The American University of Beirut encourages a diverse student body and workforce, and is committed to equal opportunity in education and employment. The Equity/Title IX Office leads all non-discrimination and anti-discriminatory harassment initiatives at AUB and, for that, needed a strong visual presence, to give the Equity/Title IX Office more visibility, for its communications to be instantly recognizable, and in order to make it broadly accessible for the whole community. Creating a distinctive branding that would introduce policies and procedures in a consumer friendly way, yet with a bold look and feel, was key in establishing a first communication layer between the Equity/Title IX Office and the university community.
From the Judges
Visually speaking, we found this work somewhat stark, severe, and potentially intimidating. The colors and diagonal slashes felt off-putting. However, given the subject matter, we speculated this could make it more effective, assuming that both perpetrators and victims of discrimination or sexual misconduct need to take this office very, very seriously. That seemed to be the goal of the work in other respects, such as the three concise, declarative statements repeated and reinforced with a three-line graphic, which we found strong. The message of this brand is eminently clear, consistent, and unmistakable, and that is a big deal.
