Article by Mary Grace Catapang
Graphics by Liana Libongco and Gino Delos Reyes
Published 2020 October 1
To solidify its identity and inclusiveness as an advocacy-based organization, the Ateneo BOx revamped its branding with an improved logo, a redesigned mascot, and a slight change in the color palette.
Led by Vice President for Design and Documentations, Gino Delos Reyes, the reconfiguration of Ateneo BOx’s branding was made to revitalize the objectives of the major rebranding done two years ago一 to shift the identity of BOx to an advocacy-based organization aside from being the home organization for Biology and Life Sciences majors.
One major transformation in the visuals of BOx is the redesign of its mascot, William the Whale Shark or BOx Butanding. With a vector-based look, a lighter color, and a customizable design, William’s makeover was primarily intended to make the mascot more flexible一easily integrated into other materials.
In the hopes of incorporating BOx’s mascot more frequently to the creative materials, the improvements aim to further emphasize the biodiversity aspect of the organization. Prior to the major rebranding initiative two years ago, BOx’s mascot was BOxBot, a robot, which was replaced by William to highlight the biology field in BOx, as well as its advocacies: biodiversity, bioeducation, and animal welfare.
Minor changes were also applied in the logo to create a more precise visualization of the three advocacies of BOx. The box logo contains three main elements, the DNA that represents bioeducation, the leaf that signifies biodiversity, and the whale tail that symbolizes animal welfare. With the updated logo, the whale tail was redesigned to have a more accurate illustration, to rule out the common misconception that it’s a tree sapling.
In addition to the logo visuals, the text of the BOx logo was condensed to “Ateneo BOx”, the shorter version of its complete name: Ateneo Biological Organization – eXplore. eXperience. eXcel., to establish a more recognizable identity and further shift away from the common notion that BOx is just a home organization for Biology and Life Sciences majors.
“When I first applied to the organization last school year, I still can’t help but feel that Ateneo BOx is still a home organization rather than an advocacy-based organization. Even during my first Individual Consultations during RecWeek of that time, I was unable to outline the three fundamental advocacies of the organization.” Gino said when asked about his inspiration for revitalizing the objectives of BOx’s rebranding. “Furthermore, looking at how the visual element of the branding was executed, I felt that there could be more that can be done to really express the advocacy of the organization through its branding.”
Meanwhile, changes in the color palette include the use of the three colors to symbolize the three advocacies of BOx. To provide a more welcoming and less intimidating feel in BOx’s materials, the pink color of BOx was adjusted to have a softer tone. This change in the color palette was also reflected in the updated logo.
“In the coming years, I hope that there will be more efforts in solidifying BOx’s branding in the organization that extends more than just in its visual element. The branding changes we made is just one step in the process after the initial rebranding of BOx that tackles the overall foundations of the organization. Its effectiveness will extend to how the members and officers will initiate or take part in the organization’s projects according to the branding.” Gino added.
The improvement of BOx’s branding is just one step in fulfilling its identity and goals as an organization advocating for the appreciation of biology and all forms of life. With the newly implemented changes in the organization’s visuals, BOx hopes to effectively communicate its advocacies, especially now that communication is purely online and based on social media.
Ateneo BOx 