ANU Graduation Events

The Graduation Events Project set out to uplift the graduation experience at ANU from the perspective of staff, guests, and students. Graduation events at the ANU celebrate hard work, dedication, and personal growth. It is a day where students dress in vibrant academic regalia and proceed to graduate within Llewellyn Hall. 

Our group wanted to improve the current identity of ANU graduation events in order to transform the day from an optional and traditional ceremony to an anticipated and vibrant event. We were given little restriction as to what we created, as the graduations office understood that students opinions hold the most value; hence, what you see in this project is a unique identity created by graduates themselves.

The identity is centered on Etta the Duck, a unique symbol at the ANU. Through revamping Etta’s appearance, we created a strong symbol for this graduation identity. The development of secondary patterns to pair with the duck began with dissecting the ANU logo to utilise the patterns within. After careful refinement of core elements, the design was successfully transferred to a strong suite of collateral, including merchandise, murals, and wayfinding.

Project Collaborators: Antoinette McManus, Grace Downey, Yunhao Zhang, and Nikki Stavridis