Creative Brand Strategy
21 / 04 / 2026 — 25 / 07 / 2026
Week 01 — Week 14
Wang Jiheng / 0378904
Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media Taylor's University
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INSTRUCTIONS
Week 1
Week 2
In Week 2, the lecture focused on brand strategy and how strong brands are built through purpose, not only visual design. The lecturer explained that branding is more than logos or colours. It is about how a brand is understood and remembered by the audience.
We learned key elements such as brand purpose, vision, mission, values, positioning, personality, and tone of voice. These help create a clear and consistent identity.
Confirmed Topic
Rationale
Case Study 1: Mental Health Coalition | Brand Identity by Pentagram
This is my primary case study, as it directly addresses the core barrier my target audience faces: the stigma of seeking mental health support. As someone who has lived with anxiety, and as a design student who values creative individuality, this brand’s stigma-breaking, empathetic approach is exactly what I want to bring to my own campaign.
Visual Identity Analysis
Designed by Pentagram, the brand avoids common mental health clichés such as brain graphics, sad faces, and cold clinical blue tones.
Instead, it uses bold colours and the impactful Druk typeface to create an optimistic, confident and energetic identity focused on hope and community.
The “square peg in a round hole” symbol appears across all applications, making the message instantly recognisable.
For design students, this visual approach is highly effective because it feels creative, bold and engaging rather than like a typical university lecture.
Task 1
Topic Title
A Mental Health Campaign Using Body Mapping and Acupressure to Reduce Anxiety Among University Students.
Problem Statement
Many university students experience stress, anxiety, and emotional pressure caused by academic workload, social expectations, and future uncertainty. Some students do not know simple ways to calm themselves during stressful moments, while others avoid seeking support because they think anxiety is something they must handle alone. As a result, emotional stress can build up and negatively affect concentration, confidence, and wellbeing.
Audience Focus
University students aged 18 to 24, especially those who experience study stress, overthinking, emotional pressure, and anxiety during daily campus life.
Research Summary
Students aged 18–24 often face deadlines, academic competition, financial pressure, and uncertainty about their future. These challenges can lead to anxiety, emotional fatigue, and difficulty concentrating. Many students want fast and private coping methods that can be used anywhere without embarrassment. Simple body-based techniques such as acupressure, breathing, and physical awareness have become increasingly relevant because they are practical, low-cost, and easy to access. Campaigns that combine body awareness with emotional education can help students better manage stress in a healthy way.
Opportunity Statement
Create a student-friendly mental health campaign that uses body mapping and simple acupressure techniques to help university students reduce anxiety in daily life. The campaign will provide easy one-minute stress relief methods, increase awareness of emotional wellbeing, and encourage students to understand the connection between body and mind.
Initial Concept Direction
A creative wellbeing campaign titled “Press Pause” that teaches students how to massage specific pressure points for one minute to reduce anxiety and tension. The campaign uses body maps, calming visuals, posters, and interactive activities to guide students through quick self-care actions. It focuses on simplicity, accessibility, and emotional support in a non-clinical environment.
Moodboard / Visual Cues
• Calm blue, sage green, beige, soft white colour palette
• Minimal body diagrams and hand-point indicators
• Rounded typography and clean layouts
• Soft gradients and gentle lighting
• Relaxing visual atmosphere
• Icons showing touch points and breathing flow
• Clean, supportive, peaceful, practical style
Part A: Analysis of Related Case Studies
Below are several case study websites related to student wellbeing, mental health awareness, and body-based emotional support campaigns that I explored for my research.
This week, I presented the initial direction of my campaign project, “Unfiltered”. The purpose of the campaign is to encourage people to acknowledge their emotions instead of suppressing them. During the presentation, I explained the campaign concept, target audience, and the message I wanted to communicate.
The feedback from my lecturer helped me understand that a strong campaign needs a clear visual identity that connects directly to the campaign values. Therefore, I started thinking about how I could translate the idea of emotions, self-awareness, and personal expression into a logo and visual language.
This presentation became the foundation for the next stage of the project, which focused on logo development and brand identity design.
This week, I focused on exploring different logo directions for the Unfiltered campaign. I created 20 logo sketches by hand, experimenting with different symbols, typography treatments, and visual metaphors.
My goal was to find a logo that could represent emotional expression, authenticity, and the process of understanding one's feelings. After reviewing the sketches, my lecturer selected four concepts that showed the most potential for further development.
Among the selected sketches, Sketch 18 attracted the most attention because it used a wave element to represent emotional flow and body signals. The lecturer suggested that this direction could be developed further because it connected more closely with the campaign concept.
