My TEDxKanata Adventure.
WOW! What a great experience - fantastic evening with inspirational, brave, and innovative speakers. My love affair with TEDTalks is is well known to some, and I was honoured to have been a part of the
TEDxKanata event.
It all started when I saw the promotions on
Twitter several months prior to this year's events. The process to buy a ticket isn't as simple as one might think. I had to fill out an application explaining why I wanted to go, and why I felt I was deserving. If they felt I was deserving enough, I would be invited to buy a ticket.
So, I filled out the application, but I'm not a scientist who's made a miraculous breakthrough , or an entrepreneur who has revolutionized the way we do business. In fact, I don't believe I'm particularly more special or deserving than any average Joe on the street. But I applied anyway. Truth was, even if I was one of the chosen few, I wasn't sure I could afford it. $100/ticket was a steep price for me. But I applied and figured I would decide what to do in the off chance they scraped the bottom of the barrel of applications, and found mine. I would cross that $100 bridge when and if I came to it.
But then I notices a contest. Design a backdrop for the TEDxKanata stage (with certain criteria and within a specific budget) and get tickets to the event. This gave me hope. I am, after all, a graphic designer and that is, at least in part, what I do for a living. This should be easy... no??
I worked and toyed with a few ideas, but that budget restraint was pretty tight, so I had to be creative.
Finally, I entered my backdrop design idea, with estimated budget, and waited.
And waited.
And waited.
And then a month before the event, I received an email. I had Won!! Holy Smoke!
I was stoked, for sure, but it also meant a heck of a lot of extra work for me to get done.
I met with
Deborah from
TEDxKanata and we had a great brainstorming session about a few tweaks and the expectation and limitations of the venue, stage and backdrop.
And so it began. My original design was, for the most part, still intact; a specific graphic to be swapped out to match the promotional material they've been using for the event.
My design consisted of 2 elements:
1. The large 8' x 20' backdrop, printed and installed on 5 sheets of coroplast, then mounded together with more coroplast "struts" for strength. As the theme of the event was Breaking Barriers, the design for the backdrop was of a brick wall tumbling down to reveal the event's graphics and theme text.
2. 25 3-dimensional faux bricks that would bring the illusion of the tumbling wall into the fore-ground. These brick props could also be used for souvenirs able to be signed by speakers.
I've created and produced many graphics over the years, but I've never made a fake brick.
My initial thought was foam - but foam is surprisingly expensive, so I found another way.
Tissue Boxes!!
Perfect size and reasonably priced.
Step one was to remove the tissues and seal the boxes back up. I have a plan for the tissues!
Next step was to print a decal with the TEDxKanata event logo & info to be stuck to the bricks, giving an area appropriate for writing or signing.
Now for the fun part.
Using the tissues emptied from the boxes, along with some water and glue, the long process of texturizing the brings can begin.
Layer after layer, side after side, one at a time. The process was slow, but not hard. The longest part was the drying time.
Once the sides were texturized, the next step was painting. Again, slow process with a lot of drying time.
I had help! Many hands make light bricks - true in this case anyway.
Of course we can't forget about the actual backdrop. Part of the challenge was to have the bricks in the printed image and the 3D faux bricks look similar.
Printing the backdrop, after a few tests, went fairly smoothly.
But the printing was only part of that challenge.
Installing a 4' x 8' print onto coroplast isn't without its own issues.
Thankfully, I and the folks I work with, know a thing or two.
Steady hands, a few good felted squeegees and an hour later, the 5 4' x 8' panels were done.
The day prior to the event - backdrop set-up imminent - final check.
- 3D Bricks? Check
- 5 panels? Check
- Bracing material? Check
- Various tools and adhesives for set up? Check
Excellent! Time for setup!
The TEDxKanata event was taking place in the
BrookstreetHotel's Ballroom on Thursday, March 31st, 2016. By the time we arrived for set-up, on Wednesday evening, the stage, seating, lighting, cameras, and recording equipment were already in place. Also there, were the official 3D TEDxKanata letters. It was impressive. I had to take a breath and enjoy the moment. I was here and I was a part of it.
I don't get out much, and this was a really big deal for me.
But I didn't have time to bask in the glow of TED for long, we still had work to do!
Sorting out the panels, and preparing the struts was first on the list.
We were pretty happy when we raised the first panel!
But then things got tricky. Aligning each panel to every other panel wasn't easy, but with a little persistence and some light persuasion, it all came together... eventually.
Huge thanks to my helpers!!!
About 3 hours later, it was up and we were done for the day.
We planned to arrive well in time on Thursday, to make any last minute adjustments before the event, and we did. We dispersed the remaining 3D bricks and began to relax. Even by then, we had had some great feedback about how the stage turned out.
The evening was fantastic; filled with inspiring stories of brave people pushing boundaries and breaking barriers.
TEDxKanata and others were Live Tweeting the event too! Here's but a taste...
The 3D bricks were scooped up quickly by guests and organizers alike. I think they were a Huge Hit!
Thanks and congratulations to everyone involved for such a great opportunity and wonderful event.
Not sure if I'm in over my head or not, but I've opened up an Etsy shop.
