CoastCon 2024

Project Brief

CoastCon 2024 is a virtual exposition all about rollercoasters and similar amusement rides. For further context, this was a group project composed of five people (including myself) and posing as a design and publication agency. Said agency was responsible for establishing a proposal, designing, prototyping, and developing a final presentation for the client.
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Although I was also responsible for a singular page that required a gamified badge system, most of this project will display my skills coming up with merchandise, company assets, and mockups of such.

Client

Sarah Smith - VP of Marketing at IAPPA

Timeframe

January 12, 2024 - April 26, 2024 (16 weeks)

Tools

- Adobe Illustrator
- Photoshop
- Figma
- Google Docs

Phases

Lucia Camero - Creative Director
Natalia Polanco - Art Director
Michelle Candurin - UI/UX Design Director
Luis Santiago - Production Manager
Diego Rodriguez Lopez - Merchandise Manager

Problem

IAPPA, top trade association that represents the industry of attractions, needs to design and develop a virtual exposition which can showcase all sorts of amusement rides digitally. All that was left was finding someone willing to expand on this concept. The previous referring to not only designing the event itself but also coming up with branding, marketing, and a sales/waiting page.

Goal

This project’s goal was presenting a completely thorough presentation with prototypes of the event included.

For our end goal we had to follow along a couple phases:
Phase 1: Branding & Merchandise
Phase 2: Pre-event Website Design & Development
Phase 3: During-event Website Design & Development
Phase 4: Demo
Phase 5: Launch and Presentation

Background

Given the effects of the 2020 pandemic, events from the entertainment and thrill ride industry became hard to hold physically. Attendance and maintenance were negatively affected due to social restrictions and the amount of infected individuals. However, thanks to revolutionary technology, IAAPA found a solution to this drawback: holding a virtual convention.

Vibe

- Beachy
- Summer-esque
- Tropical
- Enthusiastic

Target Market

Adults 18 - 40 interested in rollercoasters
Mechanical Engineers Thrill-seekers

Logo

The CoastCon 2024 logo is fully courtesy of Lucia Camero, the creative director of this project. Yet, it is of upmost importance that I include it here for further context on both brand identity and merchandising.

Color Palette

For the color palette, the creative director and I sat together during our first session and scrolled through several alternatives, finally opting for looking specifically at tropical images. Our final decision was taken on colors that represented the ocean, coast and the sun setting on the horizon. Of course, the “coast” part of the event’s name mainly refers to rollercoasters, yet it was a word play opportunity we took for further use.

All Colors

#F4D48C

#028091

#1A2F5A

#F4D48C

#028091

Gradients

Main

Secondary

Submark

Typography

Brand Elements

Feedback

Our Advanced Interactive Design II professor (posing as the client) truly was amazed by our work and the final presentation as a whole. According to him, the merchandise looked legitimate and well polished.

He did mention the 3D render option on Illustrator was probably not the best to portray my paperweights (the Ferris wheel and roller coaster cart). Perhaps I could try using Blender next.

Results

Every single member of our team did their part, which got us a solid A at the end of the semester. It was my first time working on a full semester-long assignment in a group. I can conclude that meeting up even weekly (whether is it through a Zoom call or in person) helps stay within common ground with your teammates.

More than a partnership, I was able to create a great bond with my teammates. And I hope to work with them in the future once again.

Service Hours