At Clay, we love a strong brand presence, and it was amazing to see how much thought went into booth design, experiences, and merch at Adobe Summit this year.
Adobe itself, as the host, struck a great balance between conference design, activities, and speaker programming.
The biggest merch trend this year wasn’t t-shirts or totes, it was plush mascot toys, from lions to sloths. At Clay, we know a mascot can be a powerful brand asset, but if you’re thinking about creating one, we always recommend testing a few directions with your target audience first - just to make sure it truly reflects your brand story.
We’re also proud to say that our own merch, custom caps this time, was among the most popular at the conference. We ran out way earlier than expected :)
The best merch prize, in our opinion, goes to Glassbox for custom lunchboxes featuring Marvel or DC characters, loved by swag-hunting adults and their kids alike.
The Most Fun (and Visited) Booths
A few booths had lines all day, and the reason was usually the same: they gave people something to do.
Adobe took two swings and landed both: DIY merch customization at one station and, across the aisle, a kittens-and-puppies play area supporting local shelters. Both drew crowds, and neither required a product pitch.
Adobe Booth
Quantum Metric got straight to the point with a claw machine loaded with a real Birkin bag.
Quantum Metric Booth
FullStory set up a tabletop race car track that turned the show floor into a pit lane.
And Cvent kept the airbrush queue busy all weekend with custom t-shirts that attendees actually wore home.
The Most Creative and On-Brand Booths (in Our Opinion)
Shift the lens from crowds to craft, and a different group rises to the top.
Huge stripped everything back to a minimalist set piece with beautifully balanced video assets - a booth that trusted the work to speak.
Huge Booth
Semrush showed up with a sleek, modern footprint that carried their recent rebrand through every surface.
Semrush Booth
Qualified Digital reimagined the booth as a hotel reception, playful without tipping into kitsch.
Qualified Digital Booth
Hootsuite pulled the same trick that made them our favorite at Money20/20, this time styling the space as a retro newsstand: more proof that a smaller footprint, executed well, can outperform the giants.
Code & Theory took the opposite tack: a spacious setup with table tennis, standout video work, and a presence you couldn't walk past.
Code & Theory Booth
Adobe Summit was amazing. Our next stop is Config!
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P.S.
As designers, our team is always searching for inspiration. Outside of the Adobe Summit agenda, Clay visited the Neon Museum in Las Vegas. If you’re looking for brand and especially typography inspiration, we highly recommend adding it to your list.
About Clay
Clay is a UI/UX design & branding agency in San Francisco. We team up with startups and leading brands to create transformative digital experience. Clients: Facebook, Slack, Google, Amazon, Credit Karma, Zenefits, etc.
Learn moreAbout Clay
Clay is a UI/UX design & branding agency in San Francisco. We team up with startups and leading brands to create transformative digital experience. Clients: Facebook, Slack, Google, Amazon, Credit Karma, Zenefits, etc.
Learn more
