, Miami's alternative music festival, has used a circular lineup poster for the past two years, designed by talent buyer Santi Vidal. The format places some artist names inside a central circle, others in curved rings, and smaller names horizontally below, creating ambiguity about headliner status. Vidal says this eases negotiations with agents by removing the traditional tiered hierarchy seen at festivals like Coachella, which has used the same format since 2003. Other festivals, including Camp Flog Gnaw (crossword puzzle), HARD Summer, and Portola (graffiti-style), have adopted non-traditional designs. Vidal notes that the ambiguity helps manage the pressure of billing negotiations, where agents push for higher placement based on metrics like social media and streaming. He also creates a secondary 'music map' using Venn diagrams to group artists by genre, aiding attendee discovery. The approach sacrifices some legibility but allows Vidal to curate a lineup that satisfies agents and reflects his niche taste.