Creative Brand Strategy Lectures and Tasks

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Creative Brand Strategy Lectures and Tasks
Week 1-Week 14
Siam Siew Yong 0358399
Bachelor of Design in Creative Media | Taylor’s Design School | Taylor’s University

List of Contents

  • Instruction
  • Lectures
  • Task 1: Case Study Analysis and Campaign Proposal
  • Task 2: Brand Guideline
  • Task 3: Brand and Campaign Strategy Design
  • Feedback
  • Reflection for whole module

Instruction

module information

 
project brief

Lectures

WEEK 1

 
week 1 lecture slide

In week 1, Mr Max has given us the briefing of module information and what we gonna do this semester. He also briefing us the project brief--about collaborate with Taylor Counselling Services and create a design outcome with a theme of mental health. 

Mr Max also gave us the references of some mental health campaign or services website. He also mentioned us that we have to decide the direction of our project in next week.


WEEK 2

week 2 lecture slide

Week 2 lectures
1.Explain what brand strategy means.
2.Identify the basic components of brand strategy.
3.Understand how strategy guides brand identity.
4.Analyse an existing mental health campaign as a case study.
5.Know what to write down when studying a case study.
6.Begin connecting your case study research to your own campaign direction.

In this week, we also required to complete the case study by following the format given.
I prefer to choose WhatsUpWithEveryone as the main case study.


WEEK 3

week 3 lecture slide
In week 3, we required to complete our campaign proposal by following the format provided by Mr Max. After I completed it, I consulted with Mr Max and get the feedback to improve my project.
  • Make sure u have the mock up of all ur output in final project, and no need all the output u need to do(bcs too much), decide what u want. 
  • Use the word that u can find the research easily, decide the visual style u want, and choose a better tagline
I did the correction before week 4.


WEEK 4

week 4 lecture slide

Task 1:Case Study and Campaign Proposal

Requirements:

1. Brand Background
2. Brand Strategy Analysis
3. Target Audience Analysis
4. Campaign / Case Study Overview
5. Communication and Visual Analysis
6. Touchpoints and Customer Journey
7. Strengths and Weaknesses
8. Insights and Learning Points
9. Campaign Proposal
10. References / Evidence

In week 2, I have done my case study and submit in pdf form.
The name of my case study: What's Up With Everyone, https://whatsupwitheveryone.com/ << website link

fig 1.1 case study in pdf

After getting feedback from Mr Max, I started to work on my campaign proposal and presentation slide.
The presentation slide should include: Part A- Case study, Part B: Situation Analysis that includes my own campaign

fig 1.2 feedback by Mr Max
So I'm started to plan my own campaign proposal. And from the feedback by Mr Max, I should make my target audience more specific. I should define the type of burnout clearly like academic burnout, creative burnout, emotional exhaustion, social burnout, or burnout from trying to keep up with expectations. 

As my case study is an Aardman-style character-driven campaign, I did not copy its visual style directly. Instead, I incorporated a character-driven approach while developing my own unique creative direction.

In week 3, I have my draft campaign proposal.

fig 1.3 draft campaign proposal
At first, I chose 'Unshell' 'Shell Down' as the brand name, but after consulted with Mr Max, he suggested that these names would be more suitable as campaign names rather than brand names. He also emphasized that a brand and a campaign serve different purposes and should not be treated as the same thing.

Therefore, I developed a new brand name, The Shore. It is a brand that evokes a sense of escape—organic, calming, and welcoming to everyone, allowing people to connect and share on their own terms.
My campaign will focuses on emotional burnout among high-achieving and highly responsible university students. Although they often appear productive, capable, and in control, many struggle with emotional exhaustion, numbness, and overwhelming pressure beneath the surface. Unlike traditional mental health campaign, my campaign would not sound clinical, text-overload or overly motivational.

This concept will be developed into both a digital and physical campaign, refining and adapting the non-physical engagement strategies explored in my case studies into a more comprehensive and interactive experience.

