Sometimes, when so much energy is focused on the event, it can be easy to forget events are a great opportunity to showcase your organisation as well.

MOTHandRUST find these three questions are useful to ask of any event design project:

What event design work do you need exactly?
Of course this seems obvious. However, we are often surprised at how often this is not as thought through well as it could be! Consider all the places the event visuals may exist at the beginning of the project when everyone is still fresh: site, emails, signage, name tags, podium, social, registration page, program, invitations, PowerPoint presentations, to name a few. Of course, it is often not possible to know exactly what will be required and things change. However, your future-self will be thankful that a comprehensive—and editable—list was at least made.

Are your designs flexible?
Event visuals need to extend across a variety of media while still being having a consistent look-and-feel. It must also exist in many shapes and sizes. A flexible format is one that can be scaled up to a large size or down to a small size. A design that works well on an invitation may not always work well across the event as a whole, particularly if it relies on imagery that can not be increased in size or seen properly from a distance.

Are your designs on-brand?
Some think their event must strictly follow their branding—no exceptions. Others think their branding is not necessary at all. We usually suggest the answer lies somewhere in between. You are showcasing your organisation, and as such its brand should be easily recognisable. However, if you follow the brand very strictly, there is a risk that all events will end up looking the same. Some flexibility is often necessary. Use the brand as a base and expand it out, with the help of a designer or your design team.

The photo above is a recent event designed for the Smith Family Awards Program for Excellence in Biomedical Research.

Photo credit: Erik Jacobs, Anthem Multimedia

In the past few months, we have had quite a few requests for virtual event ideas, which has been great - there is so much that can be done! Below are just some possibilities... We use the word “event,” but this could be any online gathering from a more intimate one-on-one talk to a very large group conference.

1. Dedicated event website
-  These may be simple or very complex, but they should always be beautifully designed, ultimately stirring interest in the upcoming event. Note that these can also serve many functions after the event as well.
-  Content can include detailed bios about the speakers, information/background about the subject of the event, including links to articles, or e-book downloads. 
-  The schedule/programme for the event can also be included here (which can be constantly updated as speakers confirm, etc).
-  Of course this can be open to all, or password-protected, so that only certain people have site access.

2. RSVP Invitations
-  Taking full advantage of a digital format, animations and/or video may be included. For example, could the e-invite include a short video from a key speaker?
-  Now more than ever, printed invitations can really stand out, and yes, they work great for virtual events!

3. Event agenda/programme
-  A beautifully designed event agenda/programme with times allotted for each segment of the video event can be sent directly to your audience ahead of time.
-  Again, if time allows, a printed version can be very effective.

4. In lieu of the restaurant event
-  If there is a particular restaurant you usually meet at, perhaps the restaurant gift card could be included with the print invitation? Bonus benefit: this gift will allow you to support the restaurant industry, which has had an especially difficult time dealing with the effects of the pandemic.

5. Virtual wine and cheese
-  It’s okay to have fun and try something more unexpected...
-  Though you may not be able to not invite someone to an actual wine and cheese event, why not still supply the wine? Along with a printed invitation, perhaps a bottle of wine could be delivered with a custom additional label or in a custom box?

6. eBooks
-  Perhaps you could give your recipients a beautifully-designed in-depth eBook that will educate them on a specific topic of an event?
-  This e-book could also be downloaded via the dedicated event website, or via the e-invitation.

7. Session visuals
-  Creative PowerPoint visuals, PDF slides or interactive animations could be created to accompany and add life to a talk.
-  Real-time illustrators, provide an on-the-spot graphical representation of the event in a way that is fun to look at and, eg: https://liveillustration.co.uk
-  The session visuals could be sent to the recipients as-is, or they could be deconstructed and pieces could be used with other photographs, etc to create a diverse artwork of the event.
-  The image above is a still from an animation we created, for privacy reasons we cannot post this on our site, please contact us and we would be happy to share via email.

8. Recording as a memento
-  One of the advantages of a virtual event is that it can be quite easily recorded. 
-  After the virtual event has concluded, use the recording as a memento and include it on the event site, or in a follow-up thank you email.

9. Pre-recordings
-  Just because a virtual event is live does not mean there is no place for pre-recorded sessions as well. These can really enhance the live event. What these lack in real-time engagement, they make up for in production value, as they benefit from the ability to be edited. 

10. Event memento
-  Imagery from the event (real time illustrations, session visuals, portraits of those involved, etc) can all be made into an artwork that could be sent digitally, or it could be printed and mailed.


Of course if this is something you would like to speak to us about, please do!

Hello the MLE,

Reporting back from the AI: More Than Human exhibition at the Barbican.

Overall, it’s okay. It can be summed up as a barrage of examples of various AI-related objects and experiences. The only context provided is a crash course history of AI - which only added to the feeling of superficiality. With so many examples, there is little room for depth. 

The exhibition would have benefited by focusing on the only the past 20 years, which is already more than enough. This would allow for a deeper look, a linking between pieces, an insight into what is proving to become a reality and why this is significant, and so on. This would have made the exhibitions much more interesting and meaningful.

Of course, I was personally interested in examples of how AI may help save us from environmental destruction, as well as the ethical considerations.

On the positive end: Neri Oxman and Mediated Matter Group’s Synthetic Apiary creates the conditions for an eternal spring for bees; and the Personal Food Computer developed at MIT is a “slow robot” that proposes an alternative to environmentally ruinous agriculture.

On the negative end:
An open letter to pre-emptively ban lethal autonomous weapons. An Amnesty International website showing how the US-led coalition’s air strikes on Raqqa in Syria in the war against Islamic State — many of them carried out by AI drones — led to hundreds of civilian deaths. 

On the creepy end:
A video exploring the use of AI in China’s social credit system, set to roll out in 2020. This is depicted in a cute, colourful and fun animation focusing on all the positives, which is not at all appropriate for such a controversial topic.

And finally, I found it quite funny that there were a number of displays that were suffering technological malfunctions…. But at least the robot bartender was working! The future is bright!

Suzan

Hi Emelie,

I thought you might be interested to know that the Prince of Wales was present for the official re-opening of Wilton’s Music Hall here in East London.

Charles has been a Patron since his first visit in 2006, which is really incredible, considering the building stood derelict and it’s future uncertain.  Now, after decades of hard work and commitment from its supporters, Wilton’s building works are complete and it is open yet again as a significant London entertainment venue.

Built originally as a pub around 1690, it was converted in to a grand music hall by John Wilton in the mid-19th C and stands today as the only one surviving intact from London’s early Grand Music Hall era.

We will definitely pay it a visit when you are here next.

You can see the site we designed for Wilton’s Music Hall here.

Suzan xx

 

Hey hey the MLE,

Reporting back from designjunction last night, a London event showcasing furniture, lighting and product design. It was quite fun, as it's a bit trade show, but also there are pop-up shops selling things, large installations, seminars, screening, and places to eat and drink etc. The venue itself was perfect, a derelict 1960s Sorting Office in central London.

In the first photo shows Daniel sitting in his favourite piece, a very comfortable chair, but I lost the card I collected, so don't know the designer. Second is the Nick Fraser coat rack. Third is the Hybrid No2 chair by Merve Kahraman (when I showed my interior architect friends in the pub after they did not approve however). What they did approve of is the fourth product, the classic Anglepoise 1227 brass wall mounted lamp, so that is good. And finally, both Daniel and I quite liked these Richard Brendon china sets. Well I thought they were entire dinner sets judging by the price, but they are actually unique individual cups and saucers. But beautiful.

Suzan xx