Research Method

With the brief in hand, the team got to work. I decided to conduct an in-office qualitative survey because of the nature and scale of the project. Doing so would provide us with insights from hundreds of employees. To achieve that, I drafted open-ended questions such as; What is your opinion about the current office branding? What kind of atmosphere do you feel most comfortable in? If you could personalize your workspace, what would you do with it? What environmental factors enhance your mood and more.

We assigned values to each response and created an affinity map to evaluate the data. As per the findings, I found most of the users want their environment to be inspiring, minimal and claiming thus Abstract Nature came to be.

Limitation & Challenges

The theme must not require infrastructural & layout changes across the building and complement the existing style while following the official colour palette of the company.

Conceptualization

Abstract Nature is a contemporary play of the rudimentary shapes that form all known forms of matter in space.

By depicting the basic form of five natural elements with simple geometric shapes, I could bring forth natural objects, phenomenons and landscapes, in an abstract artistic manner.

Furthermore, I subdivide each element into its other natural forms & those forms are visually depicted by modifying the parent shape and implementing the elements' natural look. Doing so gave me a pre-set of shapes similar to a set of Legos, which allowed me to design consistent abstract compositions.

Incorporation of Soul of Cvent

While conceptualizing and experimenting with the design style, I further enhanced the theme by introducing the five Souls of Cvent into the mix and paired them with the five natural elements along with their respective geometric shapes. Doing so brought forth the right inspiration for users in the form of ethos & values of Cvent, which were already an integeral part of Cvent culture.

Colour Styles

Instead of following a specific colour palette throughout the theme, I decided to let go of that limitation and used various vibrant pastel shades and duo-tone gradients derived from the primary Cvent branding in combination with grain and noise to add more character and bring the composition to life.

Design Language

Abstract nature came to be the perfect concoction of minimal design, thought-provoking visuals and brand messaging, here’s how. 

After investing months in research, ideation, brainstorming and going through myriads of design iterations, I finally cracked the look and feel of the theme and settled with the following design language for Abstract Nature:

Pastel colour in the background and natural landscapes in the foreground made with pre-defined geometric shapes in vibrant gradients.

The other equally important aspect that elevated the theme was Soul of Cvent. Incorporating these values into a visual design proved to be a challenge in the beginning. I decided not to use the badges and their respective design styles, instead; I borrowed the messaging of Soul of Cvent and used it as a Voice to enhance the theme and instil a sense of personality.

One of the primary use cases for the theme were the pillars throughout the office. As such, I created five versions each: representing an element.