Students create the YOW factor for Youth Orchestra Waikato

Image: YOW poster design  by Wintec Media Arts students.

Orchestra Central, the umbrella organisation for orchestral music in Waikato and Bay of Plenty, have launched a dynamic new brand identity, developed by Wintec Media Arts students.

The students came up with a new brand strategy for the United Youth Orchestra that comes under the Orchestra Central banner. On the students’ recommendation, The United Youth Orchestra is now called Youth Orchestra Waikato (YOW) and has a fun, cool logo.

Chief Executive, Orchestra Central, Susan Trodden said the final design really ‘hit the brief’ and the clever elements in the logo tell a great story.

“The students design has been adopted easily by everyone – our musicians love it and we loved working with the students at Wintec.”

“We felt the students really understood what we were aiming for and the new ‘YOW’ brand fits well within the Orchestra Central family and as a standalone brand. The proof was in the pudding – our musicians are saying the ‘YOW’ anagram makes people smile and our ‘YOWsers’ are wearing the logo with pride!”.

The students were given a brief by the client to come up with a brand strategy. Weeks of hard work paid-off when the client implemented the branding plan presented by one of the groups.

The group was a mix of communication and design students Cassia Ngaruhe, Ruchita Bharbhari, Michelle Botting and Abby Baty, who worked collectively to revamp the image of the United Youth Orchestra.

The students carried out in-depth research about the client, their current positioning, competition and audience, before developing a plan and designing a visual identity and guidelines.

Industry-relevant experience is a key component for Wintec students, who benefit from real-world workplace experience.

Head of Wintec School of Media Arts, Sam Cunnane says it has been a great learning opportunity for the students as they experienced exactly how campaigns like this are proposed in the industry.

“Giving students an opportunity to apply their skills through projects in industry is a key part of equipping them for the world of work we are preparing them for. Our communication and design students will be working across a range of sectors and it’s important we give them a real experience of that.

“It’s also essential they learn the problem solving and collaborative skills that will enable them to thrive in the workforce,” says Sam.

The new logo has been successfully implemented on Youth Orchestra Waikato’s website and social media platforms. The students’ poster designs have also been used for the orchestra's events.

Find out more about studying at Wintec's School of Media Arts.

This story was written by Wintec Graduate Diploma in Communication student, Ruchita Bharbhari.