Overview
Results at a Glance
When compared to the previous year
2700+
Applicants +2%
500+
Participants
$XXK
In Funding +9%
We had one goal when coming up with the designs for this hackathon, how can we incorporate our theme better in the real world? 9 months , and a lot of Ali-Express orders later, Hack Western 6 was able to transform the Physics and Astronomy Building at Western University into a moon base ready for innovation!
Roles
Product Designer, Organizer, Videographer, Motion Designer
Team
Erica Yarmol-Matusiak, Jenny Tran, Donna Xue
Tools
Premiere Pro, After Effects, Illustrator, Photoshop, Figma
Type
Extra-curricular
Timeline
March 2019 - November 2019
See The Recap Video
Problem Statement
How might we create a Hackathon brand that lives in a digital and physical environment?
This was the question that our small team of 4 asked ourselves during our very first meeting. Our end goal was to create a cohesive narrative that the user would be able to follow from the signup process right up until the event day.
I also wanted to bring my personal experience with motion design and videography to build a new option for branding.
Our planning board after our 2nd brainstorming session
Planning
With the creation of moodboards, our team was able to start painting the picture of what we envisioned the brand to look like.
Our group consensus was that the hackathon would be geared towards hackers of all skill levels while also trying to bring some representation to three different streams that we wanted to implement: Business, Technology, and Design
A moodboard that was presented
The Solution
Build Your Moonshot
Using outer-space as the medium, we decided on pursuing a story-centred approach centred around the idea of being able to create your dreams, or Moonshots.
For the look, we opted to incorporate the purple colors found in Western University's branding and infuse it with orange hues to create a calm, yet mysterious feeling.
Within the venue, we hand-crafted several cutouts of our illustrations to hang from the roof. We also purchased glow in the dark space paraphernalia to leave around the building. The item I was most proud of, however, was the usage of RGB strips strategically placed underneath staircases and archways to cast various colors throughout the space to set the mood.
On the video branding side, I designed a video system that incorporates depth through the strategic usage of layer blurring depending on the "height" of the virtual object.
The Design System
Hack Western 6 Opening Ceremonies
A Collection of Posts and Graphics
Conclusion
In all, I was proud of what our team was able to accomplish together. As my first time organizing an event at this scale, I learned a lot about working within a team and designing for people in mind. I also had the pleasure of working on logistics and planning to ensure that the even ran smoothly for all the attendees.
What's Next?
In my second year of being on the Hack Western team, I am excited to continue my work and take on the role of Design Lead! My team is already hard at work building the brand for Hack Western 7. Check back for more updates soon!
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