Fundraising Event Branding
Every year, the Elizabeth Dole Foundation hosts the Heroes & History Makers Celebration to recognize and raise funds for their mission of supporting military caregivers. We've had the privilege of shaping the event's look for multiple years, helping them build an engaging and elegant event. Items included:
overall event look, style, and feel
invitations, social graphics, and promotional emails
day-of-event presentations, backdrops, and signage
Role: Lead Designer
Project Type: Event Branding
Year: 2023
Team: 3 Designers, Marketing & Communications team from EDF
Developing the Event Brand
The EDF team often comes to us with a simple idea but we bring it to life. The event design starts off with stylescapes (or moodboards) to help give visuals to the the the board members and key decision makers. These visuals are collected images build in a layout by me to give the best representation of the end goal. This does create a little work upfront, but it is the best to use in situations when multiple people have to agree on one direction. It makes the process moving forward more seamless.
The 3 stylescapes presented for the 2023 event.
Marketing Materials
Invitations, email, and social media graphics are then built out to market the gala to the attendees. The EDF team wanted graphics that highlighted their celebrity guests and brand ambassadors.
This project spans across multiple departments and vendors. I was part of the brand identity piece and gave the event the overall look. Other vendors took the brand guidelines and built out additional pieces such as video, printed signage, and table decor. If I were to be part of the entire process, I would have created more consistency for the event branding and thought of some innovative ways to engage the audience more. For instance, creating posters throughout the ballroom to highlight key history members and their importance to the mission. These posters could be highlighted as a timeline to tell more of a story.