GASP!

In March 2023, Piquant held GASP!, a two day creative industry conference with expert speakers, engaging panels, talks and presentations, chats between students and industry, and musical performances. The conference celebrated national growth within the creative industry and sought to explore the relationships between creativity, technology and story. Piquant worked across a number of areas including design, social, web and print to facilitate a hugely successful in-person conference in Limerick.

IDENTITY — We developed an expressive visual identity that utilised motion design to create moments of surprise. The logo was designed to be flexible and adaptable, in both expression and movement. The dynamic system allowed for a bombastic approach that could thrive across digital, print and environmental platforms. Our communications were punctuated by a bold colour scheme of white, black and silver, and a vibrant red. We pursued a dynamic and idiosyncratic approach to imagery, utilising found imagery, AI generated visuals, 3D models, emojis and professional headshots to help convey key themes and messages. This system was used to create a wide range of campaign materials, including social, digital, video and print.

MOTION DESIGN — Motion design played a vital role in the activation of the brand, both in online communications and on screens during the conference. A wide range of techniques were utilised to achieve a dynamic motion brand such as 2D animation, 3D modelling and physics engines. Animations were developed with the aim of creating moments of surprise using a restricted suite of recognisable brand assets.

CAMPAIGN DEVELOPMENT & MANAGEMENT — To promote the event, we developed a campaign strategy and schedule, mapping out social and digital content to promote key messages and engage with target audiences, including designers, marketing professionals, animators, film professionals, content creators and creative industry students. Throughout the campaign, we placed content across Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn, as well as using email marketing. Content included panel announcements, speaker updates, programme releases, as well as posts announcing event sponsors and collaborators.

WEBSITE — We designed and developed a website using Drupal as a destination for all campaign content. The website was developed to showcase speaker profiles, event pages, news items, a contact page, as well as key information pages, including ‘About’ and ‘Plan Your Visit.’

ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN — Expressing the brand in the conference environment was carefully considered with the aim of creating a seamless transition from online digital communications to the event environment. We prioritised sustainable solutions, such as machine-cut oversized wood lettering, and hand-painted, wooden stage backdrops.

PHOTOGRAPHY AND VIDEO — We produced photography and video that captured the event atmosphere, panellists, guests and venue details. Vox Pop style clips were also included to capture ideas from guests and speakers. This was released across social media channels and drove strong views and engagement. A music performance with I Dreamed I Dream was also captured and released on YouTube. Short snippets were released on social channels to generate awareness and drive traffic towards the full performance.

IMPACT — The event was hugely successful with 187 guests attending the conference and student-focused event, over 3,000 website visitors and 98,000 impressions on social media. GASP! received extremely positive feedback from guests and was sponsored by IDI, Design Skillnet, Limerick City and County Council, TUS, TUS LSAD, FactoryXChange and Creative Futures Academy. There was strong engagement on social media over the two days. In particular, Instagram Stories and Twitter. The event successfully attracted local, national and international visitors to Limerick and showcased the talent and innovation that is taking place in the local creative industry.