Chicago-Based Designers Detail FORM Fest Visual Identity; New Design and Technology Conference Set for Nov. 2-3 at Chicago History Museum

FITC has a 14-year history of uniting leading design and technology professionals and students in Amsterdam, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Seoul, Tokyo, Toronto and other major international cities, but its last event to hit Chicago was back in 2008. In early November, a brand new Chicago-centric event conceived and produced under the auspices of FITC and its founding director Shawn Pucknell will take place at the Chicago History Museum. Entitled FORM Fest, the two-day conference is aiming to be a landmark gathering of digital creators and technologists who are passionate about creating innovative work.

The impressive line-up of speakers includes bona-fide design-industry stars from elsewhere – like Stefan Sagmeister, GMUNK, JaredFicklin and Rama Allen – but also local heavyweights like Erin Sarofsky, Jason White (Leviathan), Kim Alpert, Chuck Anderson and Chicago Design Museum's executive director Tanner Woodford, among many others.

Alpert and White are both past FITC speakers, and with support from conceptual design company Leviathan, they worked closely with FITC to create FORM and custom-tailor it for Chicago's booming creative community. "During my speaking engagement at FITC's CAMP Festival in Calgary last year, Shawn approached me with the idea of building a bespoke conference in Chicago, where part of the theme would be the progressive city itself," White confirmed. "I immediately seized the opportunity to help lead the effort and began rallying my studio, and my closest Chicago-based colleagues."

Together, Alpert and White served as creative directors to create the conference's identity and visual package. This meant conceptualizing and locking-in the actual conference name, the logo, the poster, the opening titles, the venue, and even collaborating on presenter and sponsor recommendations. 

Discussing the name, Alpert explained, "The core idea behind FORM is to focus on the inception of concepts. Before any project has become, it begins with an initial idea. That's what FORM is all about." Leviathan's designer Alexis Copeland created the conference's logo and the many collateral elements.

To further communicate the FORM Fest concept visually, Alpert and White tapped more stellar talents. Artist and designer Chuck Anderson designed the poster, while Optimus Design creative director Donnie Bauer is spearheading creation of the main titles, a collaboration involving Pulsetrain composer Dustin Camilleri. "To suitably honor Chicago, my main ideas were to feature contemporary architectural forms, clean lines and transformative moments," White said. "Our logo depicts the center of creation's lifecycle, and it's going to be a very special thrill to reveal it in spectacular motion with an epic soundtrack, thanks to Optimus and Pulsetrain."

Alpert also discussed the importance of the Chicago History Museum as the home for the inaugural event. "After endless location scouting, we all were thrilled to be able to lock-in this stunning venue," she added. "It's vintage, upscale and the perfect fit for the FORM Fest brand."

With Leviathan, Media Temple and Adobe coming onboard as lead sponsors, and support from other high-profile studios like Argo Design, Digital Kitchen, Havas Worldwide and The Mill, FORM Fest's organizers are optimistic about what's to come. "In a short amount of time, we've attracted some of the biggest names in our industry," White concluded. "I'm confident that everyone who comes will learn a lot, find new avenues for collaboration, and discover new ways to use art and technology to be more innovative."

To learn about all the VIP speakers presenting at FORM, to purchase tickets and find more ways to get involved and support the event, please visit http://fitc.ca/form.