I also had the visual direction for my brand and campaign. The colour palette focuses on soft contrasting tones, with a minimalist illustration style inspired by lofi culture. To create a more unique character, I designed the main character as a human carrying a shell on their back. According to Mr. Max’s feedback, this concept feels more emotionally appealing and less predictable than using a hermit crab.

fig 1.4 visual direction
I also decided my touchpoint for whole campaign, which including website, social media, event booth and illustration book as my impactful project outcome. I done my presentation on week 5.

Here's my final submission for Task 1.

FINAL SUBMISSION

fig 1.5 presentation pdf for task 1(case study+campaign proposal)


Task 2: Brand Guideline

Instructions:

For Task 2: Brand Guideline / Brand Book, each student is required to complete a comprehensive brand guideline based on your approved Creative Brand Strategy campaign. The purpose of this task is to help you build a clear, consistent, and professional visual identity system before moving into your campaign design applications.

Your brand guideline should act as the official reference document for your campaign brand. It should explain how your brand identity works, how the logo should be used, what colours and typography represent your brand, how your visual elements support your campaign message, and how the overall identity can be applied consistently across different touchpoints.

Requirements:

1. Cover Page
2. Introduction
3. Table of Contents
4. Brand Overview
5. Logo System
6. Colour Palette
7. Typography
8. Visual Elements
9. Corporate / Brand Assets

In week 6, I drew few of the logo at class. After that, I developed a gateway concept.

fig 2.1 sketches of logo

fig 2.2 sketches of logo
After that, I tried to digitized few logo in Illustrator. 

fig 2.3 draft for logo mark

fig 2.4 draft for logo type
For the logo, I plan to incorporate the gateway symbol into the letter “O” in The Shore, allowing the concept to be integrated naturally within the wordmark rather than appearing as a separate icon.
I have also explored the idea of a link or connection, representing how people connect with one another, and how the brand connects with and supports its community. This concept reflects the importance of relationships, belonging, and emotional support in the mental health journey.

After I done my draft logos, I sent privately to Mr Max and asked for his feedback.

fig 2.5 feedback by Mr Max

He recommended these two as the final logo direction, especially the ones that already suggest both a doorway and a shoreline/wave at the same time. Those feel the most promising because they connect best to your name The Shore while still holding the idea of entry into a safe space.

He also told that can try connect these two as the logo mark and then merge with the logotype to see which work better.

In Week 8, the final logo direction was selected and approved by Prof. Phil and Mr. Max.

fig 2.6 final brand logo
fig 2.7 clear space of logo
After that, I continued developing the brand pattern and icon. I first sketched 10 icons in class, but not all approved. So I sketched 4 more icons and decided the final 15 icons.

fig 2.8 sketches of icons

fig 2.9 final icons

And I created my brand patterns which developed directly from my brand logo mark

fig 2.10 first pattern process
fig 2.10 second pattern process

After getting feedback by Mr Max, he  advised that the brand pattern needs to align more closely with the brand identity. And the icon colours should also be adjusted to better reflect the brand’s overall aesthetic.
So this is my final version of brand pattern and icons

fig 2.11 final brand patterns

fig 2.12 final brand icons

After completed brand patterns and icons, I continued on corporate assets. My corporate assets are letterhead, stickers and business cards.

fig 2.13 process of corporate assets

After adjusted, I got my final version of brand assets

fig 2.14  final letterhead

fig 2.15  final business card

fig 2.16  final stickers

FINAL SUBMISSION FOR TASK 2

fig 2.17  final brand guideline

Task 3

Instructions:

At this stage, you should now move forward into developing your campaign application designs, impression artwork / journey map, impactful project, and final presentation / proposal slides.

Please do not create your campaign applications randomly. Every design must connect back to your approved campaign direction, mental health awareness theme, target audience, key message, and brand identity system.

