KIPPSDESANTO
BEYOND THE HORIZON 2026
ROLE
Creative Direction / Art Direction / Design
SCOPE
Event Identity / Email Campaign / Environmental Graphics / Digital Signage / Motion Design
CLIENT
KippsDeSanto Investment Banking
EVENT
Fifth Annual Aerospace, Defense, Government and Technology Leadership Conference
COMPLETED
2026
ONE IDENTITY. EVERY STAGE OF THE EXPERIENCE.
OVERVIEW
Each year, CMA produces Beyond the Horizon, KippsDeSanto’s leadership conference for senior professionals across aerospace, defense, government and technology.
For the fifth annual event, I developed the creative direction and carried it across the complete attendee experience—from advance communications and registration through environmental graphics and large-format motion content.
The result was a flexible visual system that gave every touchpoint a distinct purpose while keeping the conference experience cohesive.
CHALLENGES
The identity needed to feel elevated and forward-looking while remaining appropriate for an audience of executives and industry leaders.
It also had to perform across dramatically different formats: a long-form promotional email, panoramic headers, name badges, interactive check-in screens, vertical schedules and animated content displayed throughout the venue.
Rather than treating those pieces as separate deliverables, I designed them as parts of one connected experience.
BEFORE THE EVENT
A targeted email campaign introduced the conference, speakers and theme before attendees arrived.
The visual language combined atmospheric imagery, focused typography and a structured information hierarchy to balance excitement with the clarity required for a content-rich executive event.
ARRIVAL + WAYFINDING
ARRIVAL + WAYFINDING
Beyond the Horizon 2026 became a unified experience spanning promotion, registration, navigation and programming.
The finished system demonstrated how a single creative direction could scale across email, print, interactive displays, environmental graphics and motion—giving KippsDeSanto a polished conference presence at every attendee touchpoint.
MOTION ACROSS THE EXPERIENCE
Motion brought another dimension to the identity. I created animated welcome signage and a large-format video montage for the venue’s jumbotron, extending the visual system beyond static applications and helping the conference environment feel active, immersive and intentional.
ANIMATED WELCOME SIGN
JUMBOTRON MONTAGE
THE OUTCOME
The identity continued into the physical event through digital check-in, attendee badges, welcome displays and schedule signage.
Each application was adapted to its environment and viewing distance. Interactive screens prioritized simple actions, while large-format displays made essential information easy to find and reinforced the conference atmosphere throughout the venue.