Kawasaki Unleashed Dealer Meeting Design
Kawasaki Unleashed Dealer Meeting Design
Kawasaki is known for raucous machines that launch through the air, and this trade show look matches that same intensity. The typography is built to feel fast, loud, and aggressive, capturing the split-second energy of a rider at full throttle and pulling that adrenaline into a bold, high-impact brand moment on the show floor.
Kawasaki is known for raucous machines that launch through the air, and this trade show look matches that same intensity. The typography is built to feel fast, loud, and aggressive, capturing the split-second energy of a rider at full throttle and pulling that adrenaline into a bold, high-impact brand moment on the show floor.
Client
Kawasaki and Astound
CAtegory
Trade Show Design
ARTIST
Clay Carpenter
Product Duration
3 Days
PUSHING THE BOUNDRIES OF DESIGN
For the Kawasaki Unleashed RFP with Astound Group, “out of the box” and “pushing boundaries” had to be defined in a way that felt true to Kawasaki, not just loud for the sake of being loud. In round two, when Kawasaki asked Astound to go further, I was brought in at the eleventh hour to reframe the creative with a typography-forward approach that captured the brand at full tilt. The goal was to establish shared criteria that could scale across the entire footprint, creating a cohesive communications model that could stretch from one end of the show to the other while still hitting with maximum intensity. The result was a radical, high-energy visual language that felt fast, aggressive, and unmistakably Kawasaki, and yes…it helped Astound win the business.
For the Kawasaki Unleashed RFP with Astound Group, “out of the box” and “pushing boundaries” had to be defined in a way that felt true to Kawasaki, not just loud for the sake of being loud. In round two, when Kawasaki asked Astound to go further, I was brought in at the eleventh hour to reframe the creative with a typography-forward approach that captured the brand at full tilt. The goal was to establish shared criteria that could scale across the entire footprint, creating a cohesive communications model that could stretch from one end of the show to the other while still hitting with maximum intensity. The result was a radical, high-energy visual language that felt fast, aggressive, and unmistakably Kawasaki, and yes…it helped Astound win the business.
For the Kawasaki Unleashed RFP with Astound Group, “out of the box” and “pushing boundaries” had to be defined in a way that felt true to Kawasaki, not just loud for the sake of being loud. In round two, when Kawasaki asked Astound to go further, I was brought in at the eleventh hour to reframe the creative with a typography-forward approach that captured the brand at full tilt. The goal was to establish shared criteria that could scale across the entire footprint, creating a cohesive communications model that could stretch from one end of the show to the other while still hitting with maximum intensity. The result was a radical, high-energy visual language that felt fast, aggressive, and unmistakably Kawasaki, and yes…it helped Astound win the business.
BOLD TYPOGRAPHY
I started by pulling letterforms from multiple bold, condensed, industrial-style fonts, then chopping and recombining them into a unified word-marks with more attitude and motion than any single typeface could deliver. I treated each character as its own component, which let me introduce hard cuts, collisions, and overlaps that build tension and speed. From there, I refined kerning, alignment, and rhythm so the word reads instantly, even at a glance. Finally, I pushed scale and weight shifts to amplify the chaos and make the type feel like it is launching off the page.
I started by pulling letterforms from multiple bold, condensed, industrial-style fonts, then chopping and recombining them into a unified word-marks with more attitude and motion than any single typeface could deliver. I treated each character as its own component, which let me introduce hard cuts, collisions, and overlaps that build tension and speed. From there, I refined kerning, alignment, and rhythm so the word reads instantly, even at a glance. Finally, I pushed scale and weight shifts to amplify the chaos and make the type feel like it is launching off the page.
I started by pulling letterforms from multiple bold, condensed, industrial-style fonts, then chopping and recombining them into a unified word-marks with more attitude and motion than any single typeface could deliver. I treated each character as its own component, which let me introduce hard cuts, collisions, and overlaps that build tension and speed. From there, I refined kerning, alignment, and rhythm so the word reads instantly, even at a glance. Finally, I pushed scale and weight shifts to amplify the chaos and make the type feel like it is launching off the page.
APPLYING THE LOOK
When developing a design system, the real test is scalability across every touchpoint. We validated the Kawasaki show look by applying it to high-visibility event graphics and experiential design assets, including shuttle bus wraps, way-finding signage, and on-site mini apps. By stress testing typography, color, and layout rules in real-world formats, we ensured the visual identity stayed bold, consistent, and instantly recognizable from arrival to the show floor.
When developing a design system, the real test is scalability across every touchpoint. We validated the Kawasaki show look by applying it to high-visibility event graphics and experiential design assets, including shuttle bus wraps, way-finding signage, and on-site mini apps. By stress testing typography, color, and layout rules in real-world formats, we ensured the visual identity stayed bold, consistent, and instantly recognizable from arrival to the show floor.
When developing a design system, the real test is scalability across every touchpoint. We validated the Kawasaki show look by applying it to high-visibility event graphics and experiential design assets, including shuttle bus wraps, way-finding signage, and on-site mini apps. By stress testing typography, color, and layout rules in real-world formats, we ensured the visual identity stayed bold, consistent, and instantly recognizable from arrival to the show floor.
PROBLEMS
Sometimes you get years, months, or weeks to refine a concept, but this project gave us a single weekend. I stepped in late, set a clear creative north star, and quickly translated “push the boundaries” into a typography-driven direction that felt like Kawasaki at full throttle. From there, I broke the work into focused pieces, delegated key explorations to a talented art director, and kept the team aligned through fast, decisive feedback loops. The result was a fully formed, high-impact show look delivered in days, not weeks, and it landed as the winning concept.
Sometimes you get years, months, or weeks to refine a concept, but this project gave us a single weekend. I stepped in late, set a clear creative north star, and quickly translated “push the boundaries” into a typography-driven direction that felt like Kawasaki at full throttle. From there, I broke the work into focused pieces, delegated key explorations to a talented art director, and kept the team aligned through fast, decisive feedback loops. The result was a fully formed, high-impact show look delivered in days, not weeks, and it landed as the winning concept.
Sometimes you get years, months, or weeks to refine a concept, but this project gave us a single weekend. I stepped in late, set a clear creative north star, and quickly translated “push the boundaries” into a typography-driven direction that felt like Kawasaki at full throttle. From there, I broke the work into focused pieces, delegated key explorations to a talented art director, and kept the team aligned through fast, decisive feedback loops. The result was a fully formed, high-impact show look delivered in days, not weeks, and it landed as the winning concept.
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