AFROTECH CONFERENCE
The Brief
Over multiple years, my work with AfroTech evolved alongside the brand—from designing its live conference experience in Oakland to helping reimagine the event as a fully virtual world during the pandemic.
The assignment remained the same: create spaces that matched the ambition of Black innovation and made every attendee feel part of something much bigger than a conference.
info & credits
BRAND: Blavity Inc.
EVENT NAME: AfroTech Conference
LOCATION: San Francisco '18 l Oakland '19 l Virtual '20-'21
AGENCY: Blueprint Studios
CONTENT CREDIT: Blueprint Studios
ROLE: Creative Director (Live Event) l 3D Designer (Virtual)
standard booth design
Building a Flexible Canvas: As AfroTech continued to grow, I developed a family of booth environments that gave sponsors a clear range of footprints while creating a cohesive visual language across the exhibit hall.
Designing for Rhythm: Using modular architecture, SEG graphics, and a thoughtful material palette, each booth was designed to feel distinct while remaining part of a larger, harmonious system.
Shaping the Experience: Beyond the booths, I helped choreograph the exhibit floor to encourage exploration, spark meaningful recruiting conversations, and make discovery feel effortless.
general session
A Home for Big Conversations: The General Session stage became the heart of AfroTech, hosting some of the biggest voices in technology, business, and culture. Each year, I worked with the Blavity team to create a bold architectural backdrop that elevated the conversations while giving the brand a confident visual presence.
Growing Alongside the Brand: As AfroTech evolved, so did the stage. Every iteration became an opportunity to push the scale, explore new forms and color blocking, and refine the visual language before the experience eventually transitioned to digital environments.
Brand Displays
Making the Brand the Experience: For flagship partners like Amazon, Google, and Facebook, the goal shifted from standardization to storytelling. Each booth became a custom environment designed around the brand's personality, culture, and recruiting mission.
Beyond the Booth: Whether it was immersive classrooms, interactive displays, libraries, cafés, or hands-on installations, every activation was designed to spark conversation and give attendees a meaningful reason to step inside.
Designed to Stand Out: While each environment felt distinctly its own, they were all thoughtfully crafted to elevate the exhibit hall and create memorable moments across the conference floor.
Branding & Activations
Bringing the Brand to Life: Working alongside an incredible team of graphic designers and art directors, I helped transform multiple venues into bold celebrations of Black innovation through large-scale environmental graphics and wayfinding.
Words with Weight: From confident campaign lines like "Black Tech, Green Money" to branded moments throughout the venue, every graphic was designed to reinforce AfroTech's voice and energy.
Spaces with Personality: Beyond the event branding, I partnered with sponsors like GoDaddy to create lounges and activations that felt authentic to each brand while contributing to the overall atmosphere of the conference.
afrotech world
Reimagining AfroTech: When the conference shifted online, the challenge became translating the energy and sense of community people loved into a fully virtual world.
Designing a Digital Destination: I helped create more than 20 branded environments, three expansive exhibit halls, interactive networking spaces, and virtual touchpoints that encouraged exploration, recruiting, and discovery.
Keeping the Spirit Alive: While the platform changed, the goal never did—to create a place where Black innovation, opportunity, and community could continue to thrive.
