Camunda Community Summit 2023
Event Branding // Campaign design // Experiential Design // EnVIRONMENTAL DESIGNCamunda Community Summit 2023 was a two-day hybrid event built specifically for Camunda's developer community, product ambassadors, and technical users. With hackdays, live workshops, product demos, technical talks, and an unconference-style agenda, the event was designed to be as much about connecting with the community as it was about learning the product.
The goal was to make CCS '23 feel distinctly different from CamundaCon 2022 while creating an experience that felt unmistakably made for developers. We wanted attendees to feel a sense of belonging, discovery, and connection, whether they joined us in person or online.
I partnered closely with Camunda's community managers, events team, marketing leadership, and external creative support throughout the project. While another designer led the overarching visual direction, I helped evolve and extend it throughout the project, injecting it with personality through graphic treatments and illustrations. I also fully owned print and environmental production for the event and took the lead on branding the online event portal for virtual attendees, while also contributing to digital assets alongside the broader creative team.
My role: Brand Designer
Team: Camunda In-House Creative + Marketing
Scope: Event branding, print + environmental production, virtual event experience, digital assets, social media, and event production
Location: Berlin, Germany + Online
Event Gallery
A look at CCS '23 across social promotion, stage environments, and large-scale outdoor branding.
The visual and messaging direction needed to speak to a very specific audience: people who actively use Camunda, build with the product, contribute to the community, and understand the culture and humor that comes with being a developer.
I contributed to creative copywriting throughout the project, helping shape messaging across event materials and promotional touchpoints. I developed the event’s key slogan, "You've found your people," a simple expression of what we wanted the summit to feel like.
That idea carried through everything from promotional materials to environmental graphics and attendee-facing signage.
A Community-First Experience
Designing the Venue
One of my earliest contributions to the project actually happened months before the event. While I was in Berlin for CamundaCon 2022, I joined the events team for an advance tour of the CCS venue. I documented the space extensively, photographing potential branding opportunities and asking the site manager detailed questions about print specifications, digital signage, lighting, installation requirements, and what we could and couldn't customize.
The venue offered an unusually large canvas for event branding. We could transform a wall of windows, customize lighting colors, use digital door screens, brand a giant archway leading to the dining and networking area, line an outdoor ledge with flags overlooking the water, create massive stage backdrops, and even incorporate branding into the stairs.
I used photos from that walkthrough to create composite mockups that helped the broader team visualize what was possible before production began. These mockups were invaluable for designing remotely and showing the events team how we could make the space beautiful while incorporating plenty of directional signage.
Building the Virtual Experience
Because CCS was a hybrid event, creating a strong experience for virtual attendees was just as important as designing the physical event.
I took the lead on branding the online event portal, translating the event identity into the digital environment where remote attendees would watch sessions, navigate the agenda, and participate in the summit.
Rather than treating the virtual experience as a secondary version of the in-person event, we looked for ways to make it feel like its own intentional expression of CCS '23. I helped carry the visual system into the portal alongside supporting digital touchpoints including Zoom backgrounds, presentation templates, video frames, social assets, and promotional materials.
The goal was to make virtual attendees feel like they had entered the same event as everyone in the room, not simply logged into a livestream.
I fully led the print and environmental production for the event, taking designs from concept through production and working closely with the events team, vendors, and external creative support to keep a large volume of physical assets moving on schedule.
The scope included everything from large-format stage backdrops and outdoor signage to directional materials, event maps, and smaller branded pieces. The events team and I paid particular attention to wayfinding, using lessons from previous conferences to create a smoother and more intuitive experience for attendees.
Camunda’s audience had come to expect high-quality, custom conference swag, so I made sure we delivered with event branded T-shirts, tote bags, stickers, thank-you cards, and more.
Because the venue offered so many unusual branding opportunities, print production was also an exercise in problem-solving. Every surface had different specifications, dimensions, installation requirements, and technical limitations, making close coordination with the venue and production partners essential. I also delegated work to freelance and agency partners, helping keep the large volume of production moving while maintaining consistency across deliverables.
Leading Print + Environmental Production
My Role
As a Brand Designer on Camunda's in-house creative team, I worked across strategy, design, production, and coordination throughout the project.
Scouting and documenting the event venue with the events team
Identifying and developing environmental branding opportunities
Creating composite venue mockups to visualize design concepts
Contributing to creative copywriting and messaging throughout the project
Extending the visual direction through custom graphic treatments and illustrations
Fully leading print and environmental design and production, including coordinating print specifications, vendors, production, and installation
Leading branding of the online event portal for virtual attendees
Designing environmental and directional signage
Creating social media and promotional templates, as well as other digital assets such as Zoom backgrounds and presentation templates
Designing T-shirts, tote bags, stickers, and thank-you cards
Supporting digital campaign materials
Coordinating with community, events, marketing, and leadership teams
Supporting production and ensuring deliverables stayed on schedule, including delegating work to freelance and agency partners
Results
CCS '23 created a highly engaged environment for Camunda's developer community, with packed sessions, strong participation, and plenty of opportunities for attendees to learn from one another.
The event also served an important role in helping existing Camunda 7 users navigate the transition to Camunda 8. Across technical sessions, workshops, demos, and community programming, Camunda shared a substantial amount of practical information to help customers understand the new platform and prepare for migration as Camunda 7 approached its end of life.
Community, Connection, and Learning
