UC Davis' Official 2021–2022 Calendars: A Vibrant Collection to Welcome Back In-Person Activities and Operations
Category: Branding Design, Print Design
Role: Graphic Designer
Tools: Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Photoshop
With remote learning and reduced campus operations for a year and a half due to COVID-19, the official UC Davis 2021–2022 poster calendar and downloadable monthly calendars were carefully curated to welcome back students to in-person instruction and campus life full of engaging opportunities. The 24″ x 36″ poster calendars were displayed and available for sale at three UC Davis Stores locations, with a total of approximately 3,500 copies sold. Alongside the poster calendar, the UC Davis community could access and download the free monthly calendars on the official UC Davis website. My dedication to craft visually stunning and informative calendars were recognized with a Gold Award at the esteemed 37th Annual Educational Advertising Awards.
Looking forward to a year of possibilities, it was important as the Graphic Designer for this project to highlight UC Davis’ comeback from the pandemic and convey a sense of optimism for the future. To reflect on the journey that many students and faculty experienced, the first draft for this poster calendar had a focus on using brand photos that were collected during the pandemic to tell a powerful story of resilience and hope. The first draft highlighted the three stages of the pandemic experience:
adjusting to masking and social distancing,
implementing the COVID-19 vaccine, and
finally being able to get the college experience of attending in-person lectures, hanging out with friends, and celebrating graduation.
However, to align the poster calendar to the UC Davis “Outgrow the Expected” brand guide and be a visually appealing marketable product, a banner display using brand elements such as watercolor brush strokes and Steven Noble illustrations was tested. Consulting with the Art Director, Brand Manager, Project Manager, and Director of Brand Management and Marketing at UC Davis Strategic Communications, we collectively felt going in this direction allowed the UC Davis brand to really shine through and produce a product that people would be eager to purchase and display in their homes. There was a strong desire to emphasize the yellows and oranges in the brand, so the warm and energetic “Aggie Gold,” “Golden State,” “Sunflower,” and “Poppy” were used in the final power calendar.
Although the design of the poster calendar was coming together, to better capture the big year ahead after going through a pandemic, it felt necessary to include more to the poster calendar’s headline instead of just “2021–2022.” Brainstorming with the Marketing Writer at Strategic Communications, “Welcome back, Aggies!” was the most appropriate headline to convey the excitement and anticipation surrounding the upcoming year for new and returning UC Davis students. To complement the headline, the Steven Noble double decker bus illustration (a bus the transit system at UC Davis (Unitrans) uses) paired well as many students and passersby ride or would encounter these when on campus.
After the poster calendar was finalized, the downloadable monthly calendar designs came naturally but there was more room for experimentation on the banners’ colors and illustrations used. To take into consideration folks printing these to put on their walls, the background colors and brushstrokes used were on the lighter end. Although each month’s banner display was unique, the months were organized by illustrations and similar color schemes that represented the season for each quarter, allowing for visual cohesion and flow throughout the months.