Showing all posts tagged #branding:


passion to collaborate with leaders and artists in maximizing ideation and strategy

Posted on April 23rd, 2021

I am passionate about helping leaders and artists present the best versions of their ideas. As a Creative Director, I believe that beauty enhances story and experience with magical and intangible impact. I know that great process architecture makes an invaluable difference in the long term; and that it can begin being built during the first project we partner in. With extensive expertise in consulting and designing for special presentations — live event, walk through experience (including window displays), and video presentation *extensive broadcast and streaming experience as well as produced product for playback and sharing — I love collaborating with leadership and artists to maximize ideation and strategy.

Diagrams and Branding Documents

Posted on February 19th, 2017



This slide is from my Production Design Training slide deck. It illustrates the importance of a diagram and checklist in ensuring a design being accurately setup with excellence in multiple venues; as well as the benefit of a Branding Document for continuity of design with lighting design and graphics - colors, textures, typography.


FILO 2016 Production Design

Posted on May 23rd, 2016

One week ago, we were finishing load in and initial programming for 2016’s edition of the FILO Conference. It was an honor and privilege to be the Production Designer (responsible for Scenic and Lighting Design) for the conference. It was a scurry of a few days so I never really had time to post anything. Here are a few of my favorite moments from the event:



Some of you took my Scenic Design Concepts breakout class. For the rest of you, here’s the story behind how I landed on the final version of the design. These are the notes from the slide where I talked about "Branding (and the iterative process of design) …and Metaphor"

The O in FILO seemed to be the best part of the brand to play off of…
PlexiDiscs (something that I have in storage that’s not being used)
They set up easily enough (tie-line and zip-ties)
They can give depth to a shallow stage
They easily fit in my hatchback!
We concept designed about building a pretty cool set piece that we chose to say no to. (the builder, time, money, space on stage, etc.)
The iterative process - never settle for the first idea, if you stay disciplined to the process, the best idea will eventually be revealed. (certainly the idea at the greatest intersection of creativity and stewardship)
Metaphor
The 40 O’s represents each of us who are FILOs. Some of us are lone guys, some of us are part of teams. Coming together we can encourage each other with our beauty as we come together. Together we can find a chorus of a "new song" (Psalm 40) to carry with us as we go back to support and enhance the sharing of the good news that Jesus loves us.

The lights, I selected for a few reasons.
First, the B-EYEs are a light that every church tech nerd has seen the videos of and dreamt about having in their venue. I thought that giving a chance to see could be beneficial.
The opportunity to have access to the use some great hybrid fixtures in the Mythos was an amazing bonus.
Finally, the Aura XBs had a primary use of lighting the scenic. However the bonus of such a great light is that we created a number of presets to give us several bonus looks!

For the whole design I played with clusters that followed the Fibonacci sequence. I wanted to have the thought of each part of the design to have a beauty on its own and contribute to the beauty of the whole in a way that felt like it fit...

Thank you to Ryan and ILC for providing the amazing lighting gear. Thanks Jeff and Brian CCC for being perhaps the most hospitable hosts an any venue I’ve ever had the chance to work with. Thanks Nate and Chelsea for the logistics, leadership, and vision. Thanks to Michael and Nic for helping us set it all up, troubleshoot issues, and Nic especially for that great catch with the B-EYEs' profile issue. Thanks Alex (whom I met as we were both on the LD panel discussion breakout) for guest designing Session 3 as I was putting finishing touches on the Keynote presentation for my breakout.

Special thanks to Patrick for being my partner in the project. Having a guy on the console who knows how to interpret the ideas of my mind almost even before I say them is the dream for an LD. A good friend with me for the journey to and from Chicago is a bonus.

Thanks most of all to Todd for inviting me to play a small role in your vision. It was a privilege and an honor.


Every[one] Production Design

Posted on March 10th, 2016


I know you’re asking about it. I hope to fill in the details of this post soon


Dealership Production Design

Posted on October 29th, 2015

Last night we transformed one end of the dealership to celebrate momentum. Red, silver, and white branding is maintained for this main event stage and the rest of the dealership.

VIPs are enjoying catered small plates. The president and others just completed their speeches. Guests are about to experiment the main event.

Pre-show look. Lights are slowly strafing across the ceiling above the "stage" that we made. Truss warmers are twinkling white on the silver sticks of vertical truss and anticipation is in the air (or is that haze?)

I prepared myself in position at lighting control (my Jands Vista S1 - I and/or my console are available for hire/rent) back stage. I transitioned the lights as the intro video played and encouraged the talent to break a leg...
Actually, I took this shot well after the event just before we tore down - through the veil of the CrushedBlack fabric, you can see the car already on stage - in the moment I was too busy firing off a barrage of lighting effects; as well as cuing dancers, actors, and a driver for their moments of the production.
I’m really bummed not to have any photos to share of the live number we performed. Hopefully I can get some shots or video from one of the guests. I wish I had thought to set up a GoPro or few to record.

