End-to-end design

In 2016 I joined SYPartners, a strategy consultancy with an emphasis on design and leadership experiences. I was a part of teams that would see client projects from conception to completion. Many times completion involved a conference and/or experiential moment.
The first example below is a Smashburger leadership conference I helped design for with an ex-coworker from SYPartners and another designer. The second example is a leadership event I helped create while working with SYPartners.

Smashburger leadership conference

CONFERENCE BOOKI co-designed this notebook which accompanied attendees for each day and each session of the conference. It contains conference room maps, pockets for other designed materials acquired during sessions, and areas for notes. I redrew maps in vector, added color treatments to photos, and worked with the printer’s dielines. The cover is embossed with a spot UV. I coordinated directly with a print vendor I’ve worked with for many years.

MOMENTS
Here are some other elements that were a part of the overall experience.

Interactive voting/Q&A
Employees ran string through eyelets below their answer to the question above it. I built this onsite. I had the boards printed directly onto by a local printer and I brought all of the needed hardware—eyelets, bolts, string, and scissors. I had made a much smaller prototype in my garage to test it out. While I was breaking down this setup, a Smashburger employee came over to tell me how much he enjoyed this activity. It’s one of those moments that makes it all worthwhile.

Smashburger museum/gallery
We designed a gallery experience which I assembled onsite along with the help of the in-house event team. We had physical items representing the history of Smashburger and a few videos playing on iPads that I helped edit. I ordered and assembled stands.

Lenticular boards

‘The new how’ leadership conference

SETTING & CIRCUMSTANCESThis is a leadership conference that took place in the old Mill Valley, CA public library which is now the residence for the founder of SYPartners. I did a site vist three weeks in advance to find a home full of boxes, no furniture, and no side yard because the founder was moving back into the home at that time. There was a lot of work to do.
The New York-based team designed and created materials while I worked directly with the founder and his executive assistant on creating and designing the the space and overall experience. I installed and ran all of the conference technology.

Conference notebooks

Workshop

One of eight breakout sessions
I ordered audio equioment in order to simultaneously record all breakout sessions. After the event I created transcripts to shre out with attendees.

Technology test run for live-streamed tea ceremony from Japan

Attendees enjoying the tea ceremony

The live-stream

Farewell book recommendations table

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