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The Craft of Brand ConferencePre-book a seat →

Edition 01 · Abuja · Saturday 28 November 2026

Craft of Brand

One day on the craft of building brands that last.

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The idea

A semicolon; and a person, leaning forward.

The mark is a semicolon drawn from three pure shapes. Scroll, and each part tells you what it means.

The dot

Born in a printing house.

The modern semicolon first appeared in print in the 1490s, at the press of Aldus Manutius in Venice. The same press gave the world italic type.

Two ideas that belong together.

A semicolon joins two complete thoughts without ending either. Strategy; creativity. Great brands are built where the two meet.

Never a full stop.

Craft is never finished, and neither is this conference. This is edition one.

A person, leaning forward.

Look again: a head, and shoulders moving forward. Craft is human work. The more machines make, the more the human hand matters.

It leans like italic.

The mark leans forward twelve degrees, like the italic type Aldus's press was the first to print a whole book in.

Make haste slowly.

Festina lente was the motto of Aldus Manutius, printed beside his dolphin-and-anchor mark: speed, with patience. It is our theme for 2026, a year when everything is made fast and very little is made well.

Why it exists

Most brands don't have a marketing problem.

They have a clarity and positioning problem. They pay to be seen before deciding what they should be seen for, and end up competing on price.

01

Teach the craft

Positioning, identity and voice, explained by people who practise them, with real brands worked on live.

02

Raise the standard

Show what well-made brand work looks like, so founders know what to ask for and designers know what to aim for.

03

Connect the room

Put founders beside the strategists, designers and partners who build brands with them.

The story

It began with a book.

The Craft of Brand Conference was inspired by the work of Marty Neumeier, whose books taught a generation of designers and founders what a brand really is.

For Mike Bruce, that influence has been phenomenal. It shaped how he thinks about positioning, about difference, and about the gap between business strategy and design. This conference is his way of passing that thinking on, in his own city, to the people building Nigeria's next great brands.

The name is Mike's own phrase. Brand is not decoration and it is not luck. It is a craft: made by hand, improved with practice, and judged by how long it lasts.

At a glance

Saturday 28 November 2026

Abuja, Nigeria. Venue to be announced.

350 to 600 founders, marketers, designers and agency leaders

Hosted by Mike Bruce · Powered by Mike Bruce Design

The day

Eight ways the day works on you.

A full day that builds to a headline keynote in the afternoon, then closes over a reception.

Keynotes

Big ideas about positioning, difference and building brands that last.

A conversation on stage

Two practitioners, one stage and your questions.

The founders' panel

Nigerian founders on what building a brand really took.

The live brand clinic

Three audience brands, worked on in front of the room, with their permission.

The Makers' Market

Partners in timber stalls, with Nigerian artisans at work between them.

The Proof Wall

Every guest pins up the one promise their brand will keep.

Lunch and conversation

Curated Nigerian food, shade, and time to meet the room.

The reception

The day closes over drinks, a book signing and the people you met.

The full programme is shared with ticket holders before the day.

The experience

A working house of craft.

The venue is built as a place where things are made: printed, dyed, woven and carved, by named Nigerian artisans. Abuja's City Gate says it best: you are welcome.

YOU ARE WELCOME

The Press

At the door, each guest's name card is block-printed in front of them.

The Makers' Market

Partners in matching timber stalls, with adire dyers and aso-oke weavers at work between them.

The Hall

A stage set as a printed sheet folded into eight panels, an octavo, that changes for every session.

The Proof Wall

In printing, a proof is the first test print. Here, it's the one promise your brand will keep.

The Courtyard

Nigerian food, shade, and conversation after sunset.

On stage

Your host, and the voices to come.

Mike Bruce

Host

Mike
Bruce

Brand Growth Architect and Consultant, and founder of Mike Bruce Design in Abuja.

Headline
keynote

To be announced

Featured
speaker

To be announced

Tickets

Pre-book your seat.

Prices are announced when tickets open. Pre-booking is free, commits you to nothing, and puts you first in line.

For everyone
General
admission
  • Every keynote, conversation and panel
  • The live brand clinic
  • Lunch and the Makers' Market
  • Your printed name card from The Press
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Limited
VIP
  • Everything in general admission
  • Reserved front-section seating
  • The evening reception and book signing
  • A fast lane at registration
Pre-book VIP →
Teams of 5 or more
Group
  • Seats together for your team
  • One booking, one invoice
  • Ideal for agencies, startups and classes
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Take part

Four ways into the room.

Attend

Pre-book a seat for the first release of tickets.

Pre-book →
Partner

Companies, embassies, governments and non-profits.

See partnerships →
Volunteer

Join the team that makes the day run.

Apply →
Media

Journalists, podcasters and creators covering the day.

Request accreditation →

Questions

Good to know.

Where in Abuja is it?

The venue will be announced soon. Pre-book a seat and you'll hear first.

How much are tickets?

Prices are announced when tickets open. Pre-booking costs nothing and puts you first in line for the first release.

Is pre-booking a commitment?

No. It holds your place in the queue. You decide when tickets open.

Who are the speakers?

Mike Bruce hosts. Headline speakers are announced as they confirm, and pre-booked guests hear first.

Is there a published schedule?

The full programme is shared with ticket holders before the day.

Is the venue accessible?

Every zone will have step-free access, and our access team will be on hand all day. Tell us what you need when you register.

Can my organisation partner with the conference?

Yes. Companies, embassies, governments, non-profits and development partners can all take part. See the partner page.

Be in the room for edition one;

Pre-book a seat →