NEMA Conference
Conference Identity and Collateral
Project Overview
Client: National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) | Project Role: Lead Creative
The National Emergency Management Agency required a bold and future-focused visual identity for its 2021 National Emergency Management Conference. As NEMA’s first conference, the event set the tone for a renewed approach to emergency management, centred on partnership, inclusion and community empowerment.
The conference theme, Building Safe and Resilient Communities: The Future of the Emergency Management System, called for a design system that felt sharp, professional and forward-looking, while remaining adaptable for future annual events.
The chosen concept introduced a dynamic lock-up featuring a stylised ‘N’, constructed from the angled stripes within NEMA’s existing brand guidelines. This approach ensured strong brand continuity while creating a distinctive and ownable identity for the conference. The striped device evolved into a flexible graphic language, generating abstract shapes that could frame imagery, structure layouts and create visual movement across touchpoints.
The colour palette drew from NEMA’s core brand blue and yellow, supported by navy and pale blue to create contrast, hierarchy and depth. Paired with clean, contemporary typography, the identity struck a balance between authority and accessibility, reflecting the conference’s focus on collaboration across government agencies, emergency services and community organisations.
The visual system was rolled out across a comprehensive suite of conference collateral, including digital banners, slide decks, social graphics, an A5 programme booklet, fold-out agenda cards, pull-up banners and large-scale posters. Each asset was designed to feel cohesive while functioning clearly within its format, whether viewed online, on stage or within the physical event environment.
Outcome
The result was a confident and adaptable conference branding system that positioned NEMA as forward-thinking and united, reinforcing its commitment to building safer and more resilient communities across New Zealand.
