project background
Patreon hosts an annual conference known as PatreCon. It’s a yearly gathering of creators on the Patreon platform and is marked by an energetic exchange of ideas and a strong sense of community, and creative empowerment.
When I first joined Patreon, I came on as a freelancer to support the design and execution of the 2018 event. Working with my amazing design colleague, Alisha Mowder, we spent six weeks extending the brand direction she set. From the posters and banners that decorated the space, to the agenda and interactive activations, every part of the event was infused with the Patreon brand.
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Environmental design
NOTES
Produced at Patreon with Alisha Mowder
PatreCon 2018 identity developed by Alisha Mowder
Creating an inspiring and supportive atmosphere
A big part of our design approach was to literally surround our attendees with messages of support and inspiration.
Posters and banners filled the space and provided a fun, and highly photographable backdrop to the main stage and common areas. One of my favorite parts of the entire event was hearing how well these poster designs resonated with the attendees—the messages came up in conversation, and on stage over and over again.
It’s hard to overstate the emotional connection that was palpable throughout the event! Lots of bonds were forged, and tears of joy were shed as people found kinship with so many others who could relate to the challenges of being an independent creator.
Agenda
A printed agenda helped people to easily plan out their days and sit in on the talks that appealed most to them.
Creator Journey
This design was a lot of fun to take from concept to implementation. Working with our content team lead, Kate, I designed a fun, interactive exhibit that really resonated with attendees.
The posters represented a range of emotions across four phases of a creator’s journey. By taking cues from pull-tab flyers, we created an activation that allowed attendees to tear off a pull-tab as a way of “checking in” on where they were at in their creative endeavors. The result was somewhere between a interactive survey, an asynchronous support group, and a physical gathering place that naturally sparked conversations between attendees.
All the pull tabs removed by attendees were collected and at the end of the event, were mixed with confetti and showered over dance floor at our closing party.
