The Campaign

Inspired by relevant data and driven by functional design, The “Living Logo” was born. From the color assignments to its bars and corresponding values, the logo was as an informational tool for participating economies and other nations. Its capacity to morph and reveal 15 other data points such as land area, population, foreign investment and more highlighted the logo’s flexibility and dynamism. The Living Logo’s circular design, an effective visualisation of connectivity and unity, served as a strong representation of the summit’s theme — inclusive growth. This approach also reinforced the summit’s headline “Creating the Future: Better. Stronger. Together.” For the first time in its history, the APEC CEO Summit had a logo that was more than just a logo. It was a creative execution that was purposive, relevant and meaningful.

Creative Execution

With data being the driving force of the summit, the design process was all about integrating relevant information with the theme: inclusive growth. To visualise growth, each member economy was assigned a specific color. And then, their GDP per capita statistics were translated to vertical colored bars. Using a map, with the Pacific at the center, the bars were plotted out based on the location of the economies they represented. Laying them out in a circular manner, and with some connected together, provided a strong visualisation for inclusivity and unity. This entire process resulted to the creation of the Living Logo. This logo design was then applied to all assets of the CEO Summit. Online, an interactive function morphed the logo to reveal 15 other relevant data points. On ground, the logo and its colors were on centerpieces, displays, screens, transportation decals, advertising, identification materials, and more.

Indication of how successful the outcome was in the market

The APEC CEO Summit’s Living Logo was presented to all 21 member economies, summit participants, media, and the rest of the world. This logo design was highlighted on several news articles and photos both online and in traditional media. From the website, on-ground display, centerpieces, advertising materials, up to the smallest design surface, the Living Logo was flexible, dynamic, and succeeded at celebrating the summit’s theme. For the first time in its history, the APEC CEO Summit had a logo that was more than just a logo. It was a creative execution that was purposive, relevant and meaningful.

To create a logo design relevant to all participants, the team had to go beyond visualising the host nation. To make it inclusive, the idea had to be neutral yet valuable to every member economy. So the focus turned to data. Information has always been at the core of the summit’s programs. From GDP per capita, land area, population, to foreign investment and more, these key statistics served as a starting point for the ideation. The data points were collected, computed, and then translated to a visual element. From there, other design components such as colors, bars with varying lengths, and geographic locations were all put together — with the summit’s theme of inclusive growth guiding the creative process. Overall, merging data with design was the direction taken to solve the brief.