About the author: Joe Sparano is with Oxide Design Co., a communications and information design firm in Omaha.

Note: We’ve been fortunate to have Oxide, a four-person team of talented, passionate and hard-working individuals, as our exclusive design partner since the inaugural Big Omaha in 2009. This year, their design work takes the iconic Big Omaha bovine to the next level in a bold and personal way.

Why we like branding Big Omaha

1. Silicon Prairie News trusts us,
2. the branding is an essential and enduring part of the conference,
3. but … the branding is irrelevant to selling tickets.

Together, that means no matter how the conference is branded, it’ll still be a massive success.

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So, if there’s no risk in doing it wrong, we can try some wacky things to make sure it’s really right. The best branding is idiosyncratic. It can only work for the thing it’s communicating about. It’s specific, appropriate, and meaningful.

But for Oxide, that means we’re allowed to try something that makes so much sense — that’s so specific — that it ends up being kinda weird.

SPN told us that the focus this year is on the relationships that start and build at the conference. Big Omaha isn’t just a place to hear people talk. It’s a place to participate. Everyone (attendees and speakers) are on equal ground, and that means everyone is a part of everything that’s happening.

There’s no image of the giant cow

He’s coming down off the pedestal. Even though he’s respected and loved, he’s also humble, and he recognizes that he’s the one bringing everyone together. He’s as much a participant in the conference as you are.

We’re really proud of this year’s branding. It’s weird, but it takes some chances that we rarely get the opportunity to take. Branding for Big Omaha isn’t an opportunity we take lightly, and we’ve worked to find a concept that really makes sense — and only makes sense — for Big Omaha.

The pink scribbles are intentionally and shamelessly personal. Big Omaha is big, but it’s also intimate. And the connections made there last a lot longer than 3 days in May. The giant cow represents those connections, and he’s there to support, listen, and inspire all year long.

Big Omaha 2012 poster, used to illustrate the concept to SPN early on

Big Omaha 2012 lettering and sketches, prior to scanning

Big Omaha 2012 lettering and sketches, prior to scanning

Credits: Images courtesy of Oxide Design Co.