WHAT:
I rebranded Bethel’s Art and Design Department to more accurately show the strengths and reputation of the department. This project includes hypothetical and actual merchandise, an academic brochure booklet, banner stands, and a social media strategy. The merchandise consists of T-shirts and stickers. The brochure highlights different jobs open to students pursuing creative careers and the successes of alumni, as well as the department’s majors, minors, and areas of study.
WHY:
I wanted to appeal to prospective students and show a side of the Art and Design Department that is authentic, expressive, fun, and encouraging. I also wanted to show the diversity of interests and experiences in the department through its emphases. After much ideation, I decided a flashy and memorable approach would work best in portraying the feel of the department authentically.
I handwrote a lot of text that interacted with illustrations, but I also picked Jura and Quicksand because I liked how they interacted with the handmade elements interspersed throughout.
I initially portrayed the Art and Design Department through a serious, business-like lens with a primarily navy blue and creme color scheme. This decision was made to make the department seem more professional and encourage prospective students that it could produce viable careers for prospective students. I realized this was an inauthentic portrayal as it did not line up with my personal experiences of the department as a fun, quirky, and encouraging community, so I made some drastic changes.
In my new and final direction, I leaned heavily into the quirks that differentiate the department from others through found and created doodles, bright colors, and funky patterns. I wanted to show prospective students an accurate representation of what they would experience here, while verbally encouraging them that they belong here.
In my additional project research, I surveyed several students and got their opinions on the current Art Department to design around in my own branding. I also spent time developing the intentionally vague “You have it in you” tagline to suit the wide variety of interests among artists and designers.
I made an academic brochure booklet advertising the Art and Design Department. I wanted it to feel free, unintimidating, and collaborative, so I integrated a mix of my own doodles and digitally altered doodles from sketchbooks found in Bethel’s “Make It or Take It” art event.
I prioritized showing the department’s fun and accepting sides visually and bringing an academic feeling through text and images.
These two banner stands are meant to advertise the department in different ways. The left stand provides students with information about the department and its offerings, while the right showcases photos of students working on projects in the department’s studios.
The color palette, typography, and purple doodles unify the two banner stands within the same branding. They are able to stand alone, but complement eachother when placed in close proximity to one another.
I made stickers and T-shirts as merchandise for the department.
There are two Bethel stickers, two general stickers, and eight emphasis-specific stickers. I wanted to highlight the different areas of study offered in the Art and Design Department through personalized stickers for each of the studios while also having options for students preferring a less labeled design. All of the stickers are meant to be offered in packs of three, with students being able to choose their favorites in a bundle.
I made a few T-shirts with sticker designs that would apply to a wide variety of students. I designed them with wearability in mind, putting the graphics small in the corner of the shirt.
I developed a social media strategy for the Art and Design Department’s Instagram account. My goals for this strategy were to create a strategy for non-designers to easily keep up the account, while remaining visually engaging and consistent in its branding. Through research, I found that successful social media strategies typically approach content through three goals: promotion, information, and engagement.
Informational posts (middle left, middle right, bottom left) are minimally edited full-color photos with handwritten text or outlines. These document significant past events in the department, like graduations or community-building activities.
Promotional posts (center, top right, bottom right) are mostly text-based on simple backgrounds, containing photos only when necessary. These inform of upcoming events, opportunities, or merchandise.
Lastly, engagement posts (top left, top middle, bottom middle) are more heavily designed than others, featuring hand-drawn graphics or templates for an ongoing ‘series’ within the account. These aim to entertain the viewer through user submitted quotes, drawings, or responses and provide a sense of community within the account.
The orange T-shirt design for this project was later developed into actual T-shirts for Bethel’s Art and Design Department. The initial design was altered to look more like a tiger, pairing with Bethel’s mascot, Roy the Lion. A larger, full-body illustration was later made to add interest to the back of the shirt.
Upon the realization that students typically prefer to wear more muted colors than bright orange, the color was changed. Some students were given color options and asked for their opinions, and it was found that this shade of stonewash green was the most preferred.
