The Asian Centennial at William & Mary celebrates the admission of Chen Pu-Kao – the first student from Asia who graduated in 1923 – along with the contributions of the preceding generations of students of Asian, Pacific Islander and Middle Eastern descent.

The celebration begins in 2021 and will continue for the next 3 years covering workshops, lectures, and guest artists from a wide-range of APIA backgrounds.

As half-pacific islander myself, I was honored to take the lead in designing for the Centennial’s branding. Because the celebrations will go on for a few years, I created a suite of different logos that can be used interchangeably as a way to keep the identity feeling fresh during the duration of celebration. The main flower visual is a combination of a hibiscus and lotus flower, 2 separate elements that were used on previous APIA materials, but by combining them into a single icon it represents the unity of the community and allows for a strong, consistent visual to carry throughout the materials.

I also illustrated a versatile collection of bespoke patterns to be used on various collateral. drawing inspiration from the many cultures that make up the APIA community. The color palette was taken from William & Mary’s tertiary color palette to help differentiate the branding from the main university’s.

Shown as examples are posters, Zoom backgrounds, and thank you cards that were created at the launch.