Innovation Symposium

Project overview

The brief

The Innovation Symposium is a multi-year Optum Ireland event programme focused on innovation and future-facing thinking. Across 2023–2024, it spanned large-scale live events (~800 attendees), alongside digital and hybrid formats — requiring a flexible visual system that could evolve year-on-year while remaining consistent and recognisable.

What I did

  • Led creative direction and design across the event programme from 2023 onwards

  • Developed a cohesive event identity and visual language

  • Designed for large-scale physical environments, including stage, signage and wayfinding

  • Created presentation content across multi-screen formats

  • Commissioned and directed illustration and motion graphics

  • Applied and evolved the brand across digital and print touchpoints

Outcome

A cohesive, scalable event identity delivered across multiple formats and environments, supporting a high-profile programme with senior stakeholders across Ireland, the UK and the US.

Project details

Client: Optum Ireland

Role: Brand Lead / Senior Designer

Scope: Design leadership across a multi-year event programme

2023: Establishing the event identity

Event identity foundations

A laptop displaying a presentation titled 'Innovation Symposium' with the subtitle 'Demonstrate. Collaborate. Scale.' and two smartphones showing event apps for 'Lightning Talks' and 'Demo Pods' sign-ups, with logos and colorful graphics.

Live sessions and audience experience design

A man is speaking at a podium during an Innovation Symposium, with a large screen behind him displaying the words 'Optum' and 'Welcome, Innovation Symposium.' The audience is seated in front of him, and the room is decorated with curtains.
A large conference room filled with a diverse audience listening to a speaker on stage. The stage has two large screens displaying presentation slides about demonstrating, collaborating, and scaling. The room has white curtains and orange lighting accents.
Crowded conference exhibit hall with numerous people engaging in conversations near blue exhibition panels, some standing in front of screens displaying data and information.

Physical environment

Exhibition and signage at the Optum Innovation Symposium, held in a modern conference center, including an indoor hallway with directional signs and an outdoor stadium with LED screens displaying the event branding.

2024: Evolving the system

Creative direction and evolution of the event identity

A graphic illustrating innovation and technology, featuring a lightbulb with interconnected lines and circles on the left, and a digital circuit pattern with arrows and dots on the right.

Early engagement design

Screenshots of promotional material for an innovation symposium, with a laptop displaying the event's banner and two smartphones showing different event screens, including a lightbulb illustration and a call to sign up for the innovation challenge.
Slides from an innovation symposium presentation including a title slide with a lightbulb graphic, an agenda slide with numbered items, and an overview slide with icons and text about collaboration and solving business challenges.

Live event motion design

Printed brand assets

Two conference name badges with clear plastic holders and lanyards. The badge on the left reads Helen Madden, Senior Designer, Marketing, Attendee A. The badge on the right reads Stephen McDaid, Account Director, Communications, Attendee B. Both badges include the event name Innovation Symposium at the bottom.
Outdoor sign for Innovation Symposium 2024, indicating the entrance with colorful arrows pointing left.

Event in action

Four diverse people smiling and posing behind a large orange and white frame at the Optum Innovation Symposium 2024 event.
A conference presentation with two speakers on stage, one man and one woman, with a large screen displaying instructions to log onto Menti.com and use a specific code, while the audience watches.
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