DASH by Datadog
Creative direction for keynote and event branding
Together with the entire brand creative team at Datadog, each year I own the creative and motion direction across Datadog's DASH conference, shaping how the brand shows up at every touchpoint: from LED screens throughout the event space, to social promo videos, OOH digital billboards, to countless other moments that define the attendee experience.
At the center of that work is the keynote: the conference's highest-visibility and most mission-critical component, where I art direct and lead work on demo video production, opening video, and keynote animations. Every year, the team holds high standards for this key moment for our brand, constantly evolving the event's look with cohesive, motion-forward graphics that coalesce into a bespoke visual experience.
Client:
Datadog
Role:
Visual systems, creative direction, motion design, live keynote production, and project management
Year:
2022-2026
Project Details
The Goal:
DASH is Datadog's flagship annual conference, drawing 3–4K+ attendees to the Javits Center in NYC for 2 days of product launches and hands-on learning. My involvement spans the full visual and motion footprint of the event: keynote stage, expo hall, OOH, and social. The goal each year is one cohesive, motion-forward identity that holds across every surface, with the keynote as its highest-stakes expression.
Process:
Me and my team of motion designers touch dozens of multi-disciplinary assets, produced on a compressed timeline while keynote product launch content stays in flux requiring fast iterations. On the keynote, I owned onboarding new speakers each year, briefing them on the creative and production formats for a successful keynote. This involves daily check-ins with engineering teams and PMs, iterating on keynote creative ideas together, as well as offering guidance and motion support for demo recordings. Together with design leadership, I translate live exec and C-level feedback into actionable plans and visual solutions.
Results:
DASH 2026 reached 4K+ attendees across 60+ sessions, with the keynote presentation anchoring the platform's biggest launch moments. Across the conference, my team delivered 180+ individual demo videos across 12 speakers; dozens of full-screen keynote animations; and 20+ environmental LED screen animations across the Javits Center — all unified by a single visual system. Social promo videos my team worked on drew over 10k total views across platforms like LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube — helping drive registration and buzz around this marquee event.
Social promo video
