Edith Cowan University Campus Comes Alive With Vandal’s Motion Artworks

Vandal has collaborated with Edith Cowan University (ECU) on a major motion brand identity project for ECU City, the University’s landmark new $853 million campus in the heart of Perth.

Opened in February, ECU City marks a new chapter for the University and the Perth CBD. Designed as a vertical campus with large-scale LED media architecture integrated across the building’s façade and internal public spaces, the campus has been conceived as both a place of learning and a visible expression of ECU’s creative and cultural identity.

Vandal was engaged to define how the ECU brand could move through this new environment.

Over a 15-month collaboration, Vandal worked closely with ECU across strategy, stakeholder workshops and co-design sessions, before developing a motion identity system for brand, campus communications and architectural media.

At the centre of the project is the campus’ four-storey Forum screen, a large-format LED media platform embedded within the public heart of the building. Rather than treating it as a traditional digital signage network, the project approached Forum as an immersive communications platform where brand, culture and storytelling could come together in motion.

It also includes a suite of motion artwork idents that reimagine ECU’s U mark through different creative lenses.

“Through our collaboration with Vandal, we have developed a motion identity system that brings our brand to life in a recognisable and distinctive way, on a platform unlike anything we’ve had before,” said Jo Draper, chief growth officer, ECU.

“The Forum screen allows us to connect with students, staff, industry and the wider public in new ways. Our vision is for these screens to become an iconic destination in the heart of Perth, recognised globally – a place where people can come together, learn, grow and be enriched through immersive experiences. Seeing the ECU brand come to life across these large-scale screens is hard to put into words; it’s awe-inspiring and a powerful reminder of what ECU City makes possible.”

Chris Scott, executive creative director, Vandal, said “ECU City has been a really special project for us. From the outset, we were able to work with the ECU team across strategy, concept and production, shaping a direction together and then bringing it to life through the full breadth of our creative and technical capabilities. To do that on one of the most impressive architectural LED setups we’ve ever worked with was a genuine privilege. It’s a great reminder of how powerful brand can be when it becomes part of the experience of a place.”

Rebecca Gibson, director, creative futures at ECU, added, “Our new campus, alongside collaborations such as this with VANDAL, enables ECU to expand and deepen enduring partnerships, further strengthening our role as an innovative university that brings together creative practice, experiential design and technology to shape new experiences, deepen public engagement and deliver meaningful community impact.”

Jody Malam, digital experience platforms lead at ECU said, “It’s been incredibly rewarding to collaborate with VANDAL on the development of a motion identity system that feels both distinctive and flexible. Together, we’ve created a suite of assets and a visual language designed to evolve over time, giving students, staff and the wider University community the opportunity to continually reinterpret and reimagine the ECU brand in new and creative ways.”

Since opening earlier this year, ECU City has welcomed students, staff, industry partners and the wider community into a campus environment that is open, connected, creative and highly visible within the city.

The collaboration also marks the beginning of an ongoing relationship, with Vandal selected to join ECU’s Digital Services Panel as part of a select group of specialist partners supporting ECU’s in-house team in the ongoing evolution of the University’s digital experience platforms and creative initiatives.