UBC Student Services

Creating an Effective Campus Sub-brand

The University of British Columbia’s (UBC) Vancouver campus opened its first collegium space in the new Ponderosa Commons building in September 2013. Latin for “gathering place”, UBC’s Collegia spaces are designed for commuter students who need a place on campus to relax, spend time between classes, and make meaningful connections with others.

Backyard Creative was asked to create a visual identity and templates for marketing materials for the UBC Collegia program that would distinguish it from other student spaces and programs at the university. The main design objective was to produce a flexible identity for the UBC Collegia sub-brand—without creating a logo per se—that can be extended as more collegium locations are rolled out across campus in the future.

Using the new UBC Student Services Style Guide as a foundation, and informed by the global UBC brand framework, we conceptualized an emotionally-driven design based on a poster one would find in someone’s home or dorm, or on a cross-stitched ‘Home Sweet Home’ sign. Our aim was to, evoke a feeling of comfort and familiarity, and to deliver one simple core message — Collegia is your home away from home. A warm wood background subtly indicates a cozy home and can be changed each time a new collegium space is built. Banners and membership cards were also created, to be implemented by UBC’s internal design team.

Strategy & Design: Lisa Hemingway // Strategy & Project Management: Madelen Ortega