The first question to ask when creating a branded event is: what really defines the brand? Not just the logo and associated colors, but what do they stand for, who do they represent, and what are the goals, feelings, and vision associated with the brand? When you start by understanding the core of the brand, every part of the event that follows can align with that vision and create a cohesive design.
To help visualize this process, we can walk through a theoretical example using a streetwear accessories brand and explore how we would create a branded event for them. Let's call this hypothetical company, Brand 1. First, we would have discussions with Brand 1’s team to understand their perspective on the core of the brand. Further research into the company is also important during this stage. Let’s say the brand is committed to staying on trend with the latest in streetwear and represents young people living in urban areas with an interest in alternative fashion. When customers wear Brand 1's accessories they feel confident, cool, and empowered to express themselves. Brand 1 has a vision to become a leading streetwear brand and to inspire people to become their most individual and confident selves.
After establishing your knowledge and understand the brand itself, you can start the event design process. The first step is to explore what the client wants to accomplish with the event. Ask these questions:
This will help determine the overall ‘vibe’ of the event, including the aesthetics, planned activities, venue, and more. For example, a nonprofit gala focused on raising donations from sponsors is going to look very different from a tech company’s product launch party.
Let's say that Brand 1 just released a new collection of accessories and they want to do a launch party to celebrate. The main goal of the event, from a production point of view would be to ensure that the guests have the best experience possible, while keeping client satisfaction high. The point of the event however, would be to build excitement for the new collection and create initial awareness. This might mean creating a highly photo-worthy event where influencers are encouraged to share their experience online and generate buzz around the collection.
Picking the right venue is critical to ensuring the event is properly connected to a brand. To fully immerse guests in the experience, every piece of the event needs to feel cohesive with both the brand and the goals mentioned above. Choosing the wrong venue can disrupt this experience by making the event feel out of place compared to the setting. You wouldn't put a fundraiser for a classic art museum in an industrial setting, and you wouldn't put a high-energy product launch party in a quiet gala hall.
Sticking with the Brand 1 example, this event is high-energy and aims to connect with young people and streetwear fashion influencers. To capture the feel of the brand, we would choose an industrial venue, where the event feels harmonious to the setting.
The power of lighting is that it can transform. When guests walk into an event, it should feel like a step away from average life. They can be wowed, entertained, and immersed in the experience, and lighting is an essential part of making that happen. Lighting can take a room and make it feel like another world, while dynamic effects add excitement and visual interest. In the photo above, you can see how the combination of the balloon lights, the illuminated bicycles, and the moving floor light shapes create a space that is visually interesting from every angle.
For the Brand 1 collection launch event, we would take a similar approach. We would use dynamic lighting techniques to create excitement and reinforce that high-energy "party" feel. We would also strategically illuminate key areas we want to draw attention to, ensuring that photos taken by guests and influencers look social-media worthy.
Branding doesn’t always have to be bold or obvious. Small, intentional details can weave a brand throughout an event in ways guests discover as they move through the space. Custom lighting patterns can incorporate subtle elements of a logo, brand iconography, or other recognizable details into floors, walls, and walkways. These unexpected touches help build a cohesive environment and create those moments when guests notice something and think, “That’s really cool.”
It is also important to get the exact colors of the brand event. Using colors that aren't quite right can disrupt an otherwise cohesive design. In some cases, using the wrong shade could even unintentionally bring a competitor’s colors into the design.
Let's say Brand 1's colors are violet and neon green. But, knowing the general color is not enough; what exact shade is it? The violet is 2597 C. Moving to a different Pantone shade, such as 7663 C, creates an entirely different look, making that bright, energetic violet feel much more muted. The same applies with the neon green. 2292 C might fit the brand perfectly, while 2294 C creates a darker look that could feel less aligned with the brand’s modern aesthetic.
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