DESIGN + EXPERIENCE
Re-inventing a global engineering event using legacy visual systems
Global Engineering Days is a bi-annual worldwide hackathon event where engineering teams across 7 countries come together for a week of innovation and to solve some of Intuit's hardest customer problems.
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The longstanding tradition was in need of a visual refresh as well as a recalibration of what it meant to galvanize tech culture to rally around Intuit's top priorities. I was tasked with leading the visual direction of the event, and ensuring strategic intent was met at every touchpoint of the experience.
The Starting Point
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Intuit Tech has owned it's own durable visual identity system and has been a cherished artifact among its global technologists. The system is made up of the "tech rhombus" using Intuit's core brand colors. Rather than to re-use or completely scrap the system for GED, I stretched the system and gave it new meaning for a thematic container: Portals.
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The Story
GED is all about protecting the engineering community's time to code. This GED, we took our technologists into a portal, away from the daily grind of fixing bugs and closing tickets, and into a space where engineers are free to innovate, experiment, or work on pet projects.
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The visual system manifested itself across an entire end-to-end weeklong experience. Everything from the registration microsite, to stagecraft, environmental graphics, and even a proprietary mobile AR game was created with the system in mind.
The Grand Entrance
For the host site located in Mountain View, CA, I set out to design an elaborate stage for the opening keynote and livestream that was broadcasted globally. Our executive leader was big on making a statement to kick off Global Engineering Days. To meet that need and to drive in the visual system home, I designed a life-sized portal for the kick-off. The portal was constructed using trusses, acrylic paneling, LEDs, and CO2 to emulate the transportation into a new realm.
Moments of Delight
From 7 global sites including the US, Canada, India, and Europe, no stone was left unturned in the experience. Every touchpoint of the event was meant to uplift, motivate, and delight. With each site hosting activations unique to their spaces and culture, all with the intent of giving the engineering community space to connect, refresh, and innovate.