In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the world. Like many organizations, the International Society of Explosives Engineers, or ISEE, made the difficult and prudent decision to cancel its January 2021 conference. The choice marked the first year without a conference in almost half a century.
Each year, 1,600 explosives professionals from across the globe meet to share information and learn from industry experts. The five-day event covers new techniques, blasting safety, equipment, environmental issues and more.
Producing the conference is a year-long endeavor. It includes securing an event location, developing marketing collateral, a call for papers, speaker selection, promotions, registration and event coordination.
Logo Design Brief
ISEE leadership asked Insomniac Studios to create a logo for its 2022 conference. The event will be the organization’s 48th explosives’ industry conference. It is to be held Jan. 30 to Feb. 2, 2022, at the Paris Las Vegas Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. The conference’s full title is the 48th Annual Conference on Explosives and Blasting Technique. ISEE asked for several different versions of the logo. The explosives organization required a version of the logo to comprise only a simple logo mark. This would be used for social media accounts and on an app the organization uses for conference attendees. Another version paired the logo mark alongside a wordmark. Another version was the wordmark by itself, without the logo mark. Another version required the full conference title encapsulated inside the logo design.
The organization will use the new logo design on conference promotional materials, social media, websites, registration forms, event programs and on a mobile phone app. Consistency and legibility were the project’s first priorities.
Previously, Insomniac Studios created a new company logo for ISEE. Read the logo design case study.
Logo Design Process
With spaces, the conference title includes eight words and almost 60 characters. The first challenge was to establish a clean and legible way to convey the conference title. Only two words, ‘explosives’ and ‘blasting’, out of eight were selected to stand out from the others. It was tempting to make a lengthier or more comprehensive phrase like ‘conference on explosives and blasting’ stand out from the other words, but the title’s length posed legibility issues. By focusing on the keywords ‘explosives’ and ‘blasting,’ the logotype quickly conveyed the crux of the message.
The first challenge was to establish a clean and legible way to convey the conference title.
Several design concepts came and quickly went early in the logo design process. Images of slot machines, playing card suites and poker chips provided a Las Vegas vibe, but lent nothing to the conference or the explosives industry. As the conference will be held in Las Vegas, Nevada, Insomniac Studios turned to more local imagery to give the new logo design some regionality and character.
The iconic 25-foot-tall neon Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas Nevada sign has greeted visitors at the south end of Las Vegas Boulevard since 1959. Two blue posts pass through the sign’s left side to support an eight-pointed neon star. Insomniac Studios replaced the sign’s star with a starburst explosion to connect the logo design to the explosives industry.
Insomniac Studios also presented several graphic design treatments for the new logos. These include a gold metallic texture and a gold dust bokeh background on which the new logo design may appear. Both of these add to the Las Vegas glittering lights and fortunes aesthetic, without relying on gambling or casino imagery.
Navigate: Logo Design | Identity Design | Conference App
Logo Design
Navigate: Logo Design | Identity Design | Conference App | Top
Identity Design
Navigate: Logo Design | Identity Design | Conference App | Top
Conference App
Navigate: Logo Design | Identity Design | Conference App | Top
References
The Welcome to Las Vegas Sign
International Society of Explosives Engineers
Contact Insomniac Studios
If you like the thinking behind this branding, logo design and marketing project and would like to put it to work for your company or organization, contact Insomniac Studios.
Marketing Case Studies
Insomniac Studios logo design, branding and marketing case studies are an in-depth analysis of a project or concept. Some marketing case studies are the result of a client relationship. Others explore solutions to hypothetical projects. Not all marketing case studies represent a contract or partnership with the entity presented. The logo design, branding, marketing, graphic design, advertising, strategies, concepts and analysis presented are the copyrighted and intellectual property of Insomniac Studios and its clients.