The set is what the camera sees. The graphics are everything the gallery lays on top — and on a stream they carry more of the branding, more of the information and more of the polish than the set ever can. A good graphics package is the difference between "a Zoom with cameras" and a broadcast.
The package
A complete event graphics package typically contains: an opening sting (5–10 seconds of animated ident); a holding loop for before the show and during breaks, with a clock or "back at 11:15"; lower thirds for every speaker and every session; full-screen slides for agenda, sponsors and Q&A prompts; overlays for polls, social handles and captions; bugs — the small persistent logo in a corner; transitions; and a closing graphic. Built once, in the client's brand, it's reused across every session.
Lower thirds: the workhorse
A name strap should be on screen long enough to read twice (7–10 seconds), appear when a speaker starts and each time they return after a cutaway, and sit within the safe area — clear of the edges where phone players and platform UI crop. Name, role, organisation; keep it to two lines. Animate on and off; a graphic that pops on instantly looks amateur. Prepare every strap in advance from the run order; typing names live is how "Cheif Executive" happens.
Legibility on a phone
A meaningful share of your audience is watching on a phone in a small player. Text below 28px on a 1080p frame is unreadable there. High contrast — light text on a dark translucent panel, or vice versa — beats brand-perfect but faint. Test every graphic on a phone before show day.
Holding slides and the "what's happening" problem
When nothing is on screen, viewers assume the stream is broken. The holding loop exists so that there's always something: a branded slide, a countdown, "the next session starts at 14:00", music. The same graphic covers a technical fault — "we're experiencing a brief technical issue, back shortly" is far better than a frozen frame or black.
Animated versus static
Animated graphics look better and cost more. A middle path: animated sting and transitions (built once), static-but-well-designed lower thirds and slides (cheap to change). Most graphics can be driven from a spreadsheet or the run order, so a name change on the morning is a cell edit, not a designer.
Accessibility and captions
Leave room at the bottom of frame for captions — burned-in or platform-rendered — so lower thirds and captions don't collide. Our accessibility guide covers the rest.
What to brief the designer
- Brand assets: logos (with clear space rules), fonts, colours, any motion guidelines.
- The full list of speakers and sessions from the run order.
- Sponsor logos and where they must appear.
- Frame size (1920×1080) and safe areas.
- Delivery format the gallery needs (usually PNG sequences, MOV with alpha, or native titles for the production software).
- Deadline: 72 hours before show day, so it can be loaded and tested.