Collaboration
Engaged with the client’s team to align on goals, identify key themes, and develop a strategic plan under a tight deadline.
3D Illustrations
Created dynamic hand-illustrated artwork, transforming complex concepts into visually engaging designs that captivate, communicate, and preserve the original artist's vision.
Design Excellence
Delivered the final logo to the client for use in their promotional materials and signage.
ICCEES 2020
World Congress logo
In late 2018, I was commissioned to craft the official logo for the ICCEES 2020 World Congress at Concordia University in Montréal. Drawing direct inspiration—with full written permission—from Anthony Howe’s mesmerizing kinetic sculpture Di-Octo, Jeff Poissant, RGD, created a dynamic, contemporary mark that pulses with energy, celebrates Canadian heritage, and reflects Montréal’s creative spirit.
The result? A bold emblem that perfectly embodied international scholarship in motion. Even when the 2020 congress shifted online, this logo continued to captivate thousands of scholars worldwide. We’re still thrilled with how it moved people—literally and figuratively!
The final Logo design
ICCEES 10th World Congress
Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec.
August 4th to the 9th, 2020.
Design by Jeff Poissant, RGD
All Rights Reserved. Copyright 2019.
Here are some words from the organizing committee’s co-chair, Dr. Alison Rowley, on why she chose Concordia’s Di-Octo sculpture as the logo for ICCEES 2020:
“The ICCEES 2020 logo is a rendering of the beautiful Di-Octo sculpture that became part of the Concordia landscape in September 2017. While this work of art was officially donated to commemorate the 375th anniversary of the city of Montreal as well as the 150th anniversary of the Canadian Confederation, it has always meant more than that to me. I see the sculpture every time I come to campus and remain fascinated by its kinetic movement. To me, the arms of the sculpture move as if to gather people together before the pieces then launch them back into the world. In other words, the sculpture stands as a metaphor for what I believe is the mission of universities and events such as ICCEES congresses: they bring people together to exchange ideas and to learn from one another before returning them, enriched and emboldened, to their own milieu. As such, the sculpture also offers a visual
representation of the theme of our congress, Bridging National and Global Perspectives. I hope that every participant at ICCEES 2020 gets a chance to watch the Di-Octo sculpture for a few minutes, and I hope it speaks to them as strongly as it does to me.“
Dr. Alison Rowley
President, Canadian Association of Slavists
Professor, Department of History
Read about the generous donation of Di-Octo by Concordia’s Chancellor and his wife, Jonathan and Susan Wener, and how it came to be part of the Concordia landscape here.
About the Logo Designer
Jeff Poissant, RGD, has been in the graphic design business for 24 years and is the Senior Creative Director and Media Specialist of Evolving Media & Design Inc.
American artist Anthony Howe
Di-Octo, the kinetic metal sculpture by American artist Anthony Howe, is the inspiration, with written permission, for the ICCEES World Congress logo designed by Jeff Poissant, RGD of Evolving Media.
The sculpture Di-Octo was donated to Concordia University by Chancellor Jonathan Wener and his wife, Susan Wener, on the occasion of Montreal’s 375th and Canada’s 150th anniversaries. It now stands at the corner of Mackay St. and de Maisonneuve Blvd. in downtown Montreal.
About ICCEES World Congress
ICCEES is a global consortium of national scholarly associations dedicated to multidisciplinary scholarly studies of Central and Eastern Europe, including former Soviet countries of Central Asia.
The ICCEES aims are to:
- Promote international scholarly exchange and cooperation in Central and Eastern European Studies by holding a World Congress every five years;
- Share experience and support in critical methods, scholarly publishing, and organizational skills; and
- Welcome young scholars working in the field.
The founding conference in Banff, Canada (1974) drew participants from 29 countries, and ICCEES continues to expand its international partnerships and connections.
