WCRD Radio Station
Identity System
Project Information
Client – WCRD Radio Station
Project – Identity System
Role – Designer
Team Members – Brooke Gabrek, Leah Callahan,
Alexandria Southern, Anna Oakes
Challenge
Produce a distinctive identity design that attracts a broad audience ranging from college students to mature adults.
Solution
Create an identity with energetic colors and angles to reflect the content of the radio station.
Outcome
A design concept inspired by familiar music imagery — an emoticon finger and a “Play” button found in the negative space between the letters WCRD.
Insight
WCRD is an independent radio station located in Muncie, Indiana on the Ball State University campus.
WCRD is the second largest student activity at Ball State and covers a variety of topics including talk, music, news, weather, and sports. WCRD approached Studio 165+ seeking a new identity that reflected the station’s alternative music to set them apart from their competitors.
Wanting to reach a broader audience, the design concept is inspired by familiar music imagery – an emoticon finger and “Play” button, representative of actions individuals follow to listen to the radio. The use of negative space allows these concepts to be subtly integrated into the WCRD identity. The final identity was applied to logo variations, stationery, web/mobile, and apparel. The WCRD identity system won a 2017 GDUSA American Graphic Design Award.
To view the WCRD identity guidelines, click here.