KUGS Rebrand and Documentary

Branding, Photography, Production, Creative Directing

KUGS is a student run radio station at Western Washington University. Since 1974, KUGS has been a staple of the Bellingham community. The station prides itself on an extensive physical music library and a diverse range of student voices. Working at KUGS for 4 years gave me a unique perspective on the values and aesthetics of the station. With the opportunity to have my design’s implemented in the station, these projects incorporate the history and quirks of the station to invite listeners into the world of college radio.

Created with WWU Design BFA cohort members Camille Smaling and Natalie McNulty to give a playful insight to the station and the volunteers.

Short Documentary

Fig. 1 Hand-Drawn Type Animations

Receiving input from KUGS coworkers every step of the way, this rebrand focused on the nostalgia and whimsy of college radio. I dove into the scrapbooks and old branding of the station to create something new, but familiar.

Rebrand

Fig. 2 New Logo Design

Fig. 5 Volunteers in Their Tees

Fig. 4 Sticker Spread Photograph

Fig. 3 Variable Profile Options

Fig. 13 2023 Shirt Designed by Me and Adapted from Former Bears Imagery

Fig. 4 Volunteer Tees Front and Back

Fig. 12 Historical Documentation of KUGS Bear Mascot

Fig. 6 Volunteer Tees Front and Back

These projects both relied heavily on the aesthetics of the station and diving into the visual culture of the station. The process shown here illustrates how the history of the station was incorporated into the new projects and branding.

DOcumentary process

The typography used for the title cards of the short documentary was derived from an old poster found in the scrapbooks at the station. I used a broad chisel tipped Sharpie to write each letter and their separate outlines, tracing and repeating them to be placed in a frame by frame sequence.

KUGS having a rich history of over 50 years contributed to the nostalgia pulled into the process of the rebrand. I asked the current staff members what aspects of the older branding they enjoyed the most in order to assess what should be carried into the new branding.

The logo in usage was created in 2005 and felt out of character for the current staff and volunteers. Current KUGS staff agreed on the proposed direction of blending nostalgic elements with an updated playful logo that better fits the brand.