Top Three Tips to Plus Up Your Experiential Branding
04.10.24
By Jonathan Brown
VP Design
Top Three Tips to Plus Up Your Experiential Branding
Remarkable changes are happening in how experiential branding is evolving to become more effective and impactful. Gone are the days when event branding was one the same as the company’s main mark or logo. In today’s world, brands need to optimize how they will make their brand more relevant visually, and in a way that engages attendees and embodies the values and persona they are looking to convey.
Clear and compelling visual design, threaded throughout the entire experiential program, helps attendees stay aligned on the messaging goals and business objectives that the brand is communicating, and drives an impactful user experience. Every element of the event experience branding– from the keynote, to breakout sessions, to wayfinding, to the registration area and more – all need to be aligned from a visual design, creative and messaging perspective for maximum potential.
InVision has been at the forefront of successful experiential programs since 1991, and we’ve developed best practices around event branding and visual design that we apply to our clients’ business communication challenges. Here are a few tips for how to optimize experiential brand programs:
1. Craft a unique theme and corresponding visual design: Events need to work within the parameters of the hosting company’s branding and visual design guidelines; however, focusing a theme and visual design that’s unique to the program will give the experiential program special meaning and purpose for the desired audience. The theme should exemplify this through communication that is anchored in the brand’s corporate brand identity, but serves to deliver a specific message of unification to their attendees who may be a diverse set of constituents, from customers, to employees, to participants from different parts of the globe. As an example, see how Dell Technologies leaned into the theme of “light and illumination” for their 2023 Dell Technologies World conference.
2. Extend and amplify the experience: While much of an event’s activations and interactions happen inside the ballroom, it’s important to extend the experiential branding and visual language to all parts of the experience that touch attendees. From pre-conference messaging, to on-site registration, to break out sessions, participants need to feel that the event experience immerses them – no matter where they are in the journey or within the venue. Visual conference themes should be clear and easy to understand and internalize, especially considering that event venues are often in busy urban cities or might span several buildings. Clients should use wayfinding to drive a strategic attendee journey, with specific tactical goals in mind for how to “move people around.” Examples of this are embedding product learnings, sales funnel steps, networking opportunities, and more, along the way. InVision works closely with clients to extend their experiential visual design equally across all venue spaces – from wayfinding elements – to the many signs, banners, and floor color coding that accompanied attendees along the event. This ensures that attendees feel they are part of the same experience no matter where they find themselves physically.
3. Adhere to a cohesive design system: When all is said and done, experiential programs need to follow a cohesive design system that crisply codifies and extends the core event theme graphic to other visual design elements. Both the messaging and the branding need to be holistic, consistent, and aligned. This allows for a series of experiences that are engaging and consistent for attendees – but not overly repetitive or dull. This approach will deliver flexibility for all creators to stay on brand, using the same visual language. Finally, this provides attendees with a recognizable and dynamic experience that is both engaging and familiar at the same time. A common use case is tapping into the conference thematic to pull out specific branded elements such as theme branding and color palette – and applying these holistically to a variety of mediums manifested as flat, dimensional, and digital. See how we developed a consistent and inspiring visual identity for Honeywell’s Connected Forum program, for both the in-person and virtual components.
In conclusion, to compete in today’s competitive experiential market, brands need to set themselves apart through unique and impactful event branding, an amplified experience that extends across the event venue, digital media, and all wayfinding assets with a cohesive design system.
To up-level the branding and design of your next experience and to best optimize your brand, please contact your InVision account director or info@iv.com to learn more.