Rebranding TechChill—the last live tech event before the world went into lockdown.

Published in

asketic

7 min readMar 3, 2021

Almost exactly a year ago, just before the world went into lockdown, Asketic design studio had an opportunity to work with a brand identity redesign for TechChill — a live annual tech event in the Baltics. For most of the attendees, this was the last live event, or abroad travel, to date.

Now, almost a year after the event, here’s a behind-the-scenes look into the process of brand identity refresh.

Tech Chill

TechChill is a non-profit organization to help Latvian and Baltic startups succeed in the world.

The main event of the year for us is the TechChill conference. Having grown from a small grassroots movement of like-minded tech enthusiasts, TechChill celebrates the best of the Baltic startup community by annually bringing together 2000+ attendees, including the fastest-growing startups, most innovative corporations, investors active in the region, and talented tech enthusiasts. TechChill is organized by a non-profit foundation of the same name, empowering the Baltic startup ecosystem throughout the year.

Every year in spring, we gather in Riga for a three-day event — full of Workshops, Demo Days, Investor Day, Media and 90+ speakers on two stages, Roundtable discussions, Startup Expo, Business Expo, Matchmaking area for the 1100+ startup & investor meetings, and side events, as well as some legendary afterparties.

Problem title

Over nine years, the brand had accumulated various visual assets from each conference by creating a new design style each year. At one point, it got ineffective to design a new visual language year over year.

It took more and more resources, both time and money, for the organizers. More importantly, it diluted the brand where the audience had to get acquainted with the new visual language each year.

A need for a simple & straightforward identity system

Before we got to work, we had a few essential points to keep in mind. First, the identity had to be designed to work as a system that would serve as a consistent visual voice for years to come. An identity built on the strengths the brand had accumulated over ten years as an important voice in the Baltic startup ecosystem.

Second, it had to be so clear and simple that the team behind the event could design the materials themselves. As the event comes closer and the schedule speeds up, it is impossible to validate each material with the design team.

Third, it had to carry the core principles behind the TechChill brand. It had to be simple, clear, and focused on execution, without extra fluff.

Fourth, the design had to be in sync with TechChill sustainable approach in every aspect of organizing the event. No single-use plastic or decorations, sustainable merchandising, reusable name badges, sustainably produced stickers, etc.

Concept

The concept of identity revolves around the idea of cockroaches. Yes, those little, creepy insects we all try to avoid. The core principle behind the TechChill brand is that startups are more like cockroaches than unicorns (here’s a great 2 min read on The Age of the Cockroach by Caterina Fake).

Cockroaches, much like entrepreneurs who build startups, are focused on survival. They are less glamorous but very hardy. Cockroaches have outlasted doomsday asteroids and dinosaur extinction. They can live for six weeks without food. They are not choosy about what they eat; they don’t need sugar, which other insects crave. They lack glamour and you usually don’t see them. They move fast.

Cockroaches have an elaborate social structure involving common shelter, social dependence, information transfer, and kin recognition. Cockroaches are social insects. Cooperation and competition are balanced in their decision-making behavior.

They are thigmotropic, meaning they like feeling something solid in contact with their bodies, preferably on all sides. They seek out cracks and crevices, squeezing into spaces that offer them the comfort of a tight fit.

Cockroaches are simple, adaptive, and with a clear focus on survival. In the same way, TechChill's identity is simple, adaptive, and with a clear focus.

In short, TechChill is about the ones who do whatever it takes to survive. A lot like cockroaches.

Exploration Process

The design of TechChill's visual identity follows the same basic principles. The initial exploration process involved countless sketches and design directions to explore the edges of the concept.

When is simple too simple? When do we start losing the character of the brand? Where is the balance between simplicity and too much “design”? How could one design a simple system yet keep the personality of the brand?

The Design Concept

It’s straightforward. We use Helvetica, the most straightforward font out there, black & white with one bright accent color and identity guidelines where every communication material can be designed in six clear steps.

We squeeze headline text together to make it thigmotropic; the same way cockroaches like to behave. Yes, wrong by all typography rules and golden standards, but intentionally done to give identity the necessary character while using basic fonts, colors & building blocks.

The final result is a super clear and back-to-basics identity system where every communication material can be designed in 6 simple steps. A clear set of rules on how to design almost any new communication material without the need to contract a designer or design studio.

For colors, we use black & white, plus one accent color each year. We go back to basics for fonts — and rely heavily on Helvetica and add a dash of character for smaller texts with Neue Machina typeface from Pangram Pangram type foundry.

The results

The result is a simple and clear identity system that has played out in a consistent way without much of the initial design team’s involvement as the identity keeps evolving.

Those who have designed brand identity systems will know that coming up with a great concept is the easy part. Making sure the identity is implemented in a consistent way when you’re gone is the tough part.

As a dynamic organisation, we have changing team, partners and topics. Every year. We were looking for an identity which would be simple and easy to apply. But not dull. Our work with Asketic was with great as both organisations care about culture, value and mission.
Ernests Stals, TechChill co-founder

A Point of No Return

This year TechChill is hosting an online two-week conference from 7–21 May with the main focus on the point of No Return–to explore the current course of action in Green New World, Knowledge for Growth and Digital Transformation, how provoked adaptation transforms into unforeseen opportunities, and how avoiding the change is the most dangerous path.