ABOUT YOU Awards

In the world of brand experience, few stages are as big — or as watched — as the ABOUT YOU Awards. Each year, this event gathers creators, celebrities, and cultural voices under one roof, turning digital influence into real-life presence.

I had the opportunity to contribute to this ambitious production as part of the creative direction and spatial design team, helping shape the physical identity of the 2019 edition — from stage design and red carpet moments to wayfinding, transitions, and visual rhythm across the venue.

The Challenge: Design for Live, Broadcast & Brand

Award shows are complex creatures. They must function as live experiences, TV spectacles, and brand statements — all at once. Each element has to perform on camera, in photos, on social media, and in the room.

That’s where design becomes orchestration.

Our challenge was to translate the ABOUT YOU brand — built on individuality, expression, and digital influence — into a cohesive, scalable environment that amplified each guest’s presence while maintaining visual and thematic consistency.

My Role: Spatial Concept & Experience Design

I was responsible for key parts of the spatial concept, supporting the core creative team with:

• Stage & backdrop development — helping visualize a space that felt both iconic and fluid across performances and award segments
• Transition architecture — designing the pathways, camera moments, and flow between red carpet, seating, and on-stage areas
• Material, light, and media integration — consulting on how surfaces interacted with projection, lighting, and broadcast framing
• Guest experience — ensuring that each space felt premium, legible, and photo-ready, without being overdesigned

The result was an event that didn’t just look good — it moved well. Every zone had purpose, and every visual element contributed to the overall rhythm of the show.

Designing for Attention Without Noise

In high-gloss events, there’s always a temptation to go big for the sake of it. But we approached the ABOUT YOU Awards with a different intention: to design quietly confident space that let the personalities shine — and the brand speak through clarity and detail, not distraction.

This project was a reminder that good event design is invisible when it works, and unforgettable when it’s right.

What I Took From It

Working on the ABOUT YOU Awards sharpened my sense for tempo, modularity, and narrative in space. It taught me how to collaborate under pressure, how to make design serve multiple channels at once, and how to protect creative integrity inside massive productions.

And it reminded me that even in spectacle, restraint is a superpower.