Project Overview
Students in SMAD 332: Visual Communication Design were given the task of developing a brand mark & brand guide for a JMU student entrepreneur through a multi-semester collaboration with the Gilliam Center for Entrepreneurship at the JMU College of Business. School of Media Arts & Design (SMAD) students were paired with a student entrepreneur, and worked with them to develop a brand mark and guide for a product or service that the entrepreneur had developed. I ran this collaboration from 2021–2022, and guided 70 SMAD students and 10 student entrepreneurs through this branding process.
During the fall 2022 semester, SMAD students Katerina Moss and Alana Shapiro worked with student entrepreneur Julianne Pullella to create a brand mark and brand guide for Tongo—a plush sensory toy developed to help young children build their motor and sensory skills. Tongo gave children “a play structure that they can inhabit.” The brand mark for this product reflected its shape, texture, and function with playful, child-like designs, fun patterns, and eye-catching colors.
Press & Awards
SMAD majors collaborate with student entrepreneurs for authentic professional experiences
“Branding for Business: A Cross-Campus Collaboration” presented at SECAC 2023
Project Images
Other brand marks from this collaboration
The following brand marks were created by other SMAD students as part of this collaboration with the Gilliam Center for Entrepreneurship.
