VIBECON

An inaugural identity for a new kind of gathering. We developed an identity system that established Vibecon as something left-of-center from a traditional technology conference. Inspired by editorial and brutalist design, software interface, and contemporary culture, the visual language balanced technical precision with creative expression across every touchpoint—from announcements and social assets to environmental graphics and printed materials.

Across the venue, the digital screen surfaces became part of the architecture. Interface elements, motion systems, and generative graphics transformed abstract ideas about computation into a visual language that connected the worlds of software and lived experience.

The venue itself was selected to play a significant role in the immersive experience of Vibecon. The raw space was designed to feel like a work in progress, signaling that this was a place for play and experimentation. Industrial architecture was softened through warm material palettes, lush planting, lounge and collaboration spaces, gaming environments, and immersive digital installations, creating an atmosphere that encouraged creative conversation, rapid experimentation, and lingering long after scheduled programming came to a close.

Every environment began as a digital prototype. Spatial renders became the shared language between creative, production, fabrication, and technical teams, allowing ideas to be refined long before they were built on site.

The experience was defined by hundreds of considered decisions beyond the headline moments. Custom fabrication, planting, hardware, signage, lighting, and material finishes worked together to create an environment that felt cohesive from every angle.

From filmmakers and artists to founders, researchers, and technologists, Vibecon brought together voices rarely found on the same stage. Programming was designed with the intention of witnessing a new creative medium emerge in real time, one where code becomes as expressive as film, music, or design.

Making AI tangible through participation rather than demonstration, interactive installations transformed emerging creative workflows into experiences visitors could engage with firsthand. Rather than demonstrating software features, each work invited participation—making AI accessible through play, experimentation, and human interaction.

Several installations were developed in close collaboration with the Replit team, pairing their emerging AI capabilities with MATTE's experience design and creative direction. Together, we translated experimental technologies into approachable, participatory experiences that invited visitors to create rather than simply observe.

Vibe City is a real-time AI installation that transforms individual ideas into a shared, ever-growing world. Step up to one of six tablets, design your city block, and watch it appear instantly in the collective cityscape. Every visitor builds, every generation is unique and the city never stops growing.

Emotional Alchemy is an immersive olfactory installation that bridges human emotions and AI; materializing conversations, emotions, and expressions of identity into bespoke fragrances.

Blind Self Portrait uses computer vision algorithms to build a contour drawing of the visitor, and uses a moving platform to guide their hand to execute the drawing as long as their eyes are closed. The experience of machine-guided movement is surprisingly uncanny, and when the drawing is complete it's unclear who should be signing the work.

Astral Twin invites viewers to witness a new kind of choreography, one where industrial precision meets organic unpredictability, and where meaning arises not from either machine or visual alone, but from the friction and feedback between them. The LED wall surface acts like an invisible membrane between the mechanical and the virtual. It mediates the physical gestures of the robots and the generative content displayed on the pixels behind it. The screen does not merely respond, it evolves in real-time, translating fluid dynamics, pressure, motion, and rhythm into shifting fields of light, color, and form.

The inaugural Vibecon concluded with closing remarks from Replit CEO Amjad Masad before transitioning into a celebration led by legendary BBC Radio 1 DJ Benji B. The evening reflected the event's broader ambition: ending not with a product announcement, but with community, culture, and creative exchange.

Matte leveraged a curated network of VIP influencers to transform vibecon from a conference into a cultural signal. By bringing in voices with relevance across design, creativity, media, and internet culture, we drove earned attention, shaped perception, and positioned Replit at the center of the vibecoding conversation.