American Coatings Show & Conference
Industry
Specialty chemicals and
manufacturing industry
Scope of Work
Physical Environments, Visual Identity, Social Assets, Mobile App, Brand Strategy
American Coatings Show — Six Years of Design & Creative Direction
Over the course of work provided, the design direction for the ACS Show Daily, the newspaper distributed each day of the show, the Conference program design, and creative direction for the show's welcome video rounded out a body of work spanning nearly every physical and printed touchpoint of the event.
Environmental Graphics & City Signage
Design extended beyond the show floor and into the host city itself, giving ACS a physical presence attendees encountered before they ever reached the venue. Large-scale environmental graphics throughout the exhibition space — banners, hanging signage, and branded wayfinding — immersed attendees in the show's identity from the moment they walked in, while signage placed throughout the city announced the show's arrival and built a sense of citywide occasion around the event.
ACS Show Daily
Design direction was established for the ACS Show Daily, the newspaper distributed each morning of the show. Serving as the event's daily voice, the publication required a layout that felt authoritative and easy to scan quickly between sessions, while staying visually consistent with the broader show identity across all four days of coverage.
Welcome Video
Creative direction was provided for the show's welcome video, the piece that opens the event and sets the tone for attendees before they ever step onto the floor. Designed to feel energetic and on-brand with the broader ACS identity, the video established the visual language attendees would then recognize throughout the physical show — carrying the same look and feel from screen to signage to show floor. The video also served a second life on social media, extending the show's opening moment to audiences following ACS online and building anticipation ahead of the event itself.
Exhibitor Toolkit — Canva Social Templates
The concept was kept intentionally simple — logo, exhibitor text, and booth location, with no unnecessary elements. Since most ACS exhibitors are manufacturers, the design drew on the technical, clean aesthetic of the labels and product imagery already familiar to that audience, rather than generic social media content. Attention to contrast and legibility ensured the templates also met ADA compliance standards, making them accessible as well as polished. Functionally, they served less as a marketing tool and more as a badge of presence — a way for each company to proudly announce their participation in ACS, the paint and coatings industry's most significant annual event.
