Looking Back: DesignThinkers 2004 Branding by Maximum60

Robert Farrell RGD reflects on the branding for the 2004 DesignThinkers Conference.

What did taking on the DesignThinkers conference branding mean to you and your team at the time?

It was a challenging opportunity to design a project for an audience that we had never designed for before – designers!

Explain your concept and how you and/or your team got there?

The concept was based around "feeding the mind with inspirational ideas" with Monty Python-esque visual cues. The concept was quite literal in terms of what the 2004 DesignThinkers represented – learning new perspectives and ideas. 

What was your biggest challenge being the Design Partner for DesignThinkers?

The biggest challenge was creating a concept that would be appealing and interesting to our creative peers on a limited production budget (early days of DesignThinkers!). Then converting the appeal and interest to an increased number of attendees from the previous year.

How did it feel to present your work to a bunch of designers? And then see your work live during the event and witness people's reactions to it?

We like a good challenge, so it felt great being challenged in this way. Seeing our work come to life was very cool after being so intimately involved with it for months. To finally sit back and see it come to life and receive compliments isn't something we always see as designers. Usually our work goes on to an audience we don't get to see or interact with.

What are you most proud of from your own experience? Is there anything you would have done differently?

The 2004 DesignThinkers Conference went on to be the most attended DesignThinkers up to that year. Clearly, many factors contributed to that, however, I was proud to have played a part in it's success!

What has been your favourite DesignThinkers branding, besides your own, and why?

It's not easy picking a favourite. However, I'd have to say 2015 by Overdrive. I felt it was very much on brand (RGD) and particularly liked the way all the many pieces were flush out – in a consistent and an interesting way!

Stay tuned for more insights into DesignThinkers branding from the past 20 years.