The main concept behind the design for Lewiston's Hot August Nights 2026 was a throwback to previous years in celebration of the event’s 40th anniversary. The design process began by collecting and referencing photographs of shirt designs from past events. The core concept originated with the event shirt, which was hand-drawn in Fresco using 1990s shirt designs as inspiration. The remaining final designs were completed using a VHS-style plugin to add additional texture and visual character to both print and social media materials.

For Lewiston's Hot August Nights 2025, significant changes were made to nearly every element of the event. These updates included launching a new website, developing refreshed core designs such as the attendee map, and designing the event shirt internally for the first time instead of outsourcing it to a screen printer. The process began with a brand refresh and expanded from that foundation. All of this work was completed while building a stronger organizational framework for future events.

The centerpiece of the 2025 design was the event shirt, which served as a broad throwback to 1990s design concepts. The color palette was selected to evoke nostalgia while remaining aligned with the newly refreshed brand identity. A variety of methods were used in the design process, ranging from hand-drawing the vehicles featured on the shirt to assembling the layout in Photoshop. Within Photoshop, a series of grunge and glow effects were applied to create a worn, vintage aesthetic across both print and social media designs.