BRAND DESIGN & EVENT MATERIALS - PROJECT LENGTH: 12 WEEKS
Urban Tech Summit & Academy Day
Client Context & Objectives
The Urban Tech Summit is an annual event hosted by Cornell Tech University, bringing together leaders, entrepreneurs, and innovators to explore the intersection of technology, urban development, and social impact. As a long-term partner of Cornell Tech, Emergence Creative plays a central role in developing the brand identity and promotional materials for the summit each year. In 2023, Cornell Tech introduced Academy Day, a one-day pre-summit conference designed to offer a more focused, hands-on experience for attendees. Both events required branding and design materials that communicated their core mission while distinguishing between the two. The objective was to create a cohesive brand presence across both events while differentiating them in a way that felt both intentional and purposeful.
My Involvement
As the lead designer, I collaborated with our creative director and the broader Emergence Creative team to bring the vision for both the Urban Tech Summit and Academy Day to life. The process began with the creation of a comprehensive brandbook for the summit, which served as a toolkit for all event partners and collaborators. We focused on ensuring that the brand identity for both events was clear, impactful, and adaptable to a variety of formats. This toolkit became a foundational resource for maintaining visual consistency across all event materials, from digital promotions to printed signage.
DIGITAL INVITES
PRINTED MATERIALS
The Design Process
I led the design of all the materials for the Urban Tech Summit, working closely with the internal team to strategize on the best ways to display the new branding across digital and print formats. This included designing promotional materials for social media, the summit website, and newsletters, with a particular focus on creating a cohesive narrative and visual presence. As the event date approached, I designed a variety of print and digital materials to be used on-site at the summit, such as notepaper, lobby slides, signage, and programs. In addition to these event-specific materials, I worked with Cornell Tech’s team and the printing team to ensure everything was produced and delivered on time, with special attention to detail for the printed assets.
For Academy Day, while maintaining a core visual identity consistent with the summit, I made subtle design adjustments to differentiate the branding. The Academy Day materials had a slightly more educational tone, while the Urban Tech Summit branding was designed to evoke a broader, more expansive sense of innovation. This differentiation helped position Academy Day as a specialized lead-in to the summit, while still feeling like an integral part of the larger event series.
URBAN TECH SUMMIT IN ACTION
Outcome
The final designs successfully captured the innovative, forward-thinking spirit of the Urban Tech Summit and Academy Day, while also providing a clear and cohesive brand experience across both events. The brand materials were well-received by both attendees and event partners, reinforcing Cornell Tech's reputation as a leader in urban technology and innovation. By creating adaptable templates and tools, we ensured that the event branding could be used across multiple touchpoints—online, on-site, and in print—while also ensuring clarity and consistency. The careful differentiation of the Academy Day materials added a layer of intentionality to the overall branding strategy, making both events feel distinct while maintaining a unified identity that aligned with Cornell Tech’s mission and vision.
ACADEMY DAY IN ACTION