Requirements
  • ​The Campaign Application Design Mockups
  • Impactful Project
  • Impression Artwork / Journey Map
  • Final Presentation / Proposal Slides
In week 11, I started to work on my impactful project--Illustration book. At first, I created the draft storyboard by using Procreate.

fig 3.1 initial storyboard

After done my draft storyboard, I sent Mr Max and asked for feedback.

fig 3.2 feedback by Mr Max

Before finalize in illustrator, I was advised to refine the storyboard.
1. I need to improve the wording
2. I need to make the turning point clearer
3. I need to connect the story more clearly to the campaign
4. I need to ensure the visual consistency
5. Be careful with the emotional tone

After refined, I completed my illustration book and started to work on my applications.

fig 3.3 illustration booklet pdf 

After completing the illustration book, I moved on to developing the website. I continued using the visual elements created for the illustration book to maintain consistency across the campaign. I imported the visuals into Figma and developed the website layout and interface design based on the established visual direction.

For the website, I had 5 key sections: 
1. The Home page, where acts as the gateway to the Live Beach.
2. The Live Beach, where presents anonymous student memo.
3. Shell Down, a safe space to anonymously drop memo.
4. Project, presents an interactive story that encourages self-reflection through Barnaby's journey.
5. Find the Shore, a supportive gateway connecting students to campus resources and professional help.

fig 3.4 content pages in Figma

fig 3.5 components

fig 3.6 components

The website components include interactive elements such as the shell hover animation, navigation bar, and buttons. Here is the Figma link to view the website mock-up and prototype.

This Figma mock-up would fully show how the live beach website works, like see the anonymous message dropped by other students, guide to drop anonymous message, read digital illustration book and connect to helpline.

After completed my website, I worked on the social media posts.
I created a real Instagram account at first, and I wrote a short introduction on the profile. I also added the website link on the bio.

fig 3.7 short introduction in Social Media profile

Before I started, I made a journey map for the post. After complete that, I started my work in Illustrator.

fig 3.8 process in Illustrator

Post 1: Teaser of the brand
Post 2: Teaser of the campaign,'Shell Down'
Post 3: Announcement of the physical booth
The first three booth was in awareness phase, audiences would know the brand and campaign at this phase.

fig 3.9 post 1-post 3

Post 4: The relatable metaphor- IS YOUR SHELL OVERSTUFFED? MAYBE U CAN PUT SOME DOWN.
This post was in Interest phase, audiences would start to feel connected and curious about the meaning of shell.

fig 3.10 post 4

Post 5: The launch of website
Post 6: The launch of character
Post 7: The collective validations, READ YOUR PEERS' STORY NOW
These three posts were in understanding phase, audiences begin to understand the meaning of shell, shell: represent the bags that hide emotions inside.

fig 3.11 post 5-7

Post 8: The emotional action, TODAY I... [DROP YOUR MEMO HERE]
Post 9: The support post
The last two posts were in action phase, audiences start to express themselves and accept themselves to find help.
fig 3.12 post 8-9

After completed the social media posts, I continued the work on event booth mock-up.
The event booth will includes the Beach Canvas Wall, Live Digital Monitor, Information Counter, and Merchandise Stand, the booth bridges physical and digital interactions, transforming individual experiences into a visible and supportive campus community.
I completed the mock-up by using Photoshop.

fig 3.13 process in Photoshop

fig 3.14 process in Illustrator

fig 3.15 event booth

After completed all the applications, I continued on the final presentation deck.

fig 3.16 process in Illustrator
In week 14, I complete my final presentation!

FINAL SUBMISSION FOR TASK 3

fig 3.17 final presentation deck
fig 3.18 illustration booklet(pdf)

Feedback

Week 1: 
Idea of hermit crab and topic of emotion burnout in uni students approved. 

Week 2: 
Do the case study and submit by week 2 Tuesday.

Week 3: 
Specific feedback- Make sure u have the mock up of all ur output in final project, and no need all the output u need to do(bcs too much), decide what u want. Use the word that u can find the research easily, decide the visual style u want, and choose a better tagline

Week 4: 
Specific feedback- The whole idea accepted, but the campaign name need to decide a better one. The brand name -The Shore accepted.

Week 5: 
Done our task 1 presentation.

