ATD2018 International Conference & Exposition
Creative Direction | Brand Identity | Event Design
Project Overview
The ATD International Conference & Exposition (ICE) is the largest event for talent development professionals worldwide. The 2018 conference in San Diego drew more than 10,000 attendees and 400 speakers — including a keynote from President Barack Obama — and doubled as a milestone celebration: ATD's 75th anniversary.
For an event of that scale and significance, a comprehensive visual identity was developed to support the conference experience across digital platforms, print communications, and on-site materials.
My Role
As Senior Graphic Designer at ATD, I took ownership of the ATD2018 conference brand from concept through execution. The creative director gave me the autonomy to lead the project directly, trusting my judgment on direction rather than dictating it — I drove the concept development and design decisions myself, establishing the event's visual identity and its implementation across marketing materials, digital platforms, and attendee communications.
The project required developing a flexible visual system that could scale across a wide range of publications while maintaining a cohesive identity for one of the industry's largest global gatherings.
Creative Approach
The visual identity was designed to reflect the energy and scale of the global conference while maintaining clarity across complex event communications, and to carry the added weight of ATD's 75th anniversary milestone.
I developed bold color, structured typography, and dynamic graphic elements to create a recognizable event identity that could be applied consistently across print materials, digital platforms, and on-site conference assets.
Key Deliverables
ATD2018 conference identity and visual system
75th anniversary logo and lockups
Conference website
Wayfinding system
Marketing brochure and invitation materials
Event program guide and attendee package
Conference collateral and promotional materials
Logo
The ATD2018 identity system included both the conference logo and a commemorative 75th anniversary logo, developed to debut alongside the San Diego conference.
I grounded the overall look and feel in San Diego itself, drawing on the architecture of the San Diego Convention Center as a visual reference point and pulling the color palette directly from the location — from the coastal skyline to the surrounding waterfront — to give the identity a sense of place rather than a generic conference look.
The identity system included multiple lockups and tagline variations to support flexible use across marketing materials, digital communications, and event signage.
Website
The conference website served as the primary hub for attendee information, including session schedules, speakers, and event details.
I directed the creative development of the site from wireframe planning and visual design through prototypes, development reviews for desktop and mobile, testing, and launch, ensuring the final experience aligned with the established visual identity.
Brochure
A promotional brochure was developed to introduce the conference program and highlight key themes, sessions, and speakers.
The publication combined editorial layout, event illustrations, and clear information hierarchy to communicate the breadth of the conference experience.
Program Guide + Attendee Package
The conference program guide served as the primary reference for attendees, outlining sessions, speakers, sponsors, and event logistics.
The guide was included as part of the attendee welcome package and designed to balance large volumes of information with clear navigation and readability throughout the conference.
Project Impact
The ATD2018 visual identity established a cohesive design system for one of the largest global gatherings of talent development professionals — supporting attendee communications, marketing materials, and on-site event experiences for a conference of more than 10,000 attendees, while carrying the added significance of ATD's 75th anniversary.
This work was part of a broader creative program: as part of ATD's in-house creative team, I helped produce roughly 150 digital, print, and environmental projects a month, including conference branding and identity systems for 20 national conferences.