Designing a visual identity comes with a baggage of endless inspiration folders, sketches, drafts and ideas. For the Copenhagen based design conference We Love Graphic Design 2022 we decided to expose our own process and share the burden with those, who have felt its weight and would easily decode the subtle nuances, as well as the sometimes frustration-driven bursts that come with designing.

Before designing the visual identity we knew it was meant to have a one year lifespan since every year a new bureau is invited to create the identity for the conference with everything it entails. This allowed us to discard long-term thinking and limitations, and instead set our own agenda.

Spending what felt like endless time on sketching, exploring new trends and design tools, letting curiosity take the wheel is what essentially inspired the direction for We Love Graphic Design 2022. The visual identity is therefore an unpolished insight into our computer screens, programs and discarded early sketches rolled out on all mediums before, after and at the day of the conference. It is based upon a curation of elements from our process combined with a fixed framework, to give room for the surroundings to be playful and chaotic.

We wanted to transpose the idea of the identity being transparent into the printed media as well, which is why we added QR codes on each poster, allowing the visitors to dive into the basic layer structure of the design. To create that extra gimmick on the day we collaborated with Jesper Bolther from Friction, who made this come to life along with all the animated title and intro sequences for the talks.

To further explore the idea of reworking what’s otherwise unused into multiple areas, all the stage pieces were made from leftover wooden boards, painted by hand and later delivered back to be reused once again. In collaboration with Zeecycled, we fashioned a limited edition collection of upcycled totebags and keychains made from discarded scaffolding sheet, that could be bought at the event.

It was a truly immersive process, resulting in a collaborative outcome layered with heaps of talent and bouncing off of each other’s ideas.

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