Role: Art Director
Scope: Concept Development, Art Direction, Design, Environmental Design, Wayfinding Design
The Starting Point
SAP Winners Circle was built to recognize the company’s top employees with a special week in Hawaii. HALO was already involved with product and gifting, and the initial brief focused on activations and premium items for attendees to take home.
Early in the project, I saw an opportunity to make the experience feel larger and more connected. Instead of presenting a collection of products, we could shape how guests encountered SAP from the moment they arrived through the final goodbye. That shift became the foundation for the work.
I led a team of designers toward one central visual direction rather than separate treatments for each resort. We developed First Light, a calm, polished arrival chapter for the event. The concept stayed rooted in SAP while making room for the setting. We used the North Star and SAP anvil-inspired mark as the foundation, then introduced layered blues, lagoon, ivory, and restrained gold to suggest Maui through light and color. We avoided obvious tropical graphics and kept the system modern, precise, and unmistakably SAP. I guided the team through two approaches: one that stayed close to SAP’s established visual language and another that brought in more warmth from the location. First Light became the stronger direction because it gave us enough personality to feel special without losing the client’s brand.
SAP WINNERS CIRCLE
Leading the Environmental Design
With the concept established, I directed the team in applying it across the arrival experience. We explored a branded check-in lobby, counter wraps, welcome panels, standing banners, room keys, lanyards, drink menus, window graphics, and wayfinding.
My focus was to make the branding feel built into the space rather than placed on top of it. I pushed the team to reduce unnecessary copy, create a clearer hierarchy, and use the visual system as architectural dressing. The result was a more considered arrival that felt closer to a luxury hotel installation than standard event signage.
That same direction carried into the activations. The sunglasses experience became a curated selection moment. Fragrance became a sensory retail experience. Oura Ring became a modern wellness offering. Junior Navigator gave families their own way to participate through a passport and collectible stamps. Each idea had its own purpose, but all of them belonged to the same SAP event.
The Result
The final pitch showed how SAP Winners Circle could grow from a product and gifting program into a complete brand experience. It connected the environment, the products, and the live moments through one clear visual language. My role was to set the point of view, lead the design team, make the hard edits, and keep every application working toward the same goal. The success of the project was not just in creating a strong concept. It was in showing how a focused art direction could bring many designers, spaces, products, and experiences together into one confident story.
For me, First Light is a strong example of the kind of art direction I want to keep doing: finding the larger opportunity, giving a team a clear direction, and making the final work feel thoughtful from the first impression forward.