Since 2006, Electronic Resource and Libraries (ER&L) has held its annual conference in person. The event is an opportunity for librarians and vendors to collect, manage, maintain, and make electronic resources accessible in an ever-changing online environment.

Like a signal beaming deep from space, Electronic Resource and Libraries (ER&L) contacted us in 2023 and asked if we wanted to work together again on the design theme for their upcoming 2024 conference. During our initial meeting we all loved the idea of "space camp" - a theme everyone at the conference could have some unconventional fun with.

Our design strategy was based on reviewing hundreds of space design concepts. Heejung and Ryan are deeply in love with the "Retro New" theme of design. Mixing elements of the past with the present brings a distinctive blend of style, color, and visual interest. We love old retro animations of space with their simple yet bold color palettes and textures. We developed our custom design style by blending 2D and 3D variations. The colors were bright, the typography was bold, and it was easy to get information as fast as possible, as if you were flying by in a spaceship and only had seconds to read. The design was expanded to the website, program, conference pins, posters, and t-shirts bringing the whole design theme together.

We attended the conference in Austin, Texas and donned Space Cowfolk outfits to set the tone; it was a huge hit with the attendees. We became characters of the conference, and people were taking pictures with us at every corner. Taking chances on designs and ideas, people love something that's out of this world. PHAL8999, bottom of the page, was created initially as a concept character, a precursor to HAL9000 "that was accidentally miss-wired". We never imagined actually making him a live bot but one starry night PHAL8999 mysteriously came to be.