Design Recess Project

The process is the play, and the play informs the process

AIGA ATL presents Design Recess: Process and Play graphic courtesy of Elaine Knox and Julian Mancini.

One of the many projects that I just wrapped up is the AIGA ATL Design Recess Conference website. That was a blast! This conference was two years in the making.

I designed the branding and website for the first iteration of the conference back in 2025. That took way longer than expected, but hey, I was a team of one, and to me, the final look still turned out pretty cool. Unfortunately, the conference didn’t happen, but the board and I weren’t discouraged. With the organization now under different management, we decided to take a different approach.

Instead of one designer, four designers were now at the helm of the conference design and boy, did it turn out beautifully!

Elaine Knox and Julian Mancini, two of my favorite designers whom I’ve had the pleasure of working with, designed the conference branding and assets. They nailed the look and feel of the theme, “Process and Play.” As designers, we need to remember to always take time to play and not get too lost in the process. That play can inform the process and the final results more than you know.

The other amazing designer is Marcella Decocco. She is my co-chair for the communications position we hold on the board. She designed the social media graphics that are currently going out and are they beautiful too!

Then there is ME.

I took my stab at the website design, with Elaine and Julian collaborating and helping me create one of my favorite sites I’ve ever worked on. It was also one of the few times in my career that I’ve had a full design team assisting me with the work. I have always been in positions where it was just me doing everything.

But the team really made the dream work, and the final look and feel encapsulate the fun we hope people will experience when they attend the conference.

Check out the site: https://www.designrecessatl.com