Graphic Design
June-August 2024
A fleet of shuttle buses shepherd Loyola University Chicago students between the Lake Shore and Water Tower Campuses. But for years, these buses were unadorned and unremarkable. Our team decided it was time to give the buses a bit of personality—and to get some free advertising on Chicago's iconic Lake Shore Drive.
Loyola's mascot, Lu Wolf, is iconic among students, so we decided to feature him as the star of the shuttles.
For several years, our Creative Team kicked around the idea of decorating the campus shuttle buses. But once the idea became a priority for the president in the Summer 2024, we had to act quickly, ensuring that the fleet would be wrapped and rolling by the beginning of the semester. In addition to making these shuttles more exciting for students to ride, we also wanted to show off a bit—ensuring that no one in Chicago would forget about Loyola.
One of our initial concepts featured our swoosh—a graphic element we use in much of our branding.
Another concept used small icons that represented elements of the student experience like studying, volunteering, socializing.
To begin this project, we concepted—a lot. We thought not only about visuals that would resonate with students, but also those that would look great when flying up and down the lakefront. We then mocked up three approaches, each slight variations on our visual identity. After presenting these concepts, we received the go-ahead on one—our favorite—and began finalizing art with an illustrator, finessing layouts to match different bus dimensions, and coordinating a promotion plan ahead of the school year.
After creating mock-ups of the building illustrations, we contracted with a freelance illustrator who stylized them.
We like to call the new shuttle bus the "Loyola Lakefront Express"—a nod to the university's location on the shores of Lake Michigan. Featuring both the university's mascot, Lu Wolf, and recognizable buildings on and near Loyola's campuses, the shuttles transport hundreds of students every day.
