Keira Schick | Graphic Designer | Vanguard - Brand Identity, Packaging, Advertising, & Strategy

Timeline

⤷ 3 months

Client

⤷ Capilano University

Credits

⤷ Keira Schick

AWARDS

⤷ Young Ones ADC

⤷ Applied Arts x3

⤷ Coasties

⤷ Salazar x2

2025

what's the story?

Vanguard is a medieval-inspired nutritional shot—the first line of defence, sworn to protect students from nefarious, school-induced ailments such as constipation, hangovers, headaches, and drowsiness.

Students will continue to go for the easier, cheaper meal. While I can’t change what students eat, Vanguard can help support them with the nutrients they need, so they can return to the front lines unscathed.

What does defence look like?

The goal was to embrace the medieval aesthetic, such as heraldry, knights, and shields (the epitome of defence), while highlighting the playful juxtaposition between our era and their notoriously unhealthy one.

The Logo.

Highlighting the look of the Helm (helmet) in the V. The logo is bold—like our brand voice, robust because we’re reliable, and playful because we want to be approachable. The icon can be used as a graphic element, to create texture, showcase elements, and make a strong first impression.

meet sir-vival.

The mascot, Sir Vival, understands that while life in medieval times was hard, being a student isn’t much easier. Since the focus is on internalized issues, I had to find an efficient solution to externalize them. Through Sir Vival, along with the arrows and bold colour, these ailments are personified to create a clear and engaging branding system.

The Mockups.

All bottle and display packaging was crafted and shot by me in order to get the ideal lighting and backdrop. My goal was to create dramatic shadows that emphasize the packaging and colours.

Copywriting and Advertising.

Each ailment has its own medieval counterpart, the playful language pairs with engaging, quirky visuals to create an audacious tone of voice for the brand. These medieval sayings can be found along the tear away banner on both the bottle and display box and across all promotional material.

The Social Campaign.

For the guerilla campaign, Vanguard will promote our products through on-campus ren-fair esc pop-ups in order to increase engagement and online promotion. Alongside the multiple Sir Vivals riding in on horses, plague doctors will be provided “health referrals,” gifting our nutritional shots to students.

what's the story?