SPD designs the new identity for the South by Southwest (SXSW) Music & Media Conference 2010.
For the second year running South by Southwest approached SPD with the opportunity to brand the 2010 Music, Film and Interactive conferences. With the blurring of the lines between the three conferences increasing every year, SXSW wanted to ensure that the family of identities embraced this convergence more so than in years past. This goal, in conjunction with 2010 being a year tied to science-fiction myth, led Senior Designer Matt Wetzler and Associate Creative Director Susan Birkenmayer to create a series of unique robots with interchangeable features that could be repurposed at will for a comprehensive modular system of identities. The work can be seen internationally and around Austin in industry publications promoting the event, and as the festival draws closer on signage, program brochures, ads, billboards, and all manner of social media.
About the use of the robot theme, Matt Wetzler said, “The idea of robotic icons seemed like a no-brainer (no pun intended). Everyone has a favorite robot from something — whether it is Rosie from The Jetsons, Bender from Futurama or C-3PO and R2-D2 from Star Wars — they are part of our culture. It was a lot of fun to take that idea and run with it.”