HBSC
RESEARCH ORGANISATION BRANDING · PRINT DESIGN
The Challenge — Academic Event Design for a Global Research Study
Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) has been running for over forty years, spanning 51 countries and shaping adolescent health policy at a global level. The research has real weight behind it — the task was making that legible in a room.
With no existing promotional banner, the brief was clear: create academic event design that could represent the scale and credibility of HBSC at conferences and within the University of Bergen’s psychology department, balancing the visual identities of HBSC, WHO and the university without any one of them dominating.
The Process — Clear Purpose from Day One
A discovery session with the international HBSC team and University of Bergen colleagues got everything aligned early. Purpose, audience, context of use — all agreed before any design work began, which meant the process moved quickly and cleanly.
Five directions were developed from the brief, each taking a different approach to hierarchy, colour and imagery. The options below show the range explored before the final direction was selected.
Feedback rounds were focused and collaborative. The team knew what they needed, which made it straightforward to get the banner right without unnecessary back and forth.
The Result — Brand Identity Design the Whole Organisation Can Use
HBSC now has a physical presence that matches the weight of the research behind it. The chosen direction leads with the HBSC identity on a solid field of brand blue — calm, legible at distance, and composed enough to hold its own in a busy conference setting without competing for attention.
The feedback was positive. Sometimes the most effective design is the one that gets out of the way and lets the work speak.
DELIVERABLES
- Custom-designed roll-up banner for academic events and departmental use
- Brand-aligned layout incorporating HBSC, WHO and University of Bergen identities
- Accessibility-informed typographic and colour system for large-format use
Research this important deserves a presence to match.
Need your research to hold its own in a room? Let’s talk.