The Computower
Conference
Project Overview
The Computower Conference makes up project one and project two of DES 494. Both of these projects built upon the identity of the conference. The target audience consists of people who are interested in computers and PC building. The conference is open to everyone, no matter if they are completely unfamiliar, enthusiasts, or experts. The first project builds the very foundations of the conference, focusing on the logo and its usage. The second project expands the identity by making materials for delegates and for the conference itself.
Project One: Logo Guidelines
Deliverables:
Logo, Logo Guidelines Manual, Business Cards
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Details:
Project one started with research about the topic and the target audience which then proceeded to the creation of a logo guidelines manual and business cards. Due to the target audience being very broad, the Computower logo needed to have a friendly tone and didn't look too specific or complicated. Eventually, I settled on the word mark and tagline being stacked on each other inside a computer case. Different hues of blue were used to reference a very common color in tech and also evoke a calming effect. The friendliness is also incorporated through rounded edges and rounded type. This shape language communicates non-aggression (I don’t want to scare people who want to learn). With the default logo chosen, the rest of the guidelines manual shows the different ways to use the logo (and its variations) and also shows the ways that are incorrect. There are also application examples such as email signatures, favicons, and business cards.
Project Highlights
The Computower Default Logo
This is a deceptive piece of work. It took a long time to settle on a default design. After all the revisions, I am content with the layout.
It's a computer tower!
The Logo Guidelines Manual
There's lots of (hopefully useful) information to be seen in this manual. To see the flipbook, click here.
Computower Business Cards
The business cards were super fun to figure out. While it's subtle, you can make repeating patterns when you put multiple cards together. I think that provides a point of connection for the delegates.
Project Two: Applications
Deliverables:
Program, Poster, Textile, Sticker Series,
Lanyard & Exterior Banners
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Details:
The second project explores the expansion of the visual identity system. For the delegates, the program guide, stickers, lanyard, textile applications, and posters were created. For the conference itself, a mockup was made featuring exterior banners that advertises the conference to passers by and the delegates. With research done in the previous project, these set of deliverables should emphasize and prove that that intended tone and audience is reached. For example if my goal was to have a friendly looking conference, how could I achieve that through what I made? My answer was to make fun stickers, have cool clothes, and have personal colloquial language used in the copywriting. I didn't picture the Computower Conference to be very colorful and only used the blue monochrome scheme. With this limitation, I had to prove how engaging this conference could be through other parts of the content. I don't think the icons I have in my program guide are very serious, they have an element of playfulness to them.
Project Highlights
Program Guide
With 58 pages, there's no way to show all of them as pictures on a website. Click here to see the flipbook.
Computower Sticker Series
These stickers break the grid and monochrome palette of the conference. Since you can place stickers wherever you want, these stickers customize the experience for every delegate.
Computower Exterior Banners
Some Computower drip. Having one of these shirts will show your pride in being part of the conference! (Unless you don't subscribe to this fashion style)
Project One Reflection
This project was very daunting in the beginning. Since the logo will be used for a majority of the semester, that made me feel intimidated- like I had to get it right. At first I was over designing it. I had just done a lot of research on it and I wanted to incorporate all that I've learned into the logo. It took me a while to get the right layout and I even asked around to see which logo drafts people liked more. Another aspect I found difficult was the layout of the guidelines manual. This deliverable is meant to be more informational and needs to be bare bones in order to only communicate the information. I had some trouble not adding any flairs to the design. Overall, I was very happy with this project. The guidelines manuals turned out close to what I wanted and I was also happy with my business cards as they can become tessellations.
Project Two Reflection
While there were a lot of deliverables, I very much enjoyed this project. I was there when this idea first came to be and I was happy to see it expanded upon and be refined. This project was also a chance for me to prove that I could sustain a visual identity system. Previous projects in other courses did not have as many deliverables. It felt like everything I learned had to be improved and tested during this project. For example, since my program guide was very long, I had to hone my paragraph styles in Indesign so that I could continue to reuse and change them. It wasn’t realistic to change the leading for every textbox. I also made many icons for this project which made me faster at using Illustrator. With this project requiring me to spend so much time on these softwares, I was surprised at how much more comfortable I became with them.