Presidential Inauguration

BRAND CONCEPT

When I worked in the Office of University and Development Events at the University of Michigan, I developed this brand concept to mark the inauguration of our fifteenth president, Santa J. Ono. A great amount of thought went into how to balance the person with the office and the institution it serves; the inaugural mark shouldn't be a monogram as President Ono isn't a monarch, but it could still reflect this unique moment -- a new chapter -- in the Michigan story.

I chose to focus on the idea of "15" and developed drafts of numerals in various styles coupled with the university's seal. The first few versions were more upright with the "1" being simply vertical. However, it didn't reflect the palpable excitement following the Regents' announcement that Santa would be our next president. It didn't reflect the energy and boldness of the new president's initial vision for the future of U-M. So I spun the axis of the "1" to give it an up and forward direction (resembling an arrow pointing toward the future) and wrapped the bowl of the "5" around the seal, like a wheel in motion. While this design didn't move out of the concept phase, I'm still incredibly proud of the end product. Who knows... perhaps I'll be around for the sixteenth president?

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Publication concepts: Program cover (left) and a save-the-date card.

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Banners in front of Hill Auditorium

Lightpole banner