The 50th Murrow Symposium
Event Branding & Publication Design: WSU Murrow College
For its 50th anniversary, Washington State University's Murrow Symposium needed a look worthy of the milestone. Firelight built a bold, editorial visual system that honored five decades of legacy while declaring that Murrow students will lead what comes next, then carried it across every touchpoint, from the stage backdrop to a 20-page commemorative newspaper.
Project Type: Event Branding • Publication Design • Graphic Design
Industry: Education
Location: Pullman, WA
Project Highlights:
- A 50th anniversary identity built within WSU brand standards
- 20-page commemorative tabloid newspaper
- Stage, signage, and swag design
- Social, web, video, and presentation graphics
The Murrow Symposium has shaped communication careers for more than half a century.
Every year, Washington State University's Edward R. Murrow College of Communication brings students, alumni, and industry leaders to Pullman for the Murrow Symposium. What began in 1973 as a single panel discussion honoring Edward R. Murrow has grown into a three-day event featuring the Lifetime Achievement Award, the Hall of Achievement, industry panels, and the kind of networking that launches careers.
The 50th Symposium, held April 6-8, 2026, carried the theme "The Murrow Standard" and the tagline "Built on legacy. Defining the future." The college wanted the milestone to feel different: more elevated, more confident, and unmistakably Murrow.
A milestone year raised the bar on every piece.
- The 50th anniversary needed to feel elevated and distinct from a typical annual event
- Every piece had to work within Washington State University's established brand standards
- The project moved fast, with roughly four months from kickoff to the event
- One visual system had to stretch across stage, print, digital, video, and swag while every piece still looked like part of the same family
We gave a legacy event the confidence of a front page.
Murrow College provided the theme and tagline. Firelight's job was to make them visible. "The Murrow Standard" already sounded like a newspaper masthead, so we built the visual system on an editorial foundation drawn from the newspaper tradition. That choice nodded to Murrow's roots in journalism, while bold, modern execution claimed the college's place in defining the future of communication.
Key steps included:
- Developing the event mark and visual identity first, within WSU brand standards
- Translating the theme into an editorial design language rooted in newspaper design
- Designing a 20-page commemorative newspaper as the system's largest single piece
- Rolling the identity out in phases across stage, print, digital, and swag
Built on legacy. Defining the future.
The 50th Symposium theme, brought to life across every touchpoint.
One identity carried the 50th Symposium from the stage to the front page.
- A cohesive 50th anniversary identity and event mark
- A 20-page commemorative tabloid newspaper, now published on the Symposium website
- Stage backdrop, event signage, and table signage
- A printed event program and swag designs
- Social media templates, a website hero banner, and video and presentation graphics
Page commemorative newspaper
Deliverables in one visual system
Months from kickoff to event
Finalized Designs
