After 18 months of fully remote work, people were experiencing serious Zoom fatigue. We turned a boring online gathering into a vivid, immersive experience people enjoyed.

Instead of just talking heads in Zoom, we started each program with a short opening video to lend the conference some gravitas and get attendees into the right frame of mind. 

For the visual design system of the conference we took inspiration from the era of the early Internet: flying windows, bright colors, funny fonts, and we even hired a music composer to add some retro touches. After a year and a half of working remotely, we wanted to bring the fun of early internet culture to real life.

For the keynote's opening video I designed style frames which I handed off to a freelance animator. I directed our composer to make music that evokes a very welcoming environment with some retro touches to add a bit of fun.

For the keynote's opening video I designed style frames which I handed off to a freelance animator. I directed our composer to make music that evokes a very welcoming environment with some retro touches to add a bit of fun.

I wanted to use the awards show opener to leave a lasting impression by immersing attendees in the conference branding and evoking a more "after dark" mood.

I directed the outside production team on the set design and overall look of the production. I also worked with internal team members on the design and execution of all on screen graphics. The recording of the awards show itself was executed by an outside vendor who I art directed to align the look and feel to this year's brand.

The different window and type styles were included in the branding system specifically to facilitate a clear hierarchy of information.

I worked with internal team members on the design and execution of all on screen graphics, social media promotions, and physical swag. My approach was to ensure a consistent brand image while allowing for their own expertise and creativity to shine through.

The XCON website was the main touchpoint for anyone looking for information prior to the conference. It had to clearly convey a lot of information.