Directing the largest-scale brand event in firm history. I led the visual and environmental strategy for the five-day, 1,800-person "Build What Matters" All Company Meeting, using immersive design to drive morale, innovation, and post-merger cultural cohesion.
Role
Creative Director | Visual Brand Development Lead | Lead Designer
Challenge Type
Experiential Creative Direction, Employer Branding, Change Management
Outcome
Event considered an "absolute success," leading to high morale, increased collaboration, and shaping the firm's strategic direction for the following six months.
The Challenge: Reconnecting and Rebuilding at Scale
The 20th Anniversary All Company Meeting (ACM) was held during a critical period: following a major acquisition (MSD, 2021) and the end of years of COVID-related remote work. The objectives were significant:
+ Cultural Cohesion: Unify 1,800 participants from two distinct organizational cultures into one "West Monroe" team.
+ Strategic Vision: Use the event theme, Build What Matters, to establish the firm’s forward-looking strategic direction.
+ High-Impact Experience: Design an engaging, five-day experience across the largest corporate event space in the US that felt authentic, celebrated the firm's history, and energized its future.
My Strategic Solution: Holistic Environmental Design
I owned the entire creative direction and visual development, translating the brand into a fully realized, three-dimensional environment.
+ Holistic Creative Strategy: Led the creative vision by beginning with site visits and planning in San Antonio to holistically integrate the venue, the local culture, and the event's Build What Matters theme into a single design strategy.
+ Visual Storytelling: Developed bespoke branding for the event that was "West Monroe, but with an eye on the future." This included:
++ Selecting colors that nodded to San Antonio's vibrant riverfront while maintaining brand compliance.
++ Integrating 3D elements (diamonds and cubes based on the logo's compass design) into video and environmental animations to symbolize the coming together and innovation of the unified firm.
+ Production & Vendor Direction: Served as the central design lead, directing external partners (Ghafana) on environmental design and video production, and managing internal/contract designers for the creation of 1,200+ pieces of designed collateral across 12 distinct locations.
+ Organizational Enablement: Worked closely with the Corporate Communications Team to ensure the content and atmosphere shaped the strategic direction and messaging for the entire organization for the next half-year.
Measurable Impact & Brand Morale
This was more than an event; it was a powerful organizational reset, demonstrating the impact of creative direction on business culture:
+ Cultural Success: Participants reported high impact on in-person connection, collaboration, and morale, successfully overcoming the isolation of remote work and fostering friendships across the newly unified firm.
+ Strategic Alignment: The content and creative environment shaped the direction of the firm for the following six months, proving the event's success as a change management vehicle.
+ Scale and Scope: Successfully executed a complex, multi-day event for 1,800 participants across the largest corporate event space in the US, delivered on-brand visual consistency across 1,200+ pieces of collateral.
Wrap-Up Video by Ghafana and Associates
Define the Visual Identity
Collab with Corporate Comms to bring our people along
Email Design by Audrey Piehl
Create compelling content and an immersive conference space
Presentations formatted by Ghafana and Associates
Bring San Antonio to life for Build What Matters
Honor San Antonio culture with bespoke social event designs
