Administration: One of six state-funded, four-year institutions of higher education in Washington, Western operates on a September-to-June academic year (quarter system) with six- and nine-week summer sessions. Sabah U Randhawa is Western’s 14th president starting July 1st, 2016.
Location: Western Washington University is a four-year public institution located in Bellingham, Washington (population 87,000), 90 minutes North of Seattle and 55 miles south of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Surrounded by the San Juan Islands and Bellingham Bay to the West, and Mt. Baker and the Cascade Mountain Range to the East, the Western campus is an idyllic setting for outdoor adventure, community involvement and higher learning.
Student-Athletes: In 2017-18, approximately 300 students will participate in 15 varsity sports at WWU, 6 for men and 9 for women. WWU is in its 20th year as a member of NCAA Division II since joining the ranks in September 1998. So far in 2017-18 both the women’s soccer and volleyball programs played for the NCAA II West Regional championship.
WWU is an NCAA II institution and member of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference. The main performance gym has a seating capacity of approximately 2,500. The venue is host to men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball. It also contains offices for Athletics’ administration, coach’s offices, locker rooms and training facilities for all 15 intercollegiate athletic programs. Carver is also home to WWU’s Health and Human Development Department. HHD is one of the oldest and largest professional programs at Western. There are currently over 650 undergraduate and 25 graduate students enrolled in the three programs. In addition to shared spaces with intercollegiate athletics, HHD also has newly constructed biomechanics and exercise physiology labs, offices and classrooms. Campus Recreation programming operates primarily out of the Wade King Student Recreation Center, but also shares activity spaces within Carver when space is available on evenings and weekends.
Scope of Work:
Western Washington University is seeking proposals from qualified graphic design and production firms for work in support of a branding approach for our Athletic and Health and Human Development facilities. Proposals should list experience that describes any type of branding work that might be relevant on a campus setting over the long term, even if it’s not relevant to the specific project which focuses on a unified branding approach to the University’s Intercollegiate Athletics programs and its Health and Human Development (HHD) academic department.
The University has just completed a major 2-year renovation of the Carver Complex which houses these two departments and also serves as the largest public gathering/event space on campus. Commencements, fundraising dinners, speakers, and other public events that showcase the University are held here, so the branding approach can be more flexible in some spaces to adapt and best serve multiple audiences. During the renovation, infrastructure was added to facilitate the addition of media and/or digital imagery in a number of locations.
Graphics and messaging will be displayed in or on the Carver Complex public entry, gymnasiums and athletics wing of the facility as well as in the Academic wing of the facility. The proposals should define the design, fabrication and installation of graphic exhibits for select locations in the building.
It is anticipated that multiple methods will be effective in creating brand imagery within the Carver Complex, from changeable lighting, digital imagery and other media improvements, to etched images on glass entries and reproduced imagery on walls in the office suites, corridors, and gymnasiums and other spaces. A consistent, unified format for display of championship banners and trophies as well as other ways to recognize student and program achievements is desired. Cohesively branded marks and inspirational messaging should augment the basic wayfinding/identification signage already in place. Opportunities for donor recognition whether in named spaces or other methods should be defined and created in a way that provides consistency within the departments as well as with the rest of campus.
Key components of the project include the following:
- Working with WWU Athletics’ staff, identify story lines and design concepts that support the WWU Athletics’ desired images and
- Working with the Health and Human Development Department and University Communications staff to identify story lines and design concepts that support desired images and messages for the HHD programs.
- Working with a broader campus constituent that utilizes Carver for major public events, identify appropriate design concepts that can be flexible enough to support desired messaging for these events.
- Distinct phases of define and,
- Provide cost estimates on options and timeline for production/fabrication and installation
Key project goals include the following:
- Representing the best of Western both athletically and academically in a way that attracts
- Enhancing the experience within the facility by creating an atmosphere that reflects the Universities values and enhances the fan experience by incorporating modern graphic storytelling elements into the
- Enhance the student athlete experience by providing graphic messages, images and examples of excellence throughout the Athletics’ facilities, and also tying in the history of these
- Academic Excellence – Highlight the sustained excellence of the Department of Health and Human Development with images and examples that support our mission of educating individuals to improve personal and community wellness and quality of life through human movement, health, and leisure experiences.
- Building an atmosphere for community users for special events, such as donor celebrations and gatherings
Due Date:
April 30th 2018
Contact:
WESTERN BUSINESS SERVICES
333 32nd Street. AC-130
Bellingham, WA 98225
PR firms with education experience includes Finn Partners.