An Introduction to Conferences
Just as this program was going to print (yes, it was pre-Internet) the paper arrived and was discovered to be slightly heavier than expected.
Four pages had to disappear over a weekend or the postage would be double the budget for the 30,000 copies.
Lessons learned: Expect the unexpected, and always design layouts to be as flexible as possible.
Make it Pocket-sized
This program was especially complicated because of its size (4 x 8½“). It was spiral bound and some of the pages had to be inserted as fold-outs to accommodate the format of the conference.
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Turn it Sideways
Small (7 x 4½“), this program included a complicated (but easy to read) schedule with 20 concurrent sessions and an interactive author index.
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Moving to Digital
Publications are still necessary, but rather than printing and mailing them, they are emailed as PDFs. Recipients can then print locally if desired.
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Detailed information that was time-sensitive had to be provided in both North American and European formats. The solution was to design a single layout that worked for printing on either an 8½ x 11“ or an A4-sized sheet.
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The Future of Digital
Websites, and more recently apps, have changed the way conferences are run and how information is shared. However, print still has some advantages:
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It's disposable and recyclable;
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It's familiar;
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It will likely be available for longer than the digital equivalent;
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It will probably last longer than the digital equivalent;
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It's still a very good way to promote your online presence.
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Digital presentation requires a range of sizes to fit common screens and orientations, ranging from a 57 pixel square to a 2048 x 1496 pixel screen page.
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Since 1996, ALDI Design has produced material for more than a hundred conferences and trade shows. Impossible deadlines are met with intelligent design (not the evolutionary kind); old-fashioned client service; and a healthy dose of good humour.