Strategic branding and attendee experience

The Challenge
With the launch of its new thought-leader initiative, Solve, MIT is setting out to do nothing less than tackle the world’s most urgent problems, as defined against the stark reality of global population growth reaching nearly 10 billion people by the year 2050. 
Inaugurated with a three-day summit on MIT’s campus in October 2015, Solve will combine an annual live event, international satellite experiences and a digital platform: these will cultivate a community of business leaders, scientists, engineers, policymakers and MIT faculty focused on achieving actionable solutions to problems in global health, education, infrastructure and energy.

The Strategy
Devise a brand for Solve that wins VIP audiences by capturing and promoting the uniquely MIT problem-solving methodology that only Solve can own.  

The Solution
Problem-solving at MIT — an institution identified with the origins of everything from radar to the Internet — is an ongoing process in which each new insight leads to further inquiry and action. We created a kinetic, deliberately “incomplete”  logo for Solve that evokes this process through crisp, yet disrupted type. Our design puts Solve firmly in line with MIT’s distinguished graphic design heritage, specifically the iconic work of MIT Media Lab’s Muriel Cooper.

The identity gave rise to a linear graphic system for the Solve event experience which was then applied to promotional materials including street banners and outdoor exhibits, as well as stage design for Kresge Auditorium and the interior design of a 15,000 sq. ft. temporary pavilion installed on campus for the inaugural event.

The Results
The first Solve exceeded its revenue targets and brought luminaries including Laurene Powell Jobs, Eric Schmidt and UN economist Jeffrey Sachs together to make tangible progress against its four program pillars: Learn, Cure, Fuel and Make. Solve 2.0 has already been scheduled for September 2016.