The University of Oxford’s Faculty of Music approached me with the support creating a wide range of communication materials, from public-facing posters to internal events. The challenge was to create a coherent series of templates that could accommodate diverse content and remain recognisable under the University’s visual identity.
The project resulted in a flexible template system designed for longevity, ease of use, and strong visual impact across print and digital formats.
The project resulted in a flexible template system designed for longevity, ease of use, and strong visual impact across print and digital formats.
With the fonts and colours from the Oxford University Brand Guidelines with the addition of some new fresh colours to the palette.
I came up with two initial look and feels for the templates. The first look and feel was inspired by Wassily Kandinsky. His abstract use of geometric shapes mirror his strong appreciation of music. He created sounds with shapes in a unity of sensation.
The shapes as graphical elements represent the many elements of music; rhythm, melody, harmony, sense of balance, contrast, repetition.
Various common shapes were identified and used to create an energetic composition. A different layout of shapes was chosen for each aspect ratio; portrait, landscape, square.
I came up with two initial look and feels for the templates. The first look and feel was inspired by Wassily Kandinsky. His abstract use of geometric shapes mirror his strong appreciation of music. He created sounds with shapes in a unity of sensation.
The shapes as graphical elements represent the many elements of music; rhythm, melody, harmony, sense of balance, contrast, repetition.
Various common shapes were identified and used to create an energetic composition. A different layout of shapes was chosen for each aspect ratio; portrait, landscape, square.
The clients' chosen route forward was for a balanced, modern aesthetic that integrates seamlessly with University branding. By pairing classic core University elements such as fonts and colours with modern layout techniques, these templates offer a visual identity that is mature, modest and distinctly elegant. Drawing inspiration from the architectural curves of instruments, I developed a series of expressive graphic silhouettes. These custom shapes act as the primary visual anchor for the templates, providing a flexible canvas for imagery and text while maintaining a consistent, sophisticated aesthetic.
