SPDP or Social Problems are Design Problems is a virtual event that examines current and relevant issues through a design lens. SPDP is a gathering of creatives and advocates who each strive to affect positive change in their respective communities.
Coming off from 2020 and everything that has happened since we knew that the conversation needed to be about the future and change. But the kind of change needed for the current crises of today’s world had to be different. We knew that today’s problems would need radical, long-term, and total solutions.
This is why this year’s theme focused on regeneration and circular strategies. To foster a new kind of thinking that contributes to growth and does no harm. To invite creatives to be a part of the conversation for design that considers earth care and fair share.
A living ecosystem
The goal was to create an identity that could reframe our response to crisis in a way that was forward-looking with a strong respect and sensitivity for life and our ecosystems.
As with any design project we started by asking ourselves: How might we represent the concept of regenerative design? From there we conducted a brainstorming activity in order to further break down the topic.
We tried to define and visualize what regeneration means to us as frustrated designers craving for change. By tapping into our own understandings and emotions, we were able to find a connection between ourselves and nature which in turn inspired the look and feel of this year’s theme.
Living Ecosystem became the overarching concept of the visual identity which we cascaded to the different elements of the brand:
The SPDP 2021 Logo makes use of mixed type that combines grotesk and organic letterforms to represent humans and nature coexisting.
Our Key Visual is characterized by glowing colorful lines and abstract playful forms that mimic organisms inhabiting an otherworldly garden. Everything, down to the lines and botanical illustrations we drew were all inspired by patterns and images in nature.
We carried the same concept over to photo treatments by taking inspiration from how colors are formed in nature. We went with a system that mimics how a prism disperses spectral colors and reflects light. The SPDP website goes from light mode to dark mode at exactly 6:00 p.m. to mimic the movement of light and day.
We even went as far as recreating real-life natural conditions like rain and fog through glass morphism, water distortion, and other texturized effects.
Creating the SPDP 2021 Experience
