Wabi-Sabi Creative Retreat

Event Branding
Judson University, School of Art & Design Creative Retreat, 2017

In the fall of 2017, Judson University’s Art & Design Department took their students to Camp Wandawega in Elkhorn, WI, for a weekend retreat exploring the idea of Wabi Sabi. The Japanese aesthetic of Wabi-Sabi is a beauty of things imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete. It is a beauty of things modest and humble. Wabi-sabi is a beauty of things unconventional.

 

Branding & Promo

Created the year prior at the camp site, this logo was made with the assistance of students by projecting text onto the leaves while selectively moving branches for long exposure photographs. The images were then digitally manipulated for color. Multiple images were then compiled to create an animated logo, which was used for social media marketing for the event.

 

Info Booklet and Program

Before the To guide the students through the weekend experience, everyone was given a handmade book. Its contents included reference information, such as a daily schedule and meal information, as well as a workbook leading students through the weekend curriculum. With quotes from artists, historical figures, and poets, and imagery created in the same way as the logo, the book set the tone for their stay.

 

 

Setting

To set the scene, signage was placed throughout the camp, students were given branded swag, and the meal area was decorated with brand colors and aesthetic.