Quantum LEAP Conference 2023

In 2023, Quantum Metric brought its flagship conference, LEAP, fully in-house for the first time. This shift marked a pivotal moment for the brand, prompting a refreshed visual identity and greater creative ownership. I led the art direction for both the new LEAP logo and the design system for the 2023 conference.

Creative Director
Michael Moulton

Art Direction, Motion, Video
Steve Fisher

Illustration
Jason McAloon / Maciej Krupa

LEAP Intro deliverable - motion - Steve Fisher | Script – Mads Herring

Conference branding

Since this was our first in-person conference after the pandemic, we wanted the experience to be beautiful, especially in such a well-known space. We had a clear direction from the start, and the brand was built around the theme: “Guided Empathy, Endless Impact.” How is empathy visualized?Being in a venue with such a deep musical history helped shape that answer. Sound waves felt like the perfect symbol. They bounce off one another, overlap, and build into something more. That idea became the foundation for the visual identity of the event.

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2023 Direction
Guided empathy, endless impact.
Compassionate empathy goes beyond simply understanding others and sharing their feelings: it actually moves us to take action, to help however we can.
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Event Photography, Motion – Steve Fisher | Graphic, Jason McAloon

Brand strategy

From the beginning, the goal for LEAP was to feel bigger than we were. One of the best ways to do that was by expanding the brand palette to create a more unique and immersive experience. We introduced purple and navy tones and used gradients that faded smoothly into each other, giving the visuals a polished and dynamic feel.For the LEAP logo, we moved away from the blocky, paper-inspired imagery used in earlier versions. We wanted a mark that could stand on its own but still feel like part of the Quantum Metric brand. It needed to be flexible enough to work in any location or context, while still being instantly recognizable.

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Experience

We had to lead our marketing efforts with a clear goal– convince people and companies that it was worth investing in sending their teams back to in-person events. Our last two conferences were virtual, so this was a big shift. To help bridge that gap, we pulled in footage from past events and combined it with more stylized, energetic slides. The goal was to build excitement and momentum. We wanted to show the best version of our brand for this first post-pandemic conference.

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Photography

I was on-site at LEAP to capture photography and video content that would power the marketing for the following year's event. My focus was on documenting the energy, emotion, and scale of the experience. Everything from the keynote moments to candid interactions between attendees. At the same time, I kept a clear eye on what kinds of visuals would be most valuable for future promotional use. That meant thinking ahead: capturing content with next year’s campaigns, ads, and brand storytelling in mind, not just what looked good in the moment.

LEAP party photography.LEAP party guests.LEAP brand elementMario Ciabarra on stage.Atlas booth.On-stage panel