Marketing & Communications partnered with Alumni Relations to create custom design and illustrations for the 2020 Reunion. Storytelling and place were paramount to the theme for the event, with alumni developing a deep sense of place during their time “On The Bluff” at University of Portland, and coming together again to share their stories and reminisce. Marketing & Communications used both in- and out-of-house designers to create two custom illustrations of immediately recognizable landmarks and features from the University and Portland, OR area. These illustrations were intended to be broken down easily and reconfigured into different collateral with endless possibilities. We creatively stretched a limited budget by creating a toolkit, allowing for flexibility and ease-of-use. The design and illustrations were playful, yet invoked a sense of nostalgia. This range of depth and meaning to the illustrations allowed us to pivot the event when it was postponed to 2021 due to COVID-19. A deceptively simple change in wording supported by the innovative illustrations conveyed a sense of community and belonging in a time of isolation and uncertainty.
From the Judges
This alumni reunion campaign captures one’s attention right away, with a limited but strong on-brand colour palette, and very nicely composed illustrative elements and scenes. The consistency in line weight, patterns and style across all elements is quite solid and technically well-executed. The stacked and curved typography in the feature element, used very well in several instances, is nicely balanced and is quite readable. This campaign is very well executed.
