Trevor Fogleman (OSU)
If you have been watching closely during our 2020 session Zoom meetings, You’ll notice a special trend coming from the OU delegation. Each OU delegate has the same virtual background, which is changing each day based off of the OIL Fashion Days themes.
This strong showing of unity from OU stands out among the other delegations in the virtual space, and each time an OU delegate speaks you definitely know that they are from OU. Other delegations, such as the ORU delegation, are sporting their university logo in the virtual background, but the design and ingenuity of the OU delegation has created a truly unique impression.
I was able to speak with Rep. Emily King, one of the designers of the virtual backgrounds. “I mostly used Canva” for “maybe thirty minutes total” said King, happy to elaborate on her simple process for creating these visually appealing and noticeable brands for OU delegates.
Speaking further on her experience with OIL this semester, King feels that the OU delegation “has done a really good job making sure people feel excited about and welcomed by OIL” despite difficulties with caucusing and technical issues that have arisen due to virtual sessions being a necessary component for interaction.
Pictured above are the first two days of OU’s special virtual backgrounds for Wednesday’s theme of “On Wednesdays we wear PINK” and Thursday’s “Patterns” day. The remaining virtual backgrounds remain to be seen, but they will be revealed as session progresses through the week. Will other delegations take on the challenge of OU and try to create their own backgrounds, or perhaps come up with something different and potentially better to distinguish themselves? Session is far from over and there are plenty of chances to build the brand of our respective universities as we adapt and thrive with OIL online.