”too many people overvalue
what they are not and undervalue
what they are.”
– malcolm forbes

Ball State University Re-Brand

The Troy, NY based agency, CCA, was invited to rebrand the soon-to-be 100 year old instituion. Under the creative direction of Rob DeLuke, I redesigned the brand's mark, and led the day to day work on the project which included: design; layout; photo direction, and video production.

Client: Ball state University
Agency: Creative Communications Associates (CCA)
CD:
Rob Deluke
ACD: Marty Hardin
AD: Ken Dao
Copy: Annette Ragan
Director: Tom Glisserman
Producer: Will Severin
Composer: Will Severin
Account Service: Darlene Olivieri

Beneficence: She's no angel.

Beneficence, (Benny) is the name of the elegant 6-foot-tall bronze statue that has welcomed visitors, students, and alumni to the Ball State University campus since 1937. She represents the qualities of performing acts of kindness and charity. Her spirit is woven into the tapestry of the lives of students, alumni, and faculty.

The existing brandmark had been in place since the 80's and needed to be updated to reflect the shift in focus of the institution while respecting the legacy of the existing mark. A gentle evolution - not a revolution.

The approach:
• Made Benny larger, relative to the shield
• Released Benny from the shield
• Opened the top of the shield so that it isn't pressing down on Benny
• Cleaned and streamlined the interior forms
• Brought the focus up and on Benny and her purpose (the treasure chest)
• By breaking the shield, she advances toward the viewer
• The font was changed to a clean, simple, straightforward typeface

In November 2017, the new mark and new branding system was rolled out.