simnato
0→1 branding and marketing for an innovative style of high school debate conference.
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problem
model united nations (mun) is a debate simulation for high schoolers and college students that simulates the decision-making of the united nations, meant to nurture international awareness, critical thinking, and collaboration. but the mun scene in vancouver has become sterile, with conferences running unoriginal committees that encourage rote memorization and award-chasing. students were no longer learning how to resolve world issues in a realistic manner; rather, they were encouraged to use the same speech and resolution document formats over and over, undermining the entire idea of mun as a vehicle for educating future world leaders.
solution
as the name suggests, simulation nato, or simnato, is a simulation of the branches of nato. our aim was to introduce novel mechanics and stimulate innovation in the mun scene: we wanted to get rid of awards, to reward collaboration by making it the biggest scoring metric, and to introduce workshops and other opportunities to learn from experts. we introduced the "crisis" format, where delegates are given (sometimes unexpected!) live "results" of their decisions, forcing them to think and come up with new ideas on the spot. which means: no canned speeches. no chatgpt'ed resolution papers. only mistakes, connection, and growth.
as a key advisor, designer, and marketer on the launch team, i led 0→1 market analysis and brand design efforts for simnato. we knew that we wanted to break from the traditional audience and brand of mun conferences — wealthy students, crest/shield iconography, traditional colors — and make something new.
i conducted a comprehensive market analysis with a report of trends, drivers, barriers, and a forecast, conducting and integrating 50+ interviews with the target audience to create 5 key personas.
based on our discoveries, i led a team to design a brand identity from 0, undergoing three rounds of revisions over two months.
we knew what we didn't want to look like: the traditional mun conference, with logos derived from the un wreath and websites/social media made from the same templates. instead, we loved the idea of shooting above and beyond the current landscape, integrating a star/arrow motif reminiscent of the nato compass — an attempt at balancing the old and new styles of mun, while communicatng innovation and excellence. at the same time, we iterated through almost 15 different color systems before settling on refined nato blues and lustrous golds, contrasted with sky blues and gradients suggest something a bit more dynamic. our sans-serif font system is modern and even a bit spirited.
at the end of our revisions, we ended with something bold and innovative that nevertheless took root in the model united nations that our consumers knew and loved.
deliverables included nametags, placards, handbooks, and more materials that would be distributed to conference attendees.
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