BRAND IDENTITY • event design • exec keynote designDesigning an event identity to excite 2,000+ employees for the upcoming year
TIMELINE: 2 MONTHS • COMPANY SIZE: 3,000+ • tech industryConfluent’s Growth Kick Off (GKO) is an annual event for employees to gather in person over 2 days with keynotes from executive leadership, area-specific workshops and team building. Working against a tight timeline and through multiple rounds of theme exploration, we landed on an identity that connected the excitement of a new brand partnership with the energy we wanted to bring into the year: Formula 1 racing. Full Throttle.
In partnership with our client, Visa Cash App Racing Bulls, the team and I developed a velocity-driven, boldly colored design system to immerse colleagues in an energetic mindset while creating intuitive wayfinding throughout the venue. I contributed to the overall visual identity, hero print moments, video storyboarding, and executive keynote presentation design.
Results
+200 print SKUs
+136 keynote slides
+32 digital screens
+0 printing mistakes!
Velocity in Every Piece
Thinking through every application before starting a project is crucial for a cohesive design system. Knowing the identity would need to work across hero print moments and digital entrance screens, I focused on carrying a sense of forward motion across both static and motion experiences. By making typography the hero, I was able to create a strong sense of movement—even within a static print banner. I designed the print banners, sourced footage, and storyboarded motion pieces for our motion designer, Nick, to bring to life.
Intentional Color Blocking
From the entrance of the Seattle Convention Center, all floors are immediately visible. I intentionally used our primary color palette as a wayfinding strategy, color-blocking each floor to create an intuitive visual system. This made navigating to breakout rooms significantly easier for 2,000+ employees, helping people quickly orient themselves within the venue.
Connected Content
To keep our audience engaged and fully immersed in the F1 theme, we carried the racing concept into every aspect of the keynote experience. Timelines wrapped around real F1 race tracks, copy took on an engine-inspired voice, executive headshots were placed in driver suits, and animations were designed with a sense of speed and momentum.
I worked directly with the CPO and his content manager to transform raw business ideas into 70 beautifully cohesive and animated slides in one week, with additional edits made in real time during onsite rehearsals. I also collaborated closely with two other designers within presentation style guide created by designer Ash, sharing slide designs and giving and receiving continuous feedback to ensure that the full deck felt cohesive, as though it had been designed by a single person.
art direction : george barros, kelly carlquist
visual design : Delaney pratt-fitzgerald, ash locke, marian Castaneda, lisa varrall
motion design : nick bizzack
copy writing : adam peterson