Heritage & Horizons:
Past Shapes Future
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The creative energy at Dropbox needed a spark. To reignite their innovative spirit, Dropbox, a company deeply rooted in design, envisioned a Design Summit with a powerful theme: "Heritage & Horizons." The goal? To inspire their creatives to rediscover the strength of their foundational successes and channel those learnings into future breakthroughs.
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To not just talk about innovation, but to experience it. By choosing New Orleans, a city that embodies resilience and seamlessly blends its rich history with a vibrant future, we provided a tangible and inspiring backdrop. The Summit became a living example of how a strong heritage fuels impactful progress.
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To reignite Dropbox's creative energy and foster a renewed sense of purpose, we meticulously crafted experience was designed to tangibly illustrate the vital link between foundational success and future innovation. The design language for the summit visually echoed this interconnectedness, employing custom typography with subtle links to suggest unfolding narratives, a color palette drawn from the evocative hues of vintage New Orleans, and tactile details that added layers of sophistication. Every element was intentionally curated to inspire Dropbox creatives to draw strength from their heritage, learn from past triumphs, and confidently forge new horizons.
Team:
Credit:
Sally Croom
OTHR Agency -
Creative Director and Designer
The "Heritage & Horizons" logo embodies interconnectedness, visually linking the concepts of past and future. The flowing letterforms subtly intertwine, suggesting a narrative unfolding from established roots. A delicate flourish, inspired by the iconic New Orleans fleur-de-lis, is integrated into the typography, subtly nodding to the event's location. The animated version visually depicts these connections forming and growing, like roots developing into new growth. The wordmark is a custom design, where letter stems and flourishes interact organically, further emphasizing this idea of foundational growth.
The invite, set to the vibrant "When the Saints Go Marching In," immediately immerses you in New Orleans' spirited heritage and the event's forward momentum. Bold typography showcases our custom font, and the energetic copy sets the tone for an inspiring journey.
Inspired by New Orleans' timeless architecture and contemporary vibrancy, our palette blends deep historical hues with brighter modern tones – a visual representation of heritage meeting the horizon.
Our custom typeface, born from the delicate ironwork and iconic fleur-de-lis of New Orleans, marries historical elegance with a forward-looking spirit further enhancing the storytelling.
Inspired by the idea of a "library card," the badge design symbolizes entry into a repository of ideas, history, and inspiration. This tangible object served as the attendees' very first interaction with the event's core concept, signifying the beginning of their exploration and learning journey.
More than a simple exchange, receiving your badge was a deliberate step into our "Heritage & Horizons" narrative. Thematically dressed guides awaited against a backdrop of antique hotel mail slots, whispering tales of history and discovery. Each badge received the mark of our brand with a satisfying thunk, a visual and auditory stamp of arrival. Finally, the click of the manual badge press securing your strap offered a tangible connection to the theme of intentional creation, a crafted beginning to your summit experience.
Continuing the immersive experience, the notebooks featured a sophisticated embossed design reminiscent of classic heritage leather journals. This tactile detail reinforced the theme of valuing craftsmanship and enduring quality, aligning with the "Heritage" aspect of the summit.
To encourage personal exploration of New Orleans' rich heritage, a custom map was designed to empower attendees to discover the city at their own pace. The map's aesthetic echoed the event's branding, and its display was integrated to feel like an invitation to delve into the city's history and culture firsthand.
The main stage was intentionally designed to evoke the atmosphere of a lived-in New Orleans home, creating a warm and intimate setting for talks and panels. Carefully selected props with a heritage feel enhanced this ambiance. Instead of traditional seating, a comfortable couch was used, further reinforcing the feeling of being welcomed into a New Orleans "drawing room" and fostering a more relaxed and conversational atmosphere.
Even subtle details like the faux wallpaper behind the stage were considered. A custom pattern, derived from the event emblem, was subtly incorporated, creating a delightful "aha!" moment for observant attendees and further reinforcing the overall branding in an unexpected way.
The final dinner at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art was a deliberate choice to deeply connect with the "Heritage" aspect of the theme. The museum's focus on Southern art and culture provided an immersive environment that directly reflected New Orleans' rich artistic legacy, allowing attendees to engage with the city's heritage in another meaningful and memorable way.
