Hamel Music Center
The Mead Witter School of Music at UW–Madison is renowned for its music education and performance excellence. For the opening of the Hamel Music Center, I created a distinct brand identity for its fundraising and opening celebrations, reflecting the elegance and refinement of this new landmark.
ROLE
Lead Designer
TEAM
Marketing, Communications, Development, Digital, Mead Witter School of Music stakeholders
UW–MADISON SCHOOL OR COLLEGE
Mead Witter School of Music
DESIGN PROBLEM
The Mead Witter School of Music needed sophisticated correspondence to raise money for the Hamel Music Center and celebrate its opening. It wanted a custom look distinct from the bold red graphics of the UW–Madison brand, which is traditionally applied to communications of all Schools and Colleges.
DESIGN SOLUTION
I developed a comprehensive brand system for the Hamel Music Center’s fundraising and opening celebrations. The design integrates architectural elements such as angles, circles, and copper tones with photos of the building and music students. These geometric shapes are reinterpreted in various layouts to maintain visual interest and brand consistency. Subtle sound wave motifs reinforce the music theme. The resulting brand look is dynamic yet refined, honoring the new Hamel Music Center and its donors.
PROGRAM BOOKLET
The program booklet for the Hamel Music Center’s fundraising and opening celebrations features a sophisticated brand look. It uses core elements—angles, circles, copper tones, and music-themed imagery—in unique combinations, showcasing the versatility and effectiveness of the brand system. Elegant typography in light and medium weights highlights keywords, while vertical text is visible from the partially exposed inner pages.
FOUNDRAISER MAILING
For this targeted fundraising solicitation, we offered recipients an exclusive preview of the concert hall chairs, showing where their name would be etched onto a copper plate if they donated. Using variable data, we personalized each mailer to create a compelling connection with potential donors, highlighting the unique opportunity to be part of this prestigious landmark.
EMAIL INVITATIONS
Using the email patterns we developed for WFAA communications, I quickly customized the email modules with images and content tailored to the Hamel Music Center events.
PRINT INVITATIONS
I enjoyed working with the brand elements for various print invitations. The brand system was highly flexible, allowing multiple interpretations while maintaining a cohesive and elegant look.
