We helped the world see anything was possible at SEC
SEC Glasgow
- Refreshed visual identity
- Flexible and adaptable messaging system
- Motion behaviours
- Presentation deck
- Video top-and-tail animations
- Digital Ads
The Scottish Event Campus (SEC) is an iconic world-class conference venue in Glasgow that delivers events of all shapes and sizes for a broad spectrum of local, national, and international clients. As part of the process of bringing a conference to Glasgow, the Conference Team pitch for events, with the competition fierce between venues all over the world. The SEC required a new visual identity that could be used across international markets with the challenge to position them as the venue that understood client pain points and provided solutions that exceeded their needs. It was imperative to communicate a wide range of messages to many different sectors with a multitude of different objectives. No easy ask when the venue hosts events as wildly differing as COP 26 and KFC’s annual corporate party.
Success starts here
We devised the concept of ‘Make it matter’, which worked on several levels. It highlighted how solutions focused the SEC were. Whether their clients wanted to grow networks, implement global innovation, or leave a legacy, it was all achievable with them. The Conference Team were there to move heaven and earth to make whatever mattered to their clients happen. They were there to exceed their clients’ needs and expectations. Aspirational and reassuring, ‘Make it matter’ let clients know they would be in safe hands. ‘Make it matter’ could be a standalone line – or be paired with a second line that highlighted a client’s desired outcome. Choosing the right venue for an event that is often on a huge scale with a matching budget, our ‘when statements’ confirmed the SEC as the team and space to choose. Our line also captured the team’s positivity and expertise in their field. Flexibility had to be at the heart of our concept. With the team working with every type of industry, around the world, our idea had to be simple enough to translate into a variety of different languages.
Designed to last
The SEC had an established brand that couldn’t be altered, so working with their existing logo and typeface we looked at the colour palette as a way of adding something new. We kept their signature purple in place as it is a strong part of their identity but refreshed their secondary colours, adding more vibrancy to what they previously had.
The design itself was based around two key elements. A circle representing a starting point, of being at the centre of something new and exciting. And an outer frame that allowed other visual elements such an imagery and type to ‘break out’ of, representing the SEC’s ‘out of the box’ approach to creating world class events.
Something we had to take into consideration was that everything we did should be easy for the client’s in-house team – both designers and salespeople alike – to create future digital and print assets with, so layouts weren’t overly fussy or complicated. Headlines and visuals could easily be removed and replaced within the toolkit of assets we supplied.
We also featured lots of people-focused photography which gave everything a warm and inclusive feel. Events and conferences are ultimately about people, so we wanted to reflect this in the visuals.
The end result
All of this resulted in a campaign style that was vibrant, contemporary and super flexible. The result was a distinctive brand refresh that would give the SEC a stronger position in an crowded and competitive international marketplace and help them to stand out, rolled out across various templates and animations, an in-depth presentation deck, trade media digital ad templates and print ads too
A bright future
The Conference Team were delighted with their new assets, which will not only make their lives easier but hopefully help to secure some exciting events in the future.