After the event, I hurried to offer photography to guests as they all wanted to pose with the cast. I managed even to get a #castandcrew shot taken of me (in the coveralls that was part of the branding) with the performers. These guys are great, by the way. If you’re looking for actors and/or dancers (and/or hamsters?) contact me and I can refer you to some great Metro Detroit talent.

One of my other responsibilities was to take photos of the president and leadership holding their awards at the corporate stage for earlier speeches at far end of the room. This is my view walking back toward the main stage. I share it to give context of the space. Even at the end of the night, the mood still feels good in the transformed dealership.
Interesting to contemplate that two hours later, everything is packed up and the morning crew will be able to bring cars back into the space for normal operations.

I think this image is hilarious; this pair of hamsters remained at the ready long after every guest had taken photos and the catering had been cleared.

It was a fun event. It always is when a producer tells me they want to drive a car on stage!

My Production Design Algorithm

Posted on May 17th, 2015

A stream of thought listing things I consider with every design:
  • Context of organization
  • Context of event
  • What are the "budget" parameters?
  • Who is on stage?
    • who’s the main speaker?
    • who’s the performing artists?
    • play to their style
  • Theme of the day… Is it part of a broader series?
  • Branding...How do the visuals identify with the mission? Achieve continuity with the rest of communication
  • What are my resources? Existing materials? Budget for new? I suppose I ought to ask about rental budget (I’m rarely a fan of such...I’d rather use that budget to add to ongoing inventory?)
  • What is the rep plot? How do we play to the strengths of the lighting system? A good rep plot is arguably the most important asset to your venue. Certainly, right up there with a good PA. The good news is that that it costs way less...
  • What are video requirements?
    • IMAG?
    • broadcast?
    • camera positions?
  • What are audio’s needs? What will help them succeed?
  • Who is the producer? What are their visual preferences? What "lens" is the story told?
  • Who is in the lighting chair? Help play to their strengths...
  • What is the timeline for setup? for strike? Is it a stage turn situation? If so, what is the design that precedes and follows? How do you design in the timeline of multiple turns?
    • Hang the rig points 2 weeks out; hang the truss 1.5 weeks out; hang the lights 1 week out and use as backlight for the Midweek stage. Finally, hang hard goods and refocus lights in the turn for the target event; then hang a screen and soft goods from the same truss in an upcoming design.
  • What are transportation and storage logistical considerations?
  • Who is the crew? What are their strengths and experiences? Artists vs. engineers
  • Materials – What materials have been used recently? What materials will the upcoming holiday be using? Use something different than either of these.
  • Mood – Honestly more important than materials is the mood. It’s possible to create multiple moods with the same materials. That’s what we do in a series: I brand a series with a palette of materials, and then craft the set for each day to support the unique story of that specific event...
  • Inspiration – What is inspiring me recently?
    • Architecture
    • Nature
    • Window displays
    • Trade magazines
    • Cinema
    • Renaissance paintings
    • Industrial dumpster
    • Pinterest
  • What's an archived idea that I might finally have the chance to try?
    • Evernote
      • Anything that inspires me tends to end up in Evernote
      • I use tags such as "design ideas"
  • I hate copying (plagiarism) and go to great lengths to make sure my art is authenticity mine. However, I think being inspired by other designers is completely appropriate.
    • There's virtue in both, however my personal value is "Creation > Curation"
  • Who can you connect with to bounce ideas off of one another? #ctln
  • Passion – I want people to pull their phones out. I take pride in my discipline – the pursuit of creating something beautiful. A design certainly should look good – Visual interest, shapes, patterns, textures, Layers, Depth behind every camera angle, etc. However I suggest there are transcendent considerations that can be woven into the scene – metaphor, symbols, numerology, etc. – Hide "Easter eggs" – it's fun and it will inspire someone, I promise. Break the 4th wall – immerse them in the story – target people’s subconscious

live production branding as relates to a book

Posted on October 1st, 2013

Branding - Stage, Graphics, Video, etc - should always derive from the Story.

The author should never write the book based on the title. The publishing company should design (cover art, paper, typeface, etc.) in the best way to sell the story and enhance the experience of reading…only after the author and editor have crafted a story that can stand on it's own.

We as designers should never create until we've read the script or at least talked with the Producer/Director to fully understand the vision. Depending on our experience/maturity we can (and potentially ought to) be ready with concepts based on what we suspect might work, but only if we can hold loosely to our ideas and evolve them with an open mind to complete change. The number of ideas I have moved to the back pocket is probably more impressive than the portfolio of 2,000ish designs that I've executed. A clever design idea is only a good design idea if it helps tell the story well.

Story trumps all.

Eric G Wolfe

Creative Director | Process Architect. Design Strategist. Leadership Coach.