This stage taught me the importance of generating a large number of ideas before choosing a final direction. Sketching allowed me to explore different possibilities quickly before moving into digital development.
Week 7 – Digitalisation and Iteration
This week, I began transforming the selected logo concepts into digital versions using Adobe Illustrator. I focused mainly on developing Sketch 18 and experimented with different wave shapes, gradients, typography, and compositions.
Throughout the process, I created many different versions and received continuous feedback from my lecturer. One of the main challenges was ensuring that the logo remained connected to the original sketch while also looking professional and suitable for a modern campaign.
The lecturer encouraged me to simplify the design, improve the relationship between the wave and typography, and think more carefully about how the logo communicates the meaning of “Unfiltered”. As a result, I spent a significant amount of time refining proportions, adjusting the visual hierarchy, and exploring different visual directions.
This iterative process helped me understand that logo design is not only about aesthetics but also about communicating a clear concept and brand value.
This image shows my first digital attempt based on the wave sketch. I tried to combine the “unfiltered” wordmark with a wave line and gradient effect. However, my lecturer commented that the digital version did not follow the original sketch closely enough.
This image shows a later version where I made the wave thinner and added a softer gradient under the line. My lecturer suggested that the gradient should feel like it comes out naturally from the wave, instead of looking like a separate glow effect.
This week, I continued refining the logo based on previous feedback. I explored several alternative directions before deciding to focus on a more structured and symbolic design approach.
The latest version uses a simplified symbol combined with typography to create a clearer visual identity. During the consultation session, my lecturer felt that this direction had stronger potential and advised me to continue refining the details rather than changing the concept entirely.
The feedback focused on improving the typography, simplifying the colour application, and exploring a monochrome version of the logo. I was also encouraged to ensure that every visual element has a clear relationship with the campaign values and message.
Moving forward, I will continue refining the logo and begin applying the identity system to posters, digital platforms, and other campaign materials. The goal is to create a consistent visual language that supports the message of Unfiltered and strengthens the overall brand identity.
This image shows the refined version of my logo after several rounds of feedback and development. The design uses three flowing wave forms and a central dot to represent the relationship between emotions, body awareness, and action. The symbol was developed from Sketch 18, which was previously selected by my lecturer as the most suitable direction for the campaign.
During consultation, my lecturer agreed that this version had strong potential to continue developing as the final logo direction. The symbol demonstrates a clearer structure and stronger visual consistency compared to earlier explorations. I also tested the logo in colour, monochrome, and reversed versions to evaluate its flexibility across different applications.
The next stage of development will focus on refining the typography, improving the relationship between the symbol and wordmark, and creating a more sophisticated visual identity system that reflects the values of the Unfiltered campaign.
In Week 1, I learned that a strong campaign idea must begin with a clear social problem and a specific target audience. At first, I focused too much on general mental health topics, but after the lecture, I understood the importance of narrowing the issue down into a real audience problem. I started exploring stress and anxiety among young adults, especially students who hide their emotions because of pressure and comparison culture. This week helped me understand how to turn a broad topic into a more focused campaign direction. I also realised that research and audience insight are very important before creating visuals.
Week 2
In Week 2, I learned how important case studies are in developing a campaign concept. At first, I found examples that looked interesting, but they were not closely related to my idea. After discussing with Mr Max, I understood that the case study must strongly connect with my campaign topic and provide useful inspiration. I then changed my direction and selected the UTAR Counselling & Wellness Week campaign, which focused on anxiety and emotional wellbeing among students. This week taught me how to analyse an existing campaign more critically, including its audience, message, strengths, and weaknesses. It also helped me improve my own concept by learning from real examples.
During Week 1, I realised that creating a meaningful campaign is not only about having a creative idea, but also about solving a real problem. At first, I was thinking in a broad way and did not clearly define the audience or issue. After the class, I reflected that research should come before design. I became more aware of how many young people experience stress, anxiety, and emotional pressure in daily life. This made me feel more connected to the topic and motivated me to create something helpful rather than only visually attractive.
Week 2
During Week 2, I reflected on the importance of choosing the right case study. My first few examples were not suitable because they did not closely match my campaign direction. After receiving feedback, I understood that a good case study should support and strengthen my own idea. When I found the UTAR Counselling & Wellness Week campaign, I saw how emotional wellbeing could be communicated through student-friendly activities and awareness events. This helped me reflect on how design can create positive social impact. I also learned to be more flexible and improve my work based on feedback instead of forcing my first idea.
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