Branding  |  Freelance

2020 Western Regional Honors Conference

For two years, I designed for the 2020 Western Regional Honors Conference. The theme was “20/20 Perspectives,” and the visual identity relied on framing, as well as mixing blurred and in-focus imagery rather than relying on color. The event was ultimately cancelled due to concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic, but much of the conference had already been designed.

The logo was created with two versions, stacked and horizontal, and could be used with and without the frame. This allowed me to incorporate the frame in multiple different ways in print and digital graphics. If used on imagery, anything inside the frame was in-focus, and anything outside was blurred.

Postcard with save-the-date information for the 2020 conference
Square WRHC logo animation showing it with and without a frame Rectangle WRHC logo animation showing it with and without a frame
Image with text 'lunch will be served in the Hunter Conference Center

Giveaway Items / Swag

We wanted items given to attendees to be sustainable, useful, and inclusive. The name tags included the name and university of the attendee, as well as a subtle graphic of their state. They were printed on a NeverTear paper rather than printing a sheet and putting it into a plastic sleeve. I also designed pronoun stickers that an individual could add to their tag if desired.

For the swag bags, I searched around for things that would actually be used. I found low-cost, biodegradable bamboo toothbrushes and reusable metal straws with brush cleaners inside them. I designed stickers using the logo frame, and we added those to the bags along with snacks.

To continue the idea of “20/20 Perspectives,” we added various ideas to the conference branding. They were used in emails, conference presentations, and on some of the giveaways. The toothbrush packaging included a Native American proverb and the shirts included a quote from Thomas Jefferson.

Woman wearing a nametag that says 'Gabrille Cunningham, Dixie State University' and has a 'she' pronoun sticker Four nametags on a table, showing the different state icons and pronoun stickers
Conference swag, including bamboo toothbrushes, reusable straws, and stickers
Red shirt with the conference logo on front Red shirt with Thomas Edison's quote 'vision without execution is hallucination' on back