Runners begin the 3K run in their Pace UP singlets. Photo courtesy of Blackgoat Runner.
Pace UP 2013
Logo, Print, Illustration
In 2013, running was the national past time in the Philippines. At the height of its popularity, thousands would flock to join foot races during weekends, triggering a lucrative industry and spawning dozens of event companies which specialize in organizing these fun runs.
Seeing this trend, the Track & Field Team of my alma mater, The University of the Philippines, took the opportunity to organize a fun run of its own to augment the limited training budget provided by the state-run university. Being a runner and athlete myself, I was tapped on by the alumni to build the event from the ground up: the title, logo, branding, collaterals, and everything in between. The challenge was this: how do I make our event stand out to runners in a saturated market and with a limited budget?
The University itself was a major hub for runners due to its size and scenic routes. My fellow alumni and I decided that we would target this running community as well as the vast student body within the school. To this end, I had to come up with a title that would resonate with runners while also including the school acronym (U.P.) Hence, I arrived at Pace UP which, to runners, means "to go faster."
I decided from the beginning that the marketing campaign would rely heavily on graphic design and illustration. The mindful use of both would be a differentiator among the usual fun run poster featuring two to three semi-famous runners. It also allowed me to skirt around the fact that we had no budget for photography shoots.
A teaser posted on social media months before the event. The only details finalized up to that point were the name, location, and date.
The gentleman with the afro is a well-known alumnus of the university and owner of the biggest company dedicated to organizing fun runs. Though he couldn't wholly sponsor Pace UP, he did agree to appear in our marketing materials in whichever form we could manage. It proved to be a major draw.
For the logo and logotype, I went with an athletic yet friendly-looking font. I added more character by adding two rising arrows, denoting a "pace up".
While the event's branding is decidedly bright red, I used maroon for the singlet color. This served as a nod to the community, while also sating a demand for UP-themed running apparel. By the end, a huge fraction had signed up for the race just to gain one of these singlets.
To generate excitement among runners for the upcoming event, I illustrated this map for the 15K, the event's longest distance. I rendered it in detail and bright colors for attractiveness on social media; for the actual race kits, the participants received a more traditional map in black and white.
Finisher medals are a major incentive to runners and we had to announce its inclusion early on. Since physical samples would only be available on the event itself, I used a render to show runners what it would look like.
Our optimistic estimate for the number of registrants was around 1,200. However, in the lead up to the event, we had attracted almost 1,500, prompting a stressful but exciting scramble to fulfill the demand for runner slots and singlets. By the end of the event, we had exceeded our target and provided a hefty budget for the U.P. Track and Field Team.
