XCON 2021 - Conference Branding

Bluebeam is a global leader in construction software. They hold an annual user conference, XCON, in different locations across the United States, attracting more than 1,000 attendees. XCON Anywhere 2021 was Bluebeam’s first entirely virtual conference. I was working as an art director and motion designer at Bluebeam, and the event department asked me to create a visual identity and produce motion materials. After 18 months of fully remote work, people were experiencing serious Zoom fatigue. We turned a boring online gathering into a vivid, immersive experience people enjoyed. Instead of just talking heads in Zoom, we started each program with a short opening video to lend the conference some gravitas and get attendees into the right frame of mind. For the visual design system of the conference we took inspiration from the era of the early Internet: flying windows, bright colors, funny fonts, and we even hired a music composer to add some retro touches. After a year and a half of working remotely, we wanted to bring the fun of early internet culture to real life. I worked with internal team members and external vendors on the design and execution of all on screen graphics, social media promotions, and physical swag. My approach was to ensure a consistent brand image while allowing for their own expertise and creativity to shine through.