In the fall of 2012, I attended a branding workshop as the Communications Assistant for the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. The workshop concentrated on UBC’s institutional branding, especially the From Here campaign, which highlights UBC’s importance as a global leader in research.

At the time, I was also given a project to design a poster for the ECE department. The department had a problem with students using the designated quiet study rooms for other purposes, including napping, eating, or for just hanging out with other students. My supervisor wanted me to create an aesthetically pleasing poster that would communicate the study room rules. With the recent workshop on my mind, I had a bit of fun with the poster, which I created in Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator.

I tried to mimic the style of the From Here ads, using the same font and adding ECE colours. I took a photograph of MacLeod, the building that contains the study rooms, trying to copy the same grandiose style of the original From Here campaign. Lastly I poked fun at the idea that students quietly studying is as grand an achievement as UBC’s achievements in research or education.