A brochure for the New England Center for Investigative Reporting (NECIR). The cover on the left is black with white and red text stating "Journalism to Expose Injustice" and includes a fingerprint graphic. The inside pages, on the right, detail NECIR's mission, including teaching future watchdog journalists, operating as a nonprofit, and reporting for impact. The brochure includes images depicting investigative journalism themes and mentions NECIR's affiliation with Boston University.
The image features a booklet titled “Journalism to Expose Injustice” from the New England Center for Investigative Reporting. The cover is predominantly black with bold red and white text. A large fingerprint graphic is subtly embedded in the background. The booklet is laid on a concrete surface, and part of an interior page is visible on the right, containing additional text and information about the center's mission and activities. The logo of Boston University is also present on the booklet's cover.

Telling stories, increasing skills

Communication is at the core of Hairpin’s brand—that’s why we’re so proud of our partnerships within Boston University’s College of Communication. In partnership with BU COM, we’ve developed sub-brand identities for some of the college’s most exciting projects.

Client
Boston University’s College of Communication
Services
Brand Strategy
Print Design
Web Design + Development

New England Center for Investigative Reporting

Previously based at BU’s College of Communication, the New England Center for Investigative Reporting (NECIR) provides urgently needed and in-depth journalism that speaks truth to power.

For NECIR, we created fundraising campