In this project, I developed two sets of badges meant to reward students in various Kelley Executive Education Programs who completed the course requirements. The sets were designed to so they could be used individually, or as a 3-tier set for different levels in a course if it was offered.

The initial concept for the badges came from examples of video game award badges as well as example other universities have implemented, then began trials in applying IU branding to come up with a unique and consistent look. At first I approached the shapes I was using like they were enamel pins or scout patches. I them tried adding elements like stripes and stars to add parts I could add or take away in a set to make them look like they were adding to each other with every achievement. This first phase let me see what space I had to add words or what looked too busy.

After choosing my shapes and elements I moved to further developing the top picks from the trial phase. The first set was based off of classic award ribbons with added IU brand colors and iconic pinstripes. I wanted each phase of achievement to add to each other and fully combine in the last phase. This way the accomplishments the students made along the way show all the way to the final step. I worked through many color and line combinations landed on the final set that visually balanced out the space and allowed enough room to add different lengths of course names.

The second badge set I developed focused on the courses that were technology focused. The first Ideas I had for this was a business card that then evolved into a computer chip. I wanted less furnishes on these and made them more streamlined, but I wanted them to look interesting too so I added borders and circuit designs. In the final design, I separated the decorative elements from the informative parts so they didn’t crowd each other and look busy. This still kept the look interesting and left room for the different corse name lengths. I made color the deciding factor in what level the badge was and made them darker and bolder in each step.