AI Pitch Competition

A competition for AI startups in the Brabant region.

2024

Artificial intelligence has become a growing focus within the Brabant startup ecosystem, bringing together founders, researchers, and investors working on new applications of the technology. The AI Pitch Competition builds on that momentum, creating a stage for startups to present their ideas and connect with the people helping move these ideas forward.

My work on the competition focused on developing its visual identity and the materials surrounding it. The goal was to shape a presence that reflects the technological nature of the subject while remaining clear and approachable to the wider audience engaging with the competition.

Services

Brand Identity
Website Design
Digital & Print Materials
Hand-drawn logo of AI Pitch Competition with code snippets, including HTML tags and shapes for code structure, with a circled note saying 'Code shapes'.
Comparison of four logos for 'AI Pitch Competition'. The logos feature stylized the letters 'A' and 'I' with varying designs, displayed in pairs over white and black backgrounds.

Drawing from the world of artificial intelligence.

Logo Design

I developed the logo around the world artificial intelligence partly grows out of: software and code. Many of the founders taking part in the competition build their ideas in programming environments where symbols and structures are the way systems are written and understood.

Among those symbols, the <> brackets appear throughout programming languages and are widely recognized within coding environments. Using them as a starting point allowed the logo to connect with the technical nature of the competition while remaining simple and recognizable to a wider startup audience.

See here for the other logo proposals I made for the AI Pitch Competition.

A graphic design showing different fonts and weights of the Roboto Mono typeface, with text describing its tech-oriented look, clear resemblance to coding fonts, and suitability for AI-focused themes.
Typography sample sheet displaying the font 'Roboto' in various weights and styles, including Light, Regular, Medium, and Bold, with large examples of the letters 'Aa' and descriptive text about the typeface's usage and appearance.
A color palette with five vertical sections, each labeled with the color name and hex code.

A language that feels familiar.

Visual Language

While developing the visual language, I looked closely at the environments many founders in the competition may have worked every day. These often have darker interfaces and strong contrast, a visual style that has become familiar in programming.

I wanted the visual language of the competition to resonate subtly. Typography and color follow a similar logic: creating visuals that feel familiar to people working in technical fields while still remaining clear for the broader audience discovering the competition.

A desktop computer on a desk shows a webpage for the AI Pitch Competition, featuring a header with navigation options, an image of two people and a robot, and text about the competition with a call-to-action button.

Designing for a more technical environment.

Website Design

I approached the website as the central point where founders and visitors would first encounter the competition online. The platform needed to efficiently gather the essential information surrounding the program while still allowing people to move through it easily.

I kept the structure straightforward so details such as the jury, timeline, workshops and program information remain easy to locate without turning the site into a dense page of content as the information was prone to change frequently/on a regular basis.

To give the interface a slightly more technical character, I added subtle motion and typing effects throughout the website while keeping navigation clear and direct.

Promotional graphic for AI Pitch Competition, featuring the event title, logos, and a call-to-action button for registration.
Event post for an AI Pitch Competition Finale on November 7, 2024, from 14:15 to 16:00 at Evoluon, Eindhoven, featuring a photo of two smiling young adults, a woman and a man, working with a robotic arm, with logos at the top and bottom corners.

Designing for technical audiences.

Digital Materials

While working on the digital materials for the AI Pitch Competition, I spent time thinking about how the communication should feel as people encounter it. The competition brings together startups, partners, researchers and visitors around a rapidly evolving field, so the visuals needed to feel active and engaging rather than static.

I began searching for small visual cues that suggest interaction and movement within digital systems. Moments of motion, brief typing interactions and gradient colors introduce a rhythm across the communication, helping the materials portray a rather technical palette.

Throughout the program I prepared a range of digital materials, including announcements, workshop visuals and various screen files. Each of them followed the same visual direction so the communication would stay consistent while still adapting to the different moments of the competition.

A vertical flag banner with a gradient background, displaying the message 'A chance to shape the future' with logos and website link below.
Two black event badges with two different gradient colors with lanyards, one labeled 'FINALIST', both hanging against a gray background.
Design of a notebook for AI pitch competition, with a pen lying on top, displaying a sleek, modern design with the text 'Bring AI to life!'
Two pens, one black and one white, hanging vertically against a gray background. Both pens have the logo of AI Pitch Competition on them.
Signboard for AI Pitch Competition, featuring logos of partners, supported by the Province Noord-Brabant is written at the bottom.

Artificial intelligence beyond the screen.

Print Materials

The identity of AI Pitch Competition was originally shaped around digital spaces, where movement, motion and digital elements helped give the visuals their character. When working on the print materials, my challenge was keeping the same feeling once the identity was seen in the physical world.

To keep the same sense of motion present, I leaned more heavily on gradients. They allowed the visuals to retain the same energy the identity had on screen, helping the print materials stay connected to the technical atmosphere of the competition.

Competition Time

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Competition Time

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Competition Time ❋ Competition Time ✳︎

… and Action!

Much of the work happens behind the scenes but the competition itself is where everything comes together. Below is a glimpse of the first two editions of the competition.

Crowd of people attending AI Pitch Competition Finale event with booths and informational displays, including partner and sponsor logos..
Banner for the AI Pitch Competition with logos and text.
Notebooks on a table with the text "Bring AI to Life!" and a website URL, blurred in the background.
Group of people celebrating AI Pitch Competition winners on stage holding oversized checks with confetti.
People sitting with evaluating documents, for AI Pitch Competition finalist pitches, with one person holding a smartphone and another writing.
Two people walking toward an entrance with a large digital screen displaying 'Welcome to the How to Pitch Workshop' at Willem II Stadium.
A vertical banner of AI Pitch Competition, displaying logos of sponsors and partners, with a thank you message to partners at the event.
Business professionals at AI Summit Brainport, in a modern hallway, some engaging in conversations, others walking, with branded exhibition booths of AI Pitch Competition on the sides.
A collection of AI Pitch Competition badges with branded black lanyards arranged on a blue surface.
An audience listening to a presentation at the AI Pitch Competition Finale event. There are two screens displaying the event logo and a speaker, Bart Brouwers, who is giving a talk on innovation origins.
People at an AI Pitch Competition workshop engaging in conversation, with a vertical banner displaying the text 'A chance to shape the future' and mentioning 'Powered by Provincie Noord-Brabant'.
Sign for AI Pitch Competition and Workshop titled 'How to Pitch?' with a large screen showing the same workshop title and images of smiling people.
A person in the foreground is holding a smartphone, recording or taking a photo of an AI Pitch Competition finalists' pitch among a large audience.
A woman with long brown hair smiling and holding a speaker card with AI Pitch Competition logo, engaging in conversation with a man who is holding a notepad and pen, standing on a stage at the finale of AI Pitch Competition.