From Brand to Belonging: Earn Your Community [OS230]
Watch it here!
The Making of an Adobe MAX Talk
Adobe Max invited me to speak as part of a new content segment exploring brand strategy. I pitched a session on how brand strategy can be used to build community, a theme central to my work, and the proposal was accepted.
The talk, From Brand to Belonging, aimed to distill years of experience in community-driven branding into a 15-minute session that would resonate across disciplines. It marked a shift from presenting visual design to presenting strategic thinking: the principles that shape how communities form around creative work.
Shaping the Concept
While most Adobe MAX talks follow a slide-driven format, this project called for a different approach. I wanted to move beyond bullet points and frameworks to create something cinematic, a story that could be felt, not just understood.
After attending similar talks in the past, I noticed that strategy was often explained through static slides and stock imagery. To avoid that, I sent Adobe a placeholder deck while I rethought the entire format from scratch.
Writing the Script
Writing became the foundation of the process. Compressing a full brand strategy framework into a short, accessible talk required precision and restraint. My goal was to balance insight and storytelling, to make something that felt grounded yet inspiring.
Over the course of a month, the script went through more than thirty iterations. Each revision refined the rhythm, pacing, and phrasing until the message was clear: strategy is not abstract, it is human.
Editing and Visual Direction
Although Adobe offered to handle the video editing, I chose to produce it myself to preserve the narrative flow I envisioned. This decision added significantly to the production timeline but allowed full creative control over how the story unfolded.
Instead of relying on slides, the talk was built around real footage from Ottawa Design Club events: speakers, attendees, shared laughter, and small gestures that reflected belonging in action. The footage became the visual language of the talk, translating theoretical ideas into tangible moments.
Representing Ottawa on a Global Stage
Using the Ottawa Design Club as the central narrative thread allowed me to spotlight the creative energy of a local community on a global platform. It transformed a volunteer-driven initiative into a case study for how design, storytelling, and shared purpose intersect.
The opportunity to feature Ottawa’s creative scene within the world’s largest design conference was both a personal and professional milestone.
Lessons in Storytelling
Condensing years of strategy into a short format required a new way of thinking about teaching. Every second had to serve the story. Repetition was used deliberately, not by restating points, but by revisiting ideas through new visual and tonal cues.
The edit became an exercise in rhythm. The storytelling was the strategy: the structure itself mirrored how strong branding works through consistency, pacing, and emotional connection.
Reflections
Producing and editing the talk independently revealed how much strategy depends on clarity of communication. The process reinforced my belief that brand strategy must be shared in a way that feels lived, not lectured.
From Brand to Belonging premieres at Adobe MAX alongside two Adobe Live sessions, First Takes: Reimagining Creativity and Creative Face-Off, both exploring the role of experimentation and collaboration in design.
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