Senior Showcase 21' - nhi nguyen

Scope

Branding
Art Direction
Website Design
Illustration

Introduction

Branding identity for Drexel University's Graphic Design Senior Showcase 21'

Drexel's Graphic Design Senior Showcase is an annual show for Graphic Design seniors to display their capstone project and other works. Due to COVID-19, the 2021 show is being held online via the Senior Showcase website. Additionally, there's an outdoor installation at the URBN Annex building to exhibit a snippet of the seniors' work.

As the design lead of the Branding and Design committee, I collaborated with my teammates to create a brand identity for the show and implement it into digital and print deliverables. Most importantly, we redesigned the showcase website user experience to enhance its ability to promote seniors to potential employers.

The Process

We wanted this brand identity to be unique and personal to class of 2021. It should represent:

Our classes (and online classes)
Our struggles in the lab & in critiques
Our tools & skills in different media
Our inside jokes and memes

Each member in the team then made visual studies.

1. Bold typography combining analog and digital methods

2. Hand-done type scribbles and half-tone texture

3. Hand-done doodles and sketches

4. Modular grid showing design elements

We wanted the system to be bold, experimental, colorful and playful. Most importantly, We wanted to include hand-done elements. In a time when we have only online classes and look at screens all day, these elements bring a human touch to the brand identity.

We selected what we love from the first round of visual studies and combined them into our final system.

Final visual study

The System

Using the modular approach as a base, this direction celebrates all graphic design’s processes and media. It includes design references we’re familiar with: screenprinting, computer glitches, CMYK, etc. and our inside jokes as well. 👀

The scribbles are playful: some contained and cropped by the modules, some break out of the modules

Logo, color, typography and module system (from branding guidelines book)

Brand assets

System Application

Facebook Event Cover

Instagram Marketing Campaign

Senior Showcase Website Design

The Website

Being the main component of the Senior Showcase, the website has to be pixel perfect. We wanted the homepage to be eye-catching and fun, while the individual page had to be simple and minimal to not distract the viewers from the seniors' work.

The website features custom cursors that match previous designs.

Website Screenshots

We had the idea to feature sketches of the seniors on the website as a nod to the hand-done elements of the branding. Everyone had the option to sketch themselves to showcase their personality.

For the individual page, we created a layout that allow the seniors to showcase a range of projects with multiple photos, while having their websites and social media links always accessible on screen. Viewers can easily navigate to the next or previous senior without having to go back to the home page.

Miscellaneous

Outdoor exhibition branding panel

Tote bag and Sticker sheet

Credits:

Art Director: Nhi Nguyen
Designers: Bex Lewis, Luka Kimlicko, Nhi Nguyen, Glen Volpe, Jody Graff (faculty)
Web Developer: An Bui
Photography: Safia Jeff