Conference Logo & Branding for IEDC
We designed the logo and conference branding for the International Economic Development Council’s 2021 conference in Nashville, TN.
Design Lead
Emily Mills
Client
About the client:
The International Economic Development Council (IEDC) is a non-profit, non-partisan membership organization serving economic developers. With more than 5,000 members, IEDC is the largest organization of its kind. Economic developers promote economic well-being and quality of life for their communities, by creating, retaining and expanding jobs that facilitate growth, enhance wealth and provide a stable tax base.
Process:
IEDC has traditionally contracted a local artist from the host city of their conference to create their conference logo. Our IEDC contact, Hannah, found our work through Dribbble. After receiving a few proposals, IEDC chose Flavor Graphics to complete the project. We worked with Hannah to determine the goals for the conference, learn about the theme, and discover preferences.
IEDC wanted the logo to be colorful, using at least 3 bold or bright colors. The logo needed to highlight the host state and tie into the theme of “Tourism, Transportation, and Tech.”
Sketching:
All logo projects being with pencil and paper. Sketching allows us to ideate and brainstorm new concepts quickly. When we have a few solid concepts, we’ll move to design software next.
Early Drafts:
We explored 3 main concepts, each with a different feel and focus.
“We ran these by the Host Committee and the decision was UNANIMOUS. I don’t think that has ever happened before!”
– Hannah
Final Version:
IEDC loved the third concept but had one change: Instead of the focus on Nashville, they wanted to shift the focus to the entire state of Tennessee.
We created a state-wide skyline featuring icons from Memphis, Nashville, Knoxville, and the Great Smoky Mountains and also removed the tagline as it was too small and added too much “visual clutter.” We enclosed this new logo into a new badge shape, but also created a more horizontal logo for alternate or secondary use.
Brand Buildout:
IEDC also contracted us to design a branded postcard to be sent to members ahead of the conference, but the COVID-19 pandemic had other plans! IEDC noiticed most people were no longer in their offices, and sending out a postcard didn’t seem like a good idea anymore.
Instead, we pivoted the project and created digital graphic templates and branded assets for IEDC. We created:
- A series of icons based on the conference theme
- Social media graphics templates
- Print templates
- Email graphics templates
- Colorful vector backgrounds (inspired by the hills of Tennessee)
Emily projected confidence and competence from the very beginning. Her quote process was extremely streamlined. We were extremely impressed with the level of detail we received in design drafts. Proofs were presented to us in a polished package that could easily be handed to a client for feedback. The design timeline was always included in proofs for quick reference. Emily demonstrated exceptional time management, organization and of course design.
Her designs took our ideas above and beyond what we could imagine. The quality of the designs we received was amazing. We brought some direction to the table but Emily took our ideas and added her own creative flair to them (one of the reasons why we chose her as our designer for this project!). We ran these concepts by the Host Committee and the decision was UNANIMOUS. I don't think that has ever happened before!
This is the first time we received a fully polished brand around the logo for a conference. We plan to continue this trend for future conferences and work with designers to build out a robust design package, rather than just a logo. Emily sparked this inspiration and trajectory for us after seeing her approach. I would recommend Flavor Graphics to anyone who wants polished, bold designs and wants a designer who can use their own creativity to steer the project.