During the first semester of the 2019-20 year, five societies under the Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health came together with the purpose of creating an event for their members. From different backgrounds (Psychology, Cognitive Neuroscience, Neuroscience and Speech and Language Sciences), the team built to prepare the ball wanted a memorable design that created a solid presence for the event.
I was working as the media chair of the Cognitive Neuroscience Society when the idea of the event was born. When my society decided to work on this project, I instantly started getting involved and set a team to work with. I was named the marketing director, responsible of creating the trade mark details for the event.
The ball was going to be supported by the Faculty, so it was sensible to name it “The FBMH 2020 End of the Year Ball”, or “FBMH Ball 2020” for short. People from the School of Biological Sciences would understand the acronym and feel invited to a ball hosted by their faculty.
The team wanted an elegant design, inherent of a ball, yet modern and fresh. The following colours and fonts were chosen to represent the ball, and a bold yet clear logo that read the event’s name was created.
Atlas Grotesk 700
#BF4142
#D8C18D
#FFFFFF
Monochrome
Original
Printable
My main goal after setting the colour and font choices was to create a replicable and coherent design that made content related to the ball ball easily recognisable.
The logo was a central part of this distinguishable identity. Reading the name of the event in two overlaid layers, the FBMH Ball logo had thin regular lines in colours from the chosen palette.
To go further, a dynamic tile system was created from the logo. Using only the FBMH letters, this system was used as a backdrop for most content. Static in the real world (such as on posters or invitations) and animated online, the tile system created a stylish yet modern pattern that gave life and personality.
Live cover for the event on Facebook
In order to promote the Ball, the marketing team I was part of decided to use Facebook. The event was shared on this platform and all udpates could be accessed from this page. The societies’ Facebook management was also taken into consideration, and they would share links and posts that funneled viewers to the event’s page. In total, over two thousand people were reached.
Below is a sample of some of the promotional videos created and posted on the event’s page. These were mainly vertical and square, and didn’t last longer than 15 seconds.
The design language used throughout marketing was extended to be used at the event, with printable signs and cards produced. A photo call and posters were also envisioned, with the tile system as a backdrop. Because of the unexpected situation caused by COVID-19, the event had to be postponed in March, to an unrevealed date.
Video credits
Music: Started Out - Georgia, Surf Dude - Tlim Shug, Expressing What Matters - Disclosure // Photos: Wikipedia and Venuscanner.com
Acknowledgements
Faculty of Biological Sciences, Whitworth Hall, Jennifer McBride, Jenny Freed, Katie Marrin
HECTOR MANGAS
Faculty of Biology, Biology, Medicine and Health End of the Year Ball
Branding · Manchester, 2020
Identity and marketing for the event, organized in the University of Manchester