Snapchat NewFronts
Encouraging the world to use less social media, and more Snapchat.
The Challenge
Help Snapchat steal the show at the largest gathering of media buyers in the world.
IAB NewFronts is like the Super Bowl of media buying, and just like the Super Bowl, every major platform and tech company is there trying to outdo their competitors. So, our challenge was to design a jaw-dropping presentation which would catapult Snapchat to the front of everyone’s mind.
The Project
Projecting Snapchat’s personality past the screen and onto the vaulted ceilings and walls of one of New York's most iconic venues
To break the corporate mold, we leant into Snapchat’s naturally playful brand identity and created a suite of content inspired by visual cues that Snapchatters regularly use to express themselves. Out went repetitive branded slides and ersatz stock footage. In came 130+ bespoke 2D and 3D animated stickers and glyphs, seamlessly integrated into video collages that were personalized for each speaker. Every element was crafted to align with Snapchat’s desire to be both aware of, and tastefully disrespectful of, traditional design boundaries. In place of containers and grids, we blended photo-collage, colorful graphics and random everyday elements to create a sense of entertaining chaos, while still making it all feel balanced. The final work was then projection-mapped onto a stunning landmark space in the heart of New York, with our team of illustrators, animators, designers and technologists working at record speed to adapt the artwork to every curve and column while giving the event producers the flexibility to live mix content rather than obeying a fixed run time.
The Result
Clients are hyped, press are hyped
We succeeded in blending important messaging with a totally unique design to deliver an experience that had Snapchat’s team and partners purring. Beyond the impact at NewFronts, we also adapted the assets so that Snapchat’s global teams could make use of them across social media, PR and future events. But perhaps the best thing was throwing a pink shooting star at what everyone expects from a media event like this and showing that Snapchat truly is the home of real, crazy, honest, human connection.