ACI Spring Mixer 2023
Project Type: Experiential Activation, Signage & Branded Giveaways
Role: Lead Designer ✶ Brand Strategist
Agency: Quint Connect
Client: ACI (American Concrete Institute)
Location: San Francisco, CA
✶ Overview
For the 2023 ACI Spring Mixer in San Francisco, I took minimal brand assets and gave the event a cohesive visual identity, ensuring signage and giveaways felt intentional, immersive, and location-specific. By developing a scalable design system, I extended the branding into highly sought-after attendee takeaways like sticker sheets, magnets, and collectible postcards—enhancing brand presence and engagement.
✶ Design Approach & Process
At the start of the project, I was provided with the ACI logo, required signage copy, and general event details, but there was no pre-existing brand system for the event. Rather than waiting for further direction, I developed my own design constraints and guiding principles in order to create a cohesive signage system that ensured all elements felt intentional, engaging, and location-specific.
Since ACI is in the concrete and construction industry, I wanted the signage to reflect both movement and structure while staying aligned with the brand.
Geometric Visual Language → with concrete being ACI’s core material, I intentionally structured the illustrations using bold geometric forms (circles, squares, triangles)—a subtle nod to the industry while keeping the design modern and approachable.
I designed a circular frame in ACI’s brand colors to mimic the motion of a cement mixer, bringing energy and movement to otherwise static signage.
To connect the event to its San Francisco setting, I incorporated local landmarks (Golden Gate Bridge, Lombard St.), ensuring the event branding felt rooted in its location.
I initially proposed layered color block building elements to add dimension and visual hierarchy, but due to budget constraints, we streamlined the design while maintaining strong impact and clarity.
✶ Expanding the Brand
After finalizing the signage, I was asked to extend the event branding into attendee giveaways. Since these weren’t part of the original scope, I leaned into the visual system I had already established, making it easy to expand the branding across these new deliverables while maintaining a cohesive look and feel.
Sticker Sheets & Magnets → I designed a sticker sheet featuring San Francisco landmarks and a coordinating magnet, keeping the color palette and shapes consistent with the signage.
Collectible Postcard Series → After seeing how well the stickers and magnets turned out, I was later asked to design a set of 4x6 postcards to further extend the event’s branding. I created a series highlighting key SF neighborhoods, blending ACI’s branding with custom illustrations.
Because I had built a strong foundation with the signage, these additional elements were executed seamlessly. The stickers, magnets, and postcards felt like natural extensions of the brand, creating a unified attendee experience.
✶ Results & Impact
Seamless Event Navigation & Branding: The signage provided clear wayfinding while reinforcing ACI’s brand in a visually engaging way.
Highly Sought-After Giveaways: The sticker sheets, magnets, and postcards were completely gone by the end of the event, proving their appeal.
Extended Brand Visibility: Attendees shared the postcards and stickers on social media, keeping the event’s branding in circulation long after the event ended.