History in the making. DjangoCon Africa 2023 was the first-ever Django conference on African soil—and I had the honor of creating its visual identity. From logo to website to badge design, every element blended Django's community spirit with African visual culture. 300+ developers from 40 countries gathered in Zanzibar, and the design helped make it unforgettable.
This wasn't just another tech conference—it was a statement. The first DjangoCon in Africa needed to honor the global Django community while proudly showcasing African identity. The brand had to work across digital (website, social media) and physical (badges, banners, signage) touchpoints. Timeline was tight: 3 months from concept to 300-person event. And as a volunteer project, resources were limited.
Created a brand identity that marries Django's iconic green with Zanzibar's vibrant culture. The logo incorporates geometric patterns inspired by Swahili door carvings. The color palette draws from Zanzibar sunsets—warm golds, ocean blues, and spice-market reds. The website handled 50,000+ visitors with seamless registration, speaker profiles, and schedule builder. Print materials brought the brand to life in physical space. I even coached at Django Girls Zanzibar as part of the event.
How we brought this project to life
Studied DjangoCon events globally: US, Europe, Australia. Interviewed past organizers about brand evolution. Researched Zanzibar's visual culture: Swahili architecture, door carvings, spice market colors. Found the intersection: global tech community meets African hospitality.
Designed logo combining Django's iconic pony with geometric patterns from Swahili doors. Created primary palette: Django Green + Zanzibar Gold + Ocean Blue + Spice Red. Developed brand guidelines ensuring consistency across 50+ touchpoints. The visual language feels both authentically African and globally welcoming.
Built responsive website handling 50,000+ visitors. Speaker profiles with photos, bios, and social links. Schedule builder with session filtering and calendar export. Sponsor showcase with tiered visibility. Registration flow integrated with payment processing. The site performed flawlessly under peak traffic.
Designed attendee badges with name, pronouns, and country flag. Created roll-up banners, stage backdrop, and session signage. Wayfinding system for the venue. Speaker certificates and sponsor acknowledgments. Social media templates for live updates. Every physical item reinforced the brand experience.
Volunteered throughout the event, handling last-minute design requests (speaker slides, emergency signage). Photographed key sessions for post-event content. Most meaningfully: coached at Django Girls Zanzibar, introducing 30 young women to Python programming. The highlight of my year.
Created comprehensive brand guide for future DjangoCon Africa events. Organized all design files in shared drive. Documented website architecture and CMS usage. Left organizers with everything they need to run future events without external design help.
The visual identity of this project
See the transformation
How it looks on different devices
Explore the design details
Measurable impact and outcomes
From 40+ countries
Peak traffic handled
Before event
Historic milestone
Django Girls
On event day
"Jackson's volunteer work gave DjangoCon Africa a visual identity that rivals conferences with 10x the budget. Every attendee commented on the beautiful badges, the professional website, the cohesive brand. But what touched me most was watching him coach at Django Girls—he gave those young women the same attention to detail he gave our brand. That's who Jackson is: excellence in everything he touches."
