Volume up. Barriers down.

Raising a ruckus. And a bunch of money. All in the name of encouraging greater cultural diversity within an all-too homogeneous industry.

Negative space isn’t the only thing in the advertising world that can sometimes feel a bit too white. Diversity within the industry is a big issue, and one that needs to be spotlighted, so why not do it on one of the state’s biggest stages? The University of Minnesota CLAgency, in partnership with the BrandLab, put on a Battle of the Bands at Minneapolis’s iconic First Avenue to raise money and awareness in support of this cause — receiving a lot of help from local agencies, high-profile musicians from the Twin Cities scene and countless sponsors. In support of this initiative, we designed and produced a host of materials, ranging in scope from the brand identity for the event to social posts, the event website, a custom screenprinted gig poster and everything in-between.

When all was said and done, we raised over $25,000 in an endowment scholarship fund for the U of M, with the hope of enabling a more diverse and more creative future than our present.

Client: CLA Agency; The BrandLab
Role: Branding, Interactive, Social