Module 4 · Someone Else’s Brand: City of Milwaukee
Milwaukee Step 1: Poster Sketches
Objectives
- 4.1 Apply the City of Milwaukee brand rules to a coordinated poster, Instagram ad and two welcome-kit mockups from the provided brief and copy. (Course Competency 2; Apply)
- 4.4 Critique classmates’ work against the same brand rules. (Course Competency 6; Evaluate)
This assignment measures Module Objectives 4.1 and 4.4, which support Course Competencies 2 and 6.
Overview
The City of Milwaukee, Office of Visitor Welcome, is hosting international graduate researchers spending the semester in Milwaukee studying Lake Michigan. The city wants a welcome package that introduces them to Milwaukee and helps them feel at home. Every piece follows the City of Milwaukee Brand Guidelines exactly. The brief is fictional; the brand is real. The guide is free to view and download, all rights reserved: link to it, never repost it.
This project has five steps: poster sketches, the poster and an Instagram ad, two welcome-kit mockups, the brand loaded into Figma as styles, and a final revised set.
Instructions
Brand requirements (scored in every step)
- Logo: use only the logo files downloaded from the City of Milwaukee Brand Guidelines. Do not redraw, stretch, recolor, add effects to, or crowd the logo. Follow the guide’s clear-space and minimum-size rules.
- Color: only colors from the City of Milwaukee palette.
- Typography: Myriad Pro. If you cannot activate it, use Montserrat or Bebas Neue, which the guide lists as approved alternates. No other typefaces.
- One logo: no university, sponsor or event logos.
- Credit line on every piece: Student project. Not affiliated with the City of Milwaukee.
Activate Myriad Pro
- Open the Creative Cloud desktop app and sign in with your Maricopa account.
- Go to Myriad on Adobe Fonts and select Add family.
- Restart Illustrator or InDesign and confirm Myriad Pro is in the font menu.
Poster copy
Use this text exactly as written. Your focus is the design.
Welcome to Milwaukee
Lake Michigan Freshwater Research Fellows · Spring Semester
Welcome · Bienvenidos · Bienvenue · Willkommen · Benvenuti · Witamy
Researchers from around the world are spending the semester studying our Great Lake. Say hello, share your favorite spots, and help them feel at home.
Welcome Reception · Thursday · 5 to 7 p.m. · Lakefront Pavilion
Learn more at milwaukee.gov
Student project. Not affiliated with the City of Milwaukee.
Instructions
- Read the brand guide, download the logo files and activate Myriad Pro.
- Sketch at least 10 poster layout thumbnails by hand on unlined paper, about 2 by 3 inches each. Indicate small text with lines. Show clear space around the logo in every sketch.
- Choose two welcome-kit items: T-shirt (front and back), tote bag, water bottle or sticker set, name badge and lanyard, wayfinding sign, folded city map or pocket guide, or notebook cover.
Turning it in
- Post your work to #avc183-graphic-design-1 on Discord as PNG or JPG, with alt text, by noon the day before the due date.
- Comment on three classmates’ posts. Each comment names one brand rule from the guide and points to where it appears in the work.
- Screenshot your post and your three comments and compile them on one Miro board.
- Submit the Miro screenshot to Canvas by noon on the due date.
AI use
No AI use. Log “No AI used.” Record every use in your AI-use log. Gemini is used only with your Maricopa account.
How it is scored
| Criterion | Objective | Points |
|---|---|---|
| At least 10 hand poster thumbnails, each a different layout | 4.1 | 4 |
| Clear space around the logo in every sketch | 4.1 | 2 |
| Two kit items chosen | 4.1 | 1 |
| Discord post with alt text, three comments that each name a brand rule, compiled in Miro | 4.4 | 3 |
| Total | 10 | |
Due
Post to Discord for critique: Saturday, March 6, 12:00 p.m. Arizona time
Due in Canvas: Sunday, March 7, 12:00 p.m. Arizona time
Hard close: Monday, March 8, 12:00 p.m. Arizona time. Work submitted after the due time and before the hard close loses 10 percent. Nothing is accepted after the hard close.