Manoa Now Identity

Brief

While working at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, I saw an opportunity to lead Manoa Now, one of the main student media programs on campus. I recruited, trained, and managed teams of marketing, cinematography, photography, design, and web development interns.

Following the pandemic, the program had two clear needs: it needed clients, and it needed to reestablish itself with students and staff who had not seen much from it for years.

Concept

My first step was revisiting the brand and bringing it out of its quiet shelf in order to make a splash in the community. The original identity was a single-layout wordmark with a thin rainbow bar underneath. I rebuilt it as a bold sans serif wordmark that could work stacked or horizontally, then introduced a supporting logo to accompany it.

The logo was meant to symbolize the media programs that Manoa Now encompassed, including Ka Leo newspaper, KTUH Radio, Hawaii Review, and the Manoa Now marketing department.

Identity shift

The work was steered toward bold design, bold color, and modern creative that could draw students toward the program, the app, and the marketing materials. If the brand could become part of everyday student life, then local and national businesses had a clearer reason to work with the program and support real digital and physical ad revenue.

System

The system moved between app promotion, merchandise, posters, social assets, campaign photography, print advertising, and student recruitment materials. The identity needed enough structure for student teams to keep using it, but enough energy to make students notice it again.

Outcome

During my time with the program, Manoa Now reached pre-pandemic levels of visibility, clientele, and income. It was a major success because the program and brand had been rebuilt from the ground up.