Discipline Branding, illustration, Graphic Design
Duration 7 weeks
Prompt
The Crosswinds Conference is a fictitious environmental conference I developed and named, then designed its identity and marketing materials. This project challenged how to think about identity on a broader, systems level. There were zero constraints on the subject matter and style of the conference, so I decided to take this project as an opportunity to explore a topic I was interested in learning more about.
This Year's Location: Auckland Island
Seeking to bring together all the extreme adventure and ecotourism enthusiasts worldwide, with the goal of coordinating our operations, and achieve:
- Make the public more aware of the amazing adventures that are possible worldwide by integrating our outreach with the rich history of past adventures;
- Cooperate to minimize our negative impact on the environment and ecosystem
- Share ideas for adventures that will empower more people to better understand our fragile planet and the delicate balance of life on earth;
- Satisfy people’s natural curiosity about the world they live in.
Mood Board
Each mood board pulled elements from the key noteworthy elements from this year's location of the conference. The unique plants, animals, landscape and rich history around the shipwrecks.
Ultimately for this conference and the humanitarian aspect around the endangered species the focus went in this direction. As the conference would change location each year too, it was paramount that the logo be more versitile to work for future years of the conference.
Animals
Alternates
Landscape
Plant Life
Shipwrecks
Logo Sketches
Experimenting with natural elements from the environment: plants, animals & landscape.
Final direction was to work with the the imagery of the compass & waves, since the conference is all about the environment & animals on remote islands.
Logo Iterations
Style Guide
Poster Iterations
Competitive Research
An integral part of the research process is understanding your competition, and seeing what else is out there. Below is a collection of existing logos for real and fictional organizations that overlap with our concept in one way or another. As you can see the usage of adventure & nautical elements predominates, as does usage of the color green. We wanted to break away from some of those overused elements for the Crosswinds Conference to help it stand apart.
Audience
Anyone who is devoted to experiencing the wonders of Earth’s most remote places, whether as a traveler, a committed conservationist, or even a guide or tour operator, can benefit from sharing their plans, experiences and technical knowledge.
Whether your interests lie the Tiger’s Nest in Bhutan, the “Gateway to Hell” in Turkmenistan, or voyages to the most remote islands of the south Atlantic (like our conference venue), you will find excitement and inspiration in this conference. We chose Auckland Island not only for its remoteness, but also as an example of how human interference in an ecosystem can cause unanticipated destruction.
Keynote Speakers
As technology has continued to outpace our ability to use it to its fullest potential, we invite you to join us in one of the most remote locations on earth: Auckland Island, about 300 miles south of the southern tip of New Zealand, and scene of some of the most terrifying shipwrecks and survival stories of all time.
Of course, if you cannot make it there to join us, satellite uplinks will be available, but we hope you can join us in person. Follow the links at our website to coordinate your travel (hopefully by sailboat).
Bear Grylls
British former SAS serviceman, survival instructor, and honorary lieutenant-colonel, and, outside his military career, an adventurer, writer, television presenter and businessman.
Terri Irwin
American–Australian naturalist, conservationist, author, and the owner of Australia Zoo in Beerwah, Queensland. A native of Oregon, she began an independent animal rehabilitation center for injured predator mammals at age 22.
Joan Druett
New Zealand historian and novelist, an award-winning writer specializing in maritime history, is the author of numerous works, including Hen Frigates and In the Wake of Madness.