Hosted at Five Below’s headquarters in downtown Philadelphia, 1682 is a conference celebrating innovation and creativity in the heart of Philadelphia. This year’s event focused on AI’s impact on profit and process, bringing together industry leaders and innovators to share insights on applying cutting-edge ideas and technologies for tangible, real-world results.

In creating the 1682 brand, we pulled inspiration from three key sources – O3, Philadelphia, and the Bauhaus art movement – that all focus on innovation + collaboration. This article explores the making of the 1682 brand, delving into the intentional choices behind its visual and verbal identity, as well as its overall brand experience.

Visual identity

The 1682 visual identity is an extension of O3’s brand, but also introduces new styles to allow the conference branding to stand on its own. Starting with the logo, we used a combination of our circles + squares to create the numbers of 1682. These shapes, or elements as we like to call them, also served as visual building blocks on the website, social + other brand materials.

For the conference’s typefaces, we used O3’s fonts – Poppins + IBM Plex Serif – to maintain consistency. The reason we chose these fonts for our brands is because they are easy to read on screen as well as print, and using a type combination makes the brands feel more custom.

To help 1682 stand on its own, we introduced a new color – yellow! The decision to include yellow in the 1682 color palette was inspired by the Bauhaus art movement, which like the 1682 Conference, also focuses on innovation + collaboration. This color is not only warm + bright, but also completes the primary color trio – a color palette often used in the Bauhaus movement.

Verbal identity

The verbal identity of 1682 was crafted to resonate with the forward-thinking mindset of our attendees, emphasizing innovation as an evolving journey rather than a final destination. At its core, 1682 explores the ever-changing landscape of innovation, with a particular focus on how AI is transforming both profit and process. Every message surrounding 1682 was designed to reflect the conference’s mission: to provide attendees with a clear, actionable perspective on integrating AI for real impact in their own industries.

As O3’s fifth conference, 1682 carries forward our legacy of knowledge-sharing and community-building. It’s a culmination of years spent convening leaders and practitioners to discuss the future of business. The language used across all 1682 materials—whether digital, print, or spoken—was intentionally crafted to be both informative and inspiring, echoing our dedication to practical yet visionary insights. Through sessions, keynotes, and panels, 1682’s messaging emphasized collaboration, innovation, and real-world applications of AI, consistently connecting back to the core values that define both the conference and O3’s brand.

From branded materials like signage and presentation decks to our digital platforms, every piece of 1682’s verbal identity was developed to reinforce a unified message: innovation is a process driven by people, tools, and technology, and it’s an endeavor that benefits from Philadelphia’s spirit of resilience and forward momentum.

Brand experience

At O3, we believe that good design is at the heart of everything we do, and this philosophy was central to crafting 1682’s brand experience. We carefully curated a cohesive and immersive atmosphere for attendees, encompassing a range of elements that reflected our commitment to design excellence. From eye-catching venue branding and custom-designed materials to a strong digital presence, every touchpoint was thoughtfully considered.

By seamlessly integrating the conference’s visual identity across both physical and digital touchpoints, we ensured a consistent and memorable experience that resonated with our design-focused approach. This attention to detail in the brand experience not only reinforced the conference’s themes but also showcased O3’s dedication to creating impactful, well-designed solutions in every aspect of our work.