Samsung Developer Conference

Introducing attendees around the world to innovations by Samsung that blend the needs of today with the imagination of tomorrow.

Client

Samsung

Year

2018

Agency

Agency EA

Role

Art Director and graphics lead for branding, signage and digital.

THE TASK

Samsung’s developer branch approached Agency EA to help them rebrand and produce their two-day Samsung Developer Conference for nearly 5,000 attendees at the Moscone West in San Francisco. We were asked to refresh the conference identity and ground it more accurately in the Samsung corporate brand, while maintaining a colorful and lively personality for the primary developer audience. This identity would extend across digital and in-person experiences through engagements before, during and after the event days. The vast amount of deliverables and touch-points needed to feel cohesive as attendees constantly jumped from medium to medium in their journey.

THE DESIGN PROCESS

The initial brand exercise required us crafting a new event logo system. This system would need to maintain brand fundamentals from Samsung’s guidelines, while providing a distinct flair for the Samsung Developer sub-brand. I led our design team to design several distinct identities, which I animated to better tease and paint the idea where the personality could go. Ultimately, the client preferred to stick with the mark that they had been using the last several years. This mark was refreshed with gradient systems and typography proportions that better reflected Samsung brand standards.

The ‘triad’ mark ultimately informed the makeup of the new graphic identity, which became a system of colored arcs. The arcs were used in both background atmospherics as well as framing device for content. Our coloring system helped our identity take on a celebratory personality, while intentionally helping attendees orient themselves as they navigated the three floors of the venue. Our style guide was meticulously curated to help guide many design partners in the development of various event deliverables.

DESIGNING FOR ONLINE COMMUNICATIONS

Our design team was responsible for designing and managing nearly all of the online communications including emails, registration platforms, a custom responsive website, mobile app, digital advertisements, and social posts. I oversaw and art directed our design team and partners in these tasks, ensuring the branding decisions were consistent with the event style guide and what was developing for the on site execution.

THE RESULTS

Over nearly 10 months, our team worked closely with our South Korean client to develop a thorough brand story for Samsung Developers. We found the perfect balance in our rebrand that felt fresh and new, upheld the legacy of past conferences, all while being true to the foundations of Samsung. We curated and produced hundreds of design components, ranging across mediums and scales to truly take over the intersection of 4th and Howard in downtown San Francisco. Whether you were tuning in from home or walking through the highly-curated areas of Moscone West, our colorful story for Samsung Developers was seamless and impactful.