Our annual company retreat took place in October 2024 in Austin, Texas. Each year, I look forward to branding and creating the collateral for this event, and this year was no exception! After the internal team decided on the theme, I collaborated with our creative director to establish the branding and then partnered with the event producer to bring the vision to life.
Creative Director: Kendall Lock
Project Lead: Rosie Lin
Designers: Rosie Lin, Marissa Carroll, Charlotte Cheshire
Event Producer: Elana Leaf
Since this was my third year working on the retreat, I was brought in early in the planning. We decided a site visit would be helpful, so I toured the location to identify where signage would be needed and how best to utilize the space. I documented the walkthrough with photos and measurements, compiling it all into a FigJam file for reference.
During the site visit, I gained a clearer idea of the team’s vision. The chosen theme, “The Great Outdoors,” was meant to evoke a natural setting without feeling too much like a “summer camp” (a previous theme). Our design team brainstormed and gathered inspiration, after which I proposed two distinct branding directions.
The team selected Branding Option 2 with feedback to focus more on the camping/outdoor vibe and less on longhorn imagery. Moving away from the initial patch logo concept, we developed a new set of logos: one centered around the company’s logo and another emphasizing desired outdoor imagery. I also proposed icons and illustrative elements to enhance the event’s theme.
After finalizing the logo set, I took some PTO, leaving the design files available for any needed adjustments. The team appreciated the dual-logo approach but provided further feedback to remove the longhorn imagery entirely and simplify the company logo version. The revised design replaced the longhorn with our company mascot, streamlined other elements, and made the sun design more approachable and clear.
Working with the event producer, we created a list of needed signage and brainstormed ideas for on-site activations, which influenced the final signage plan. Some items required creative mockups to visualize their applications for stakeholder review. For instance, one item labeled “wallpaper” turned out to be applied to a shelf rather than a wall! In total, we created over 80 pieces of collateral. I also prepared an installation guide for the event team to streamline the on-site setup.
