With multiple client events taking place simultaneously and lots of new projects coming in, we’ve sure been busy lately. And while some of the girls have been off gallivanting across the country for client meetings, I’ve been here plugging away at developing some exciting new brands and campaigns.
The theme lately has been event planning and what makes a good event. Part of my job as creative director is making sure all the parts of the projects we work on stay true to the brand and work in a cohesive and complementary way.
But, keeping event branding cohesive can be difficult. Once everything starts to flow, the workload can get chaotic and it’s easy to lose focus of the brand’s identity. There are so many pieces to an event that some things can get lost in the shuffle and lose the feel of the overall design. Staying consistent within all pieces of an event helps make your brand recognizable. When you see the red and white Chick-fil A-logo you know you’ll get some good chicken, salty waffle fries and a warm welcome by super cheerful employees. The Chick-fil-A brand is an integral part of every aspect of their business, from the smiling faces of the employees to the illiterate, mischievous cows on their billboards.
Recently, we worked on Fuse Project’s Dragon Boat Festival, which also has a very specific brand. The colors and imagery all needed to be consistent so people knew what they were looking at before they even read the poster or ad copy.
We started with the poster and newspaper ads, posting around town and getting the word out. Then, we translated our designs to digital. Having a strong social media presence in particular was important to our branding strategy for this event. We created social media graphics with the colors and dragon scales that would eventually become synonymous with the Dragon Boat Festival. As the day of the event drew closer, more and more signs and print pieces needed to be created—about 40 different pieces! (Seemed like 500 at the time). Parking passes, ‘do not use’ signs, tent banners, maps and handouts—you name it. The list grew, but we stayed consistent with the branding and the event became a cohesive and unique experience for those involved in the day’s event.
A brand supports, promotes and helps populate an event. Therefore, the branding for any event should be a priority. The more consistently you communicate your brand to the public, the more it will be recognized. With recognition comes more opportunities to reach people you might not have been able to reach before, setting the tone and creating an event people will remember. And having a memorable event (for the good reasons) is always what we’re working toward.
Now that you know how to craft and convey a successful brand for your next event, take a look at our Event Planning Workbook for even more event planning strategies.
Happy planning!