Week 6:
Specific feedback- The gateway concept for the logo was approved. Continue developing the idea to create a stronger connection between the concept and the brand.

Week 7:
Specific feedback- Movement/Water and Door visuals for logo accepted. Can connect these two as the logo mark and then merge with the logotype to see which work better.

Week 8:
Specific feedback- Feedback from Prof Phil and Mr Max, the logo approved and may start on brand core kit.

Week 9:
Specific feedback- Need to find 5 more icon, and u may put ur icons in presentation slide, website or event booth. Pls make sure ur stroke for all illustrations or icons must same with ur brand logo, either logotype or logo mark.

Week 10:
Specific feedback- All icons were approved, but the brand pattern needs to align more closely with the brand identity. Strengthen key elements such as the wave and gateway to make the visual identity more recognizable. The icon colours should also be adjusted to better reflect the brand’s overall aesthetic.

Week 11:
Specific feedback- Illustration book story approved, may complete it first before start on ur application

Week 12:
Specific feedback- Refine the grammar of ur illustration book, u can strengthen the campaign connection at the end of the book, and consider to add one final reflection prompt to make whole experience more interactive.

Week 13:
Ur applications are make sense, but pls make sure to explain the function for each applications.


Reflection for whole module

Experience:

This module was a challenging yet rewarding journey that combined brand strategy, storytelling, and multi-platform design for a mental health initiative developed in collaboration with Taylor’s Counselling Services. The project focused on addressing hidden emotional burnout among high-achieving university students in a way that felt relatable rather than clinical.

The process began with defining the target audience and understanding the difference between the brand, The Shore, and the campaign, Shell Down. From there, I developed a human-centred narrative around Barnaby, a character who carries a heavy shell as a symbol of emotional pressure and expectations.

Across three tasks, the project gradually evolved from an initial strategy proposal and visual identity system—including custom logotypes, wave-inspired graphics, and a set of 15 icons—into a range of final deliverables. These included an interactive illustration book, a Figma prototype for the "Live Beach" website, a 9-post Instagram campaign, and an immersive event booth. Together, these outcomes created a cohesive experience that encouraged students to connect, reflect, and seek support in a safe and approachable way.

Observation:

Throughout the consultation process with Mr. Max and Prof. Phil, I gained several valuable insights about visual communication and audience engagement. One of the most important lessons was that Gen Z audiences connect more strongly with relatable and meaningful visual metaphors rather than direct or overly literal representations of stress. For example, the concept of a human carrying a shell on their back felt more engaging and emotionally impactful than using a hermit crab character alone.

I also learned the importance of distinguishing between a brand and a campaign. While **The Shore** serves as the long-term brand identity and safe space for students, **Shell Down** functions as a campaign that encourages specific actions and conversations. Understanding this difference helped me build a clearer and more effective communication strategy.

Another key takeaway was the importance of maintaining visual consistency across all touchpoints. By applying the gateway and wave elements throughout the illustration book, website, social media content, and event booth, I was able to create a more cohesive brand experience. Paying attention to details such as colour palettes, stroke styles, and visual elements helped ensure that the campaign felt unified, professional, and immersive.

Finding:

The final submission and critique helped me realize that an effective mental health campaign is not only about creating attractive visuals, but also about building empathy, meaningful interactions, and continuously improving the work through feedback. One of my biggest takeaways was the importance of balancing visuals and copywriting. While developing the illustration book, I had to refine the story and wording several times to ensure it felt supportive and relatable rather than overly clinical or preachy.

I also learned how important interactive touchpoints are in encouraging engagement. Features such as the anonymous memo-sharing function on the "Live Beach" website and the physical canvas booth allowed students to participate in a safe and low-pressure way, turning awareness into meaningful interaction and peer support.

Most importantly, this project taught me the value of iteration. Throughout the semester, I continuously refined different aspects of the campaign, from the brand patterns and icon system to the functionality of each touchpoint. By incorporating feedback from lecturers and testing ideas across multiple applications, I was able to strengthen the overall campaign and create a more cohesive and impactful final outcome.





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