From Then to Now: TEDxCharlottesville

There are some events, conferences, & festivals in our portfolio that we are lucky enough to get to work on as they develop from year to year. One of our favorites is our local TEDxCharlottesville event! This is such an important event in our community and the speakers are always top-notch, so it's a welcome annual challenge to design an interesting stage set that serves this event's functions while helping to enhance the theme or underlying tone of the day's presentations.

 

2013

For TEDxCharlottesville's first year, we kept the staging rather minimalist & clean. This was our first go at projection mapping, so we went with some simple vertical rectangles to project content onto, and splashed colorful lighting onto the backdrop to create an engaging tableau.

 

2014

The next year, we took the projection mapping up a notch, using Wafer panels from Atomic Design to fill the stage and create a showstopping, high-impact backdrop. Jonah Tobias, a local animator & leader of the TEDxCharlottesville design committee, created beautiful projection content that complemented the tone of each talk.

 

2015

In its third year, we took a nod from the poster artwork, creating a more literal representation of the event's branding. We built custom set pieces from pipe and acrylic shapes, onto which we projected the speakers faces along with ambient content. We also used three projection screens to accommodate speaker content while keeping informational slides visible during each talk.

 

2016

In 2016, we switched it up and used our Absen LED panels instead of projection & screens. We placed one large LED wall with picture-in-picture graphics in the center of the stage, and used additional LED panels to construct realistic-looking "wooden" stage decor.

 

2017

Finally, this year we went back to basics with a single projection screen and two analog sculptural set pieces. The structure of the set pieces was an exact replication of this year's branding illustrations, and the pieces made a strong statement among an otherwise pared-down stage set.

We're honored to have assisted with this event since its inception, and our long-standing relationship & close connection to the show allow us to create innovative sets while maintaining a thread of stylistic continuity from year to year.

Five Ways to Maximize Your Event Branding

With all of the time that you spend creating a strong brand for your company or organization, you don't want to miss an opportunity to leverage your brand identity and spread your message. Events often provide the perfect platform for driving that message home both verbally and visually! Here are a few ways that you can infuse your team's mission statement into your next event.

One way to bring your logo to life is with our custom laser-cut modular panels. Available in multiple sizes, these panels take light beautifully and can be combined with our translucent acrylic panels to create a sleek backdrop for your event!

Another way to show off your logo is with custom gobos! Gobos allow us to blast your logo onto virtually any surface, making them a fun addition to a party-type atmosphere. (Photo by Amanda Maglione)

Projection allows us to transform surfaces to your benefit, making your branding feel less like a set piece and more like an integral part of the space! Whether projecting onto the walls of the Jefferson Theater or on a spandex tent divider, this is an elegant way to incorporate your brand identity into an environment. (Top photo by Tom Daly)

One fun and trendy way of branding your event is with marquee letters! We know you've seen them in smaller sizes, but our 9-foot tall custom marquee letters add impact and charm to any event decor scheme.

Our new 2-foot Absen LED panels can be configured into different sizes and shapes of screens, giving you the flexibility to design new and interesting layouts for digital signage! Our LED panels are always a stunning addition to any event, providing the highest quality image and allowing you to add visual interest to the layout of your branding graphics.

Ten Powerpoint Tips

Summer is in full swing, and we are starting to plan for our fall conferences! For those of you working on your own conferences and meetings, we thought we might put together a few pointers for constructing great presentation visuals.

We've compiled a list of Ten PowerPoint Tips to assist you when putting together your next presentation!  Here's a sneak peek...

Use a 16:9 aspect ratio to completely fill the screen. In versions of PowerPoint prior to 2013, the default is set to a Standard 4:3 ratio. If you need assistance in reformatting your slides to a 16:9 ratio, give us a call and we would be happy to help.

The minimum font size for any important text on a slide should be 14 point. If the text is smaller than that, it may not be legible for the entire audience.

Lighter text colors show up best over dark backgrounds, and vice versa. The closer the text color is to the background color, the harder it will be to read.
 

---

To get the rest of our Powerpoint guide, sign up for our newsletter below and we'll send it right to your inbox!

---