The University of Waterloo Undergraduate Student Association Re-Brand

Project Date May 2019 - September 2019

Company WUSA is a student-led organization that represents the undergraduates at the University of Waterloo. They provide the support and services students need outside of the classroom to reach their academic goals. 

Challenge The Federation of Students (FEDS), the former name of the university student union, was proven not recognizable through the student life on campus. The majority of students did not identify with the brand nor understood its meaning or purpose for undergraduates.

My Role As a lead designer, my main role was to understand the brand and develop a new identity from the ground up. I did a lot of creating, presenting, and deciding. 

Team 1 full-time graphic designer (me) 2 part-time designers 1 full-time marketing staff

Skills Brand Identity Adobe Illustrator Adobe Photoshop Adobe After Effects Collaboration Communication Dedication

Process I joined the team after the initial survey and data collecting but caught up to aid in facilitating focus groups. These efforts were to better understand our users and take a data-driven approach to our design. ​ After a new name and acronym, Waterloo undergraduate student association, WUSA, was decided based on our data, the team individually brainstormed concepts and ideas. I reflected on different elements like the Waterloo Warriors figure, our Lion mascot, the infamous geese on campus, the universities high-tech nature, and student life. This progressed into a collaborative and individual process of diverging and converging ideas and designs. ​ We landed on the idea of a responsive element in the logo. This would allow us to incorporate every element and concept that makes up the diverse student body at the University. The responsive element became the 'S' for Students. Shortly after, I assisted in creating and altering the new logo through multiple iterations. A colour scheme, typeface, assets, illustration styles, and Photoshop presets came shortly after through deliberating meetings and intense research on accessibility, conceptual associations, and longevity. Once our project team was satisfied with the results throughout each phase the project manager would present our work to the executive directors and the head of the Marketing department. In the end, they had the final say in what directions and designs we chose. 

Result The rejuvenated brand, allowed us to re-present the organization in a youthful and refreshed way. This was proven effective with an increased social media following and engagement. As well as a better turn-out to events run by all branches under WUSA. Students realized that they actually have a student association and that in itself made our work a success

50 years since The University of Waterloo’s student union underwent a rebrand. I hope that my efforts in this rebrand stick around for another 50 years.