IIDA
IIDA, previously known as the International Interior Design Association, is the commercial interior design association with global reach. IIDA has the unique challenge of supporting design professionals, industry affiliates, educators, students, firms, and their clients through their network of 15,000+ members across 58 countries with industry thought leadership, professional tools, and original content.
I was brought in to the Chicago-based nonprofit to concept and execute their annual NeoCon campaign, the leading commercial design conference and showcase. I was asked to stay on to ensure that IIDA’s rebrand was seamlessly carried through the event and existing marketing, legal, and recruitment materials.
Project: NeoCon
Client: IIDA
My Work: Concepting. Copywriting. Pitch Writing.
Collateral: Printed postcards, Annual Report, and Annual Meeting brochure; web descriptions of events; clothing; advertising; signage; wayfinding; premium swag; and a food truck.
Description:
IIDA needed to stand out from 500 leading companies and 50,000 design professionals attend three days in Chicago at The Merchandise Mart for NeoCon, the commercial design industry’s “launch pad for innovation — offering ideas and introductions that shape the built environment today and into the future” each year.
To set themselves apart and generate excitement, IIDA went mobile with a branded food truck. The theme, “design is everywhere,” was pulled from a design manifesto the EVP and CEO had written and naturally aligned itself with the truck and premium giveaway collateral.
The internal creative process developed the typographical design, which lent itself to the cheeky and bold voice I pitched to accompany the campaign. Premium giveaways echoed the manifesto’s typography and appealed to interior designers and industry affiliates’ design senses — and online presences. Every premium item, including the roaming truck, created perfect, Instagrammable moments — a must when designing for designers.
Project: IIDA Rebrand
Client: IIDA
My Work: Copywriting. Pitch Writing.
Collateral: Logo Guidelines Brochure, email e-blast announcement of the rebrand
Description:
In 2018, IIDA moved away from their full name, the International Interior Design Association, to use the colloquial initials the global interior design industry knew them by: IIDA. With that came a reworking of internal and external communications. I was tasked with updating their logo guidelines, among other projects, like updating the CEO and EVP’s reading list.
