Bit by bit: how Play designed a fresh and fitting identity for OpenAI’s first DevDay conference

When OpenAI decided to host its very first DevDay – a one-day conference for hundreds of developers from around the globe – it began looking for an identity that would capture not just the forward-looking spirit of the company, but also this new venture that creates a space for a diverse pool of talent to meet and exchange ideas. San Francisco-based design studio Play, working alongside OpenAI’s Design team, took on the challenge and delivered a brand for the conference that feels both fresh and fitting, but in order to do so, they had to take a step back and look at the bigger picture for a starting point.

“We wanted to create something that would really speak to the DevDay attendees,” shares Founder & Executive Creative Director Casey Martin. “We’re talking about software and app developers from all over the planet. People who speak and build through code. So we thought why not speak to them in their own language? Why not build a design system centred around the foundational building block of computer data – the bit?” Once Play and the OpenAI Design team landed on the ‘bit’ – also known as the binary digit, the smallest unit of data that a computer can process and store – as the hero, they “went wild from there,” Martin adds. Experimenting and playing with the idea, they came up with numerous speckled patterns. They tugged at proportions, creating abstract results – from enlarged compositions, to a radiating ring made up of a smattering of pixels “that could scale up and down to macro and micro levels across all kinds of touchpoints.”

Play looked both within and outside the world of tech and conferences for points of inspiration of how this one idea for the identity could wrap around the whole event space. “We were interested in finding inspiration for event-specific opportunities to flex our design system’s strengths, like stage design and take-home swag,” shares Martin. The square bit served as their North Star at every touchpoint. “Its simplicity proved to be an incredibly strong asset, and it allowed for amazing flexibility,” he says.

It was seamlessly translated across applications – the stage, for example, had a series of overlapping wood panels that mimicked the patterns splashed across the event space; the wayfinding system was built through stacks of cubes, where each cube featured bit patterns, directional typography and logos; the bit showed up even in the smallest details, such as enamel pins and embroidered, Tetris-esque patterns on sweatshirt sleeves. “It’s always tough to imagine how flat designs on screen will transition into a large physical space,” Martin tells us. “But we partnered with the production masters at Strong Brew, who could not have proven to be greater experts when it came to bringing the design system to life.”

To temper the spirit of experimentation crucial to their visual take on the identity, Play rooted the typography and the colour palette in a sense of familiarity. The team chose to work with OpenAI’s existing typefaces – Signifier with Söhne Mono – but reconfigured the hierarchy to freshen it up for the event. Signifier was chosen for headlines, “because serif typefaces are less common in the tech space,” while Söhne Mono – used in the wordmark – reflected the computer code that developers use every day. Seen on the stage screen and walls, the wordmark is also cleverly used in a repetitive pattern, further likening the visual to a block of code.

In keeping with the type system, the colours were also picked from OpenAI’s wider palette, opting for warmer hues to lend to the welcoming spirit of the conference. “The range of colours also did a wonderful job of reflecting and speaking to the diversity of ideas and people at the event,” shares Martin. “We paired the colours in contrasting hues to create a sense of control, given the expansiveness of the palette.”

By creating a fine balance between the fresh and the familiar, Play successfully delivered an identity that not just speaks to OpenAI’s community of developers and thought leaders in the tech space, but one that immediately captures the essence of a conference and a company asking important questions about how technology will continue to shape our collective future.

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OpenAI DevDay