Larsen branded 19 events over the course of five years, from 2010 to 2014. Each year, Schwab hired Larsen to establish an event brand for their five main conferences. IMPACT was the largest of them all with almost 4,300 attendees.
An event theme can transcend the event. It can lead and inform a yearlong marketing campaign. A theme can make it to the boardroom and into dinner conversations. Larsen was in charge of everything from the verbal and visual direction to the website to print deliverables to providing guidelines for other vendors, such as Splash, JP Morgan, and The Delphi Group.
The theme and visuals were a big hit, and not just with Schwab. Many attendees said it embodied their feelings about the market and encouraged greater effort from everyone.
IMPACT 2011
Every movement needs a rallying cry. Larsen created “Fuel the Movement” for Charles Schwab. This powerful theme captured the attention of thousands of independent financial advisors who joined forces in 2011 in support of the first discount brokerage firm created by Charles Schwab.
To represent momentum, our visual treatment featured stripes of varying colors and widths joined in active waves to suggest the collective power of individuals working toward shared goals. The wave worked not just in print and on banners, but also in video, digital communications, and mobile applications, where it could be animated to amplify the idea of movement. The wave was even useful as a wayfinding tool. Stripes on the floor and the ceiling directed attendees to the expo hall, education session rooms, and other venues.
This immersive visual experience communicated to attendees that they were part of a bigger movement. The theme and visuals were a big hit, and not just with Schwab. Many attendees said it embodied their feelings about the market and encouraged greater effort from everyone.
“IMPACT was a magical event in 2011 thanks to Larsen’s creative ingenuity. The theme, Fuel the Movement, captured the spirit of the RIA industry and served as an inspiration for all attendees.”
– Christine Blanchet Aitkins, Managing Director, Events Marketing, Charles Schwab & Co.
“You each did your job and took it to the next level. When it all came together, I am amazed to say that we topped last year's event. Bernie's comments in his close still echo, ' we have the best events team in the industry.' For each of you at Schwab and to all the partners, THANK YOU.”
– Elisa Novoa, Senior Events Manager, Events Marketing, Charles Schwab & Co.
“It is a pleasure to work with such a world-class agency at Larsen. Looking forward to Chicago!”
– Marianne Barulich, Senior Marketing Manager, Events Marketing, Charles Schwab & Co.
“This is the best IMPACT I have ever attended, and I have attended many.”
– Anonymous attendee
Project: Visual Look + Feel for Annual Conference
Client: Charles Schwab
Agencies: Larsen Design and Splash Events
Team of Nine: VP of Creative, Senior Designer, Designer (me), Account Manager, Project Manager, Engineer, Producer, Writer, and Production Artist
Function: Designer
Role: Assist Design Director with Guidelines and Website. Design Conference Guides, Email Templates, Mobile App Promotions, Key Client Dinner Invite, Name Badge, Hotel Key Card, Water Bottle, Handouts, Thank You Cards, and Look Book
style Guidelines
Our graphical theme this year is a metaphor for movement and community. Stripes of different colors and widths join in active waves to suggest the collective power of individuals working in harmony toward shared goals. Together, we can do great things.
IMPACT Conference guides
Advantage Conference Guide
Key Client Dinner Invite
Website and Mobile App
Event Photography
IMPACT 2010
The overall look-and-feel for IMPACT & Advantage 2010 is “Be bold.” In an industry that’s being redesigned, advisors have to be audacious. Be nimble. Be adventurous. They have to push past expectations to create new possibilities. Our key message to attendees is that everything they need to succeed will be at the conference.
This year the conference theme is BOLD. Strong colors, large fields of color, and photography of active, daring people underscore the verbal theme. The campaign lockup for IMPACT that has two elements: the word “be” in a chat bubble and one of a series of word pairings beside or below it (ie: “bold,” “dynamic,” etc.). Clouds of bubbles add a sense of movement and active dialog. It is empowering, inviting, and a conversation generator. It is flexible and adaptable to presentation content and audience segment.
“There was a vibe, an energy that was palpable.”
– Elisa Novoa, Senior Event Manager, Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.
“It was an amazing experience. The incredibly high production standards at every turn throughout the event made it very special indeed. I've told so many people that the lighting and imagery in the main stage venue was simply spectacular and rivaled anything I've ever seen before, including TED's outrageous graphics. The team is to be congratulated for exemplary execution.”
– Betsy
“Best IMPACT I've attended, and it's my fourth.”
– Anonymous attendee
Project: Visual Look + Feel for Annual Conference
Client: Charles Schwab
Agencies: Larsen Design and Splash Events
Team of Six: VP of Creative, Senior Designer, Designer (me), Account Manager, Project Manager, Engineer, Producer, Writer, and Production Artist
Function: Designer
Role: Assist Design Director with Guidelines, Conference Guides, Website, and Print Invite. Design
concepts for Key Client Dinner Invite, Name Badge, Hotel Key Card, Water Bottle, Thank You Cards, Handouts, and Look Book.
Guidelines
The overall look-and-feel for IMPACT & Advantage 2010 is, well, BOLD. Strong colors, large fields of color, lots of white space, and photography of active, daring people underscore the verbal theme. Clouds of bubbles, smaller in the “distance” and larger in the “foreground” add a sense of movement and active dialog.
Event Collateral
Print Invite
Conference Guide
Key Client Dinner Invite
Website
Event Photography
EXPLORE
For the third year in a row, Charles Schwab asked Larsen to brand EXPLORE, which is an exclusive, high-profile forum for a select group of Schwab Advisor Services’ most valued clients.
Approximately 150 advisors are expected to attend. The small size of the forum creates an environment for attendees to think strategically and share best practices with like-minded colleagues, hear from high caliber speakers and network with Schwab senior management and peers, both socially and in a business sense.
Schwab pulls out all the stops for EXPLORE. Every detail is carefully planned, both in content and experience. It is this extra special attention that sets it apart from our competitor’s events and our own.
Each year the location changes, which drives the inspiration for the visual theme concepts. In 2014, the event took place at The Ritz-Carlton Naples, Florida. The previous year EXPLORE occurred at The Ritz-Carlton Dove Mountain located in Tucson, Arizona.
Project: Visual Look + Feel for Annual Conference
Client: Charles Schwab
Agency: Larsen Design
Function: Senior Designer
Role: Visual Theme Concept, Print Invite, Program Guide, Website, Email Templates, Name Badge, Thank You Cards, Signage, and Handouts
EXPLORE 2014
Explore 2013
INvestment outlook 2012
INVESTMENT OUTLOOK is the regional forum where industry leaders present keen insights and informed perspectives on today’s economic, political, and investment climate. This day long event will help set successful strategies for the clients.
The Advisor Services department at Charles Schwab hired us to update the look and feel for this event after the company re-branded their entire brand identity standards. Our team developed a simplistic and modern visual theme to be consistent with the new brand of tiled smart-squares. Advisor Services loved it so much that they asked us to replicate this look for three smaller event's website and email templates.
Project: Visual Look + Feel for Annual Conference
Client: Charles Schwab
Agency: Larsen Design
Function: Senior Designer
Role: Visual Theme Concept, Logo Lock-ups, Website, Signage, Responsive Email Invites, Folder, Name Badge, Letterhead, and PowerPoint
