The CogX Festival is the world's largest gathering of CEOs, entrepreneurs, academics, artists, activists and policy makers working together to address the biggest questions, achievements and challenges of the influential technologies shaping our future.
The 2021 festival was the first major event for the company since the pandemic, and with the decision to run the UK’s first fully hybrid festival, we knew it would require a lot of work. How could we bring a consistent, recognisable and cohesive festival brand for both the in-person and virtual platforms?
I was responsible for the design of organic and paid social media, other sales and marketing materials including assets for presentation decks, on-site print signage, and festival session title screens.
After receiving the brief, which could be from any department but mainly from the Social Media Manager, I ideated, created and iterated on the requested graphics. Due to the fast-paced nature of the project, deadlines were often tight and so I would have to work rapidly to ensure the work was delivered on time.
I worked within the brand guidelines to create consistent posts, but also allowed for variety in style and composition to create more interesting and engaging social media posts.
Aside from our design duties, the design team would get together each day to give updates on our respective tasks. The clear communication we had meant that our team could work fluidly and rapidly, being able to assist each other in different projects.
The festival was a success with 18 stage, 846 speakers and 150,000+ unique viewers from 58 countries. The website had 1.1 million page views and social impressions across the 3 days of the festival reached 1.7 million.
Receiving briefs with a tight deadline was always a challenge. I quickly learnt how to accommodate for changes by ensuring constant, clear communication of expectations and requirements when liaising with different departments - from operations and content to sales. I also learnt how to further prioritise tasks and that asking for help isn't a sign of failure (thanks to a supportive team).
I was pushed creatively, but really enjoyed the experience and was overjoyed to see the brand come to life as the festival commenced.
