ANIMATED BY KATE PRIEBE
ALL THE BEST
13 JANUARY - 13 FEBRUARY 2025
CINCINNATI, OHIO COLLABORATORS BRAND IDENTITY + EXHIBITION DESIGN
COMMUNICATION DESIGN SENIOR SHOWCASECLAIRE PRATHER
KATE PRIEBE
GABRIELLE RAMSAY
JULIA SWEET
GRETA TEBBE
EMMA UNANGST
Every graduating class in UC’s communication design program designs the brand identity for their senior capstone exhibition, known as DAAPworks. Within groups, we all pitch a different concept and visual direction that the rest of the class votes on. The winning pitch gets implemented for that year’s DAAPworks.
OUR PITCH TITLE All the Best, Our Finest Work On Full Display
We were originally inspired by this phrase because it’s typically seen as an email signature or a tender goodbye at the end of a letter. ‘All the Best’ is, at its essence, a way of saying goodbye. But at second glance, the phrase can also be interpreted as a bit of a boast, claiming that this exhibition hosts our best work yet, that we are ‘all the best.’
MORE THAN A SIGNATURE
‘All the Best’ is our standalone logo and primary title for the brand. But the secondary tagline, ‘Our Finest Work On Full Display’ emphasizes the grandeur of the moment, with a bit of cockiness, highlighting the importance of our WORK within the exhibition because that’s what the show is all.
SINCERE BUT CHEEKY
Our messaging is never bland. Always a layer of cheekiness, something pointing you towards celebration with a bit of cockiness, as we SHOW OFF our final projects. The messaging is grounded in reflection and sincere gratitide as we all SIGN OFF from undergrad and SEND OFF to whatever is next, leaning on our Gen Z humor to cope with saying goodbye to this phase of our lives.
VERSATILE SIGN OFFSAll the Best gives style to each person’s unique voice, their unique signature. These sign offs incorporate that idea of ‘a signature’ while allowing for flexibility of tone. Maybe our messaging reads more ‘Stay Slay’ in TikTok and ‘Yours Truly’ on LinkedIn, keeping that personal touch throughout our messaging.
MESSAGING THAT REFLECT
OUR CLASS’S EXPERIENCEOur all the “ALL THE...” prefix can be used to create cheeky catchphrases that reflect our class’s experience at DAAP, from our first year being online during Covid to now running out of storage on our laptops as we finish our capstone projects.
FINDING A VISUAL SYSTEM THAT ENHANCES THE MESSAGING
DAAPworks is unique opportunity to develop a visual identity that speaks to right now. There’s little concern for the identity to hold up in two or three years because the exhibition only last six days, and then it’s done. This encouraged us to develop a visual system that speaks to trends that encapsulate what’s happening in graphic design in 2025.
Based off the title, we were inspired by analog and tactile forms of communication, like letter writing, stamps, and sending mail. However, we wanted to bring it into the digital age, marrying the tactile with the digital.
CHOOSING THE RIGHT TYPEWe knew a handwritten typeface or script would be a part of our system to tie in letter writing and the idea of a signature, we just had to figure out which typeface to choose.
I
did a bunch of individual type studies to see what typefaces paired well with each other, trying different handwritten fonts and scripts with serifs and mono typefaces to pin up and present to the group. We had a conversation about what was working, what wasn’t, and what felt right for the brand. Everyone then used my studies as a jumping off point to do explorations of their own, which led us to having a typographic break through to define our final type system.
MY TYPE STUDY PRINT OUTSMY TYPE STUDY PRINT OUTSMY TYPE STUDY PRINT OUTSMY TYPE STUDY PRINT OUTSMY TYPE STUDY PRINT OUTSMY TYPE STUDY PRINT OUTSMY TYPE STUDY PRINT OUTSCOLLABORATIVE BREAK THROUGH ON MIRO
CHOOSING THE RIGHT COLORWe truly explored every color under the sun. We knew the palette should be simple for easy implementation and not clash with students’ projects. We chose an off white and true black for our neutrals to call back to ink on paper, however, we explored what our pop of color would be to bring the palette into 2025. We tried blues, greens, pinks, purples, browns, even just black and white, questioning if we even needed a pop of color, before settling on our final palette.
ALL THE BEST VISUALS
THE BEST TYPOGRAPHYAltesse Standard is a nod to analog written word, encompassing simplicity with a tone of sincerity and sophistication. Headline Gothic is bold and confident, completely contrasting the script. It embodies cocky confidence as we SHOW OFF as DAAPworks. The contrast between the script and sans serif has an irony and cheekiness that allows our messaging to shine. Lastly, OCR Mono brings our letter writing-inspired brand more into the digital age while still nodding to the analog.
THE BEST COLORSThe neutrals call back to our inspiration of ink on paper, adding warmth and tactility, while the blue punches through the palette with youthful, electric confidence.
THE BEST PHOTOGRAPHYPhotography is clean, full color, and naturally lit. A series of photos for each graduate allows room for the more sincere portraiture as well as for everyone to SHOW OFF the more silly and genuine parts of their personality.
THE BEST STAMPSThe last part of the visual system is this stamp-inspired seal that is a way for us to identify the exhibition, illicit a call to action, or invoke more of our cheeky messaging.
THE EXPERIENCE OF THE EXHIBITION
We come up with groups that determine how the projects would be divided up between the rooms of exhibition. The categories are general enough to encompass the entire classes capstone subjects as well as distinct from one another. We ended up with six categories after going a sorting activity with the capstone project within our studio. These categories are then split between three rooms between teo floors that are a part of Communication Design’s exhibition.
All the Best Education is the home for projects empowering learning. All the Best Experiences inspire interactivity. All the Best Society represents those seeking to foster positive widespread change. All the Best Connection showcases building meaningful moments. All the Best Innovation highlights trendsetting, breaking the boundaries of existing industries. All the Best Perspective encourage a fresh way of seeing the world.
ALL THE BEST, OUR FINEST WORK ON FULL DISPLAY APPLICATION
Our pitch consisted of promotional and experiential touchpoints that show how this bring identity comes to life. All the applications constantly tie back to our concept of “All the Best,’ whether it is through a boast, goodbye, or collective statement to send us off.
DIGITAL
WEBSITE
EXECUTED BY JP MATHE
SOCIAL MEDIA
EXECUTED BY GABRIELLE RAMSAY
PRINT
PROMOTIONAL POSTERS EXECUTED BY JULIA SWEET & GABRIELLE RAMSAY
INVITATIONS
EXECUTED BY JULIA SWEET & GABRIELLE RAMSAY
BUSINESSCARDS
EXECUTED BY CLAIRE PRATHER & GABRIELLE RAMSAY
EXPERIENCE + ENVIRONMENT
EXHIBIT ROOM IDENTIFICATION
EXECUTED BY GABRIELLE RAMSAY
5000 LEVEL ROOM WINDOWSEXECUTED BY GABRIELLE RAMSAY
6000 LEVEL DISPLAY CASEEXECUTED BY JP MATHE
6000 LEVEL ROOM WALL DISPLAY EXECUTED BY GABRIELLE RAMSAY
MERCH + SWAG
STATIONARY SET
EXECUTED BY GRETA TEBBE & EMMA UNANGST
TOTES & HATS
EXECUTED BY GRETA TEBBE & EMMA UNANGST
COMMENCEMENT SWAG
EXECUTED BY GRETA TEBBE & EMMA UNANGST
GABRIELLE RAMSAYCINCINNATI, OHIO
2024