Branding | Freelance

UReCA Journal

UReCA, the NCHC Journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity, is a national, multidisciplinary journal created by and for undergraduate students. I started working for this organization during its third year when it didn’t have any consistent branding. At the time, we were working on initiatives to grow the prestige of the journal, and this led to the need for a strong visual identity.

In a collaborative process with the editors and advisors, I created many options for the logo. We ultimately settled on one that had a contemporary feel, manipulating positive and negative space to highlight the journal’s name. Colors were influenced by the landscapes of Bryce Canyon National Park, where the UReCA editors gather each summer to work on the next year’s edition.

Promotional Materials

Editors for the journal have started attending more conferences to reach a wider audience. One of the best strategies we have is to present and reflect on the process of creating a new edition of the digital journal each year. For these presentations, the organization created branded t-shirts, and I designed a presentation that includes a number of infographics. These presentations focus on reaching students who might want to join the editing staff.

I designed business cards students can hand out as well. Editors hand these out at poster sessions after talking with students about their research if they think it would be a good fit for UReCA.

A map of the United States with dots on the location of each school accepted to the journal. It also includes the text 'Accepted works from our first 4 editions'

2019 Edition Marketing

For the 2019 edition, I served as UReCA’s first Brand Manager, and I created marketing materials to promote the work we were doing. It started with a poster that was printed and displayed on various campuses. The star of the show was that year’s tagline: “Stand out among your peers,” which featured a white-on-white treatment with a cyan shadow. From there, a simple grid and hierarchy provided information. You can view a printable PDF version by clicking here.

This treatment carried over into digital marketing, which included branded graphics for email campaigns and posts that introduced the editors for the edition. I used the established color scheme and typography that I created the year before, and fleshed them out into a full, cohesive campaign.

White poster with 'Stand Out' shadow on top