Future State

Together with New Zealand’s leading telco, Spark, Semi Permanent concepted, curated, designed and produced a multi-platform, multi-year program titled Future State. Comprising a series of high-impact business briefings led by innovators at world-changing companies, Future State brings together New Zealand’s business community with compelling live events and digital content.

Drawing on Semi Permanent’s rich network of relationships, real-life case studies drawn from some of the world’s most recognised and successful companies are shared as part of the Future State platform, with speakers including Danielle Krettek (Founder, Google Empathy Lab), Mark Adams (Chief Innovation Officer, VICE Media), Constantine Gavrykov (Global Director of Digital Experience Design, adidas), Eva Kruse (Global Chief Engagement Officer, PANGAIA), and Dr Leyla Acaroglu (CEO & Founder, The UnSchool & Disrupt Design). Through this first-hand access to global talent, attendees are granted a unique opportunity to learn game-changing leadership strategies, find renewed approaches to innovation, and discover ways to drive commercial success through technological and creative development.

Each of the twice-yearly events and video series is programmed to focus on a dominant aspect of contemporary business, ensuring attendees have the chance to stay ahead of emerging technological, commercial, creative, and cultural trends to best position their businesses and work for long-term success. Where the first edition was dedicated to exploring the driving forces behind the next era of the internet and developments such as the metaverse, virtual tourism, data sovereignty, AI, VR, gamification, and UX and UI design, the second edition was focused on unpacking the challenges and challenges of cutting-edge circular design systems, resource maximisation, audience engagement strategies and open-source collaboration. Integral to programming of each series is looking beyond actionable insights into new technologies through the application of a humanistic lens to the subject matter to better understand how it applies to, and respects, people and the planet.

The Future State platform was brought to life through a custom visual identity that leveraged both Semi Permanent and Spark’s own brand recognition and which was founded on a clear and sole belief that the future is a state, not a destination. We believe the world of tomorrow is already here and that the answers to the industry's biggest questions are right before our eyes. This bold brand idea informs our name, why we exist, how we speak and every decision we make.

The event requires a logo that would speak to the idea of futurism while avoiding design cliches around the theme and remain clear and legible. Inspired by the punched tape used to speak with computers in an earlier era, the main wordmark is built with a custom typeface on a dot-grid system.

To help shape Future State's visual language, we crafted a suite of graphics as well as systems that allow us to create distinct assets for the brand. The Arrow Symbol, for example, represents upward progression and reflects the future-first momentum of the brand, while the geometry of the Circle Motif is foundational to the brand's visual language, informing everything from graphics to typography. It's used as a secondary element to bolster the design and give graphic detail to compositions.

The Tape Device is a nod to both printed computer tape and digital LED boards from stock markets. This device adds a sense of movement to the designs and allows content to repeat on screen, creating moments for storytelling. To give the brand more variety in graphic elements, a suite of pictograms capture the themes and topics of Future State's speakers. Each is built on a strict grid system, and they're designed to give the audience a glimpse into what will be spoken about in the talks.