Tags
Brand, Art Direction, Web, OOH
Context
These are proof points (homepage + OOH ad) for a brand refresh of Bowie State University’s existing BOWIE BOLD campaign, and part of a wider effort by EFK Group to evaluate creative partners to help evolve their client’s campaign. This is what I submitted to the final-round interview for a Senior Designer role at EFK (spoiler: I didn’t get it). There are a lot of Ws in my portfolio, but I’m including this L because it was an expensive lesson (when to swing and how hard) that made me a better designer. Plus, it was good work; I got paid for it, and I built a good relationship with them as a result.
Approach
The challenge was how much conceptual distance to create between 1.0 and 2.0
Homepage for Bowie State’s BOWIE BOLD Campaign
[TKTKTK}
OOH Ad for Bowie State’s BOWIE BOLD Campaign
Engaging, dynamic, graphic. When I came across this photo in
the campaign’s existing assets, I knew it had to be the hero
of the brand refresh. Two historical references come to mind...
Historical References
Recalling Uncle Sam and bell hooks in one image is wild work.
While Uncle Sam’s pointed finger demands you to join, the
drum major’s pointed finger is an invitation: “Are you one of us?”
The student’s direct eye contact is more reminiscent of
bell hooks’ oppositional gaze theory that Black folks simply
making eye contact has been an act of historical rebellion.
For Maryland’s oldest and boldest HBCU, this branding posture
seemed like a fitting throughline for the BOWIE BOLD brand refresh.
Thoughts & Considerations
Started practically, how can we get the highest leverage move with the lowest production costs
(i.e., not making more work for other teams by sending it back to photography, copy, etc., for redos)
[TKTKTK}
OOH Ad for Bowie State’s BOWIE BOLD Campaign
Engaging, dynamic, graphic. When I came across this photo in
the campaign’s existing assets, I knew it had to be the hero
of the brand refresh. Two historical references come to mind...
Historical References
Recalling Uncle Sam and bell hooks in one image is wild work.
While Uncle Sam’s pointed finger demands you to join, the
drum major’s pointed finger is an invitation: “Are you one of us?”
The student’s direct eye contact is more reminiscent of
bell hooks’ oppositional gaze theory that Black folks simply
making eye contact has been an act of historical rebellion.
For Maryland’s oldest and boldest HBCU, this branding posture
seemed like a fitting throughline for the BOWIE BOLD brand refresh.
Thoughts & Considerations
Started practically, how can we get the highest leverage move with the lowest production costs
(i.e., not making more work for other teams by sending it back to photography, copy, etc., for redos)