One of think-tank and consulting agency Konrad Adenauer Stiftung’s (KAS) ongoing drives is to improve and monitor the standards of journalism and the media in Africa.
To this end, it holds the Africa Media Leadership Conference, an annual gathering of senior media professionals from across the continent, hosted this year in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, from September 26 – 29.
What KAS found it was lacking in the run-up to the conference, however, was a distinct identity, something to differentiate it from other conferences being held around similar topics. Flow was briefed to come up with a corporate identity for the event under fairly tight time constraints. Our designers quickly realised how difficult it was to move away from visual clichés yet convey the key message when it comes to any identity centred on Africa. The first designs that we proposed were perhaps a bit obscure, in trying to push the envelope. However, the silhouette of Africa, on which KAS finally settled for their logo, made the context of the conference universally understood. The range of colours used suggests the diversity and vibrancy of the continent (as well as that of conference participants).
Says Flow designer Ryan Levenson, “It was exciting to be involved in creating the identity for a conference that promotes responsibility in a field that we as a company work in.”
The identity needed to work for the website, banners and other conference collateral. We feel confident that the final design served its purpose – working across platforms to provide a distinct and memorable presence.