For this project, I was tasked with creating and branding a conference which incorporated themes of education and home. I have taken a number of linguistics classes in the past; it's a subject that really interests me, so I decided to pursue it as the topic of my conference. To tie in the theme of home, I explored the idea of native languages, and what it means to speak a different language at home vs at school.
My conference, Semóye [sa-mai-yuh] is a one day event touring in parks across British Columbia, Canada on the topic of language diversity. The conference is targeted towards educators and caretakers who want to better accommodate multilingual students and advocate for the protection of endangered languages. In a blend of storytelling, workshops, and lectures, the speakers provide content designed to support, inspire, and empower curious individuals.
In developing the foundation for the event, I chose three additional values. These words guided the creation of a vision statement, mission statement, unique selling point, and core value proposition which determined the direction of the project. In my research, I learned that Vancouver, BC was designated a hotspot for endangered language by National Geographic, I chose to host the conference at the Vancouver Convention Centre.
To reach the name Semóye, I followed a naming exercise; I was most drawn to the bumblebee as a visual metaphor. Semóye is the Halq'eméylem word for bumblebee and represents honesty and willingness to serve the community above all else. This name tied in an endangered language using the word for an endangered animal, and allows attendees to learn part of a new language in a more approachable way.
Based on my conference's values, I extrapolated three personality traits. These became the guiding words for creating my moodboards. I liked the idea of conveying complexity and nuance in some way, but I also wanted it to remain approachable and unpretentious for viewers.
In my initial poster iterations, I explored this metaphor of the bumblebee and the idea of bees (conference guests) pollinating the garden (spreading their knowledge and enacting change and growth). I created the tagline "spread the word", which encompasses the bee metaphor, a motivation to advertise, and the idea of teaching a new word: Semóye. I also explored the use of symbols from the International Phonetic Alphabet layered together to create a dynamic background.
After creating further iterations of my posters, I was feeling stuck. The decision to move forward with the simpler, typographic solution made sense, but I was having trouble finding ways to push beyond my initial poster. My main concern was that I was beginning to create a visual language that felt formal and academic, but discussing subject matter that is meant to push beyond standard teaching methods and invite imagination.
For this reason, I revisited the concept of the conference itself, making the decision to move the location from the Vancouver Convention Centre, to a series of parks across British Columbia. Additionally, I decided to specify a theme for the conference: storytelling as a force for imparting language. These changes set Semóye apart from other education conferences, and strengthened the connection between the nature-related name and the actual content of the conference.
With my revised design system, I began creating the final versions of my deliverables. With the merchandise, I wanted to create items that aligned with the conference values and wouldn't just be thrown away after the event. To meet this goal, I designed a reusable water bottle, and a storytelling themed take-home package for each attendee to use during the conference, including a workbook, pen, poster, and stickers.
For my environmental graphics, I wanted to create something that would stand out against the park landscape, but not be destructive or obtrusive to the natural landscape. In order to accommodate the 4 consecutive tour dates, it needed to be easy to install and fit in a variety of locales. My solution was to create a series of multipurpose blocks that can be carried in and out of the parks with ease, and rearranged to fit the speaker's needs. When stacked together, they create a backdrop for lecturers. Individually, they can be used for wayfinding and signage, as stools to sit and write on, or as platforms to stand on to gather the group's attention.
To create the blocks below, I used Photoshop's generative AI tool to establish the structure, and then I cut it to fit my design.
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