LIFTOFF
Every year, three third-year graphic design students are selected and tasked with creating the visual identity for The University of the Arts' School of Design, end of the year exhibition. In March 2018, we were asked to design and develop branding materials to promote the exhibition set to take place in the first week of May. The title given to this year's exhibition was "Liftoff", and with that single piece of information, in just five weeks, we faced the challenge of creating a logo, three email blasts, two posters, a brochure, interior signage for the exhibition space as well as a window display–all of this happening at the same time as finals.
From left to right, these are our three email blasts. To us, the name Liftoff represented not only verticality and movement, but as the School of Design end-of-year exhibition primarily showcases senior work and a culmination of four years of learning, Liftoff also represented a transition: graduation. When creating the email blasts, we tried to make sure that they became increasingly unpredictable with each iteration, in hopes of emulating the thrill that comes with lifting off into uncharted territory.
Above are photographs of our mailer; a small print piece created to drum up excitement for the exhibition. Based on our second email blast, the inside of our mailer includes a small statement from Mark Tocchet, UArts School of Design director, as well a program description for each major featured in the exhibition. The mailer then folds open to reveal a sampling of the work featured in the show.
Interior signage included a sandwich board featuring our poster design, as well as program and director statements. We had a blast navigating the space offered up to us by AIA Center for Architecture and Design.
We were also fortunate enough to have a window to advertise our show with. Thanks to AIA's accommodations, we were able to suspend and light a five foot triangle in the air behind a vinyl cut of the Liftoff logo. On the floor of the window, we printed a "shadow" of our logo; the illusion was convincing enough to fool some of our directors and professors.
In branding Liftoff, we feel that we created a strong visual language that helped to bring in over 350 attendees to the show. We designed a cohesive, versatile, and exciting identity. Working so intensely on this project allowed us to develop our professional practices, meet tight deadlines, design across many mediums, and to produce something we can be confident and proud of. Liftoff proved to be a great success and a tremendous learning experience for everyone involved. We hope that everyone had as much fun attending the event as we did designing it.
Onward,
–The 2018 Liftoff Team
The University of the Arts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Liftoff Spring 2018.
Designed by Brandon Dennis, Jacob Brams, and Ana Villarreal. Graphic Design 2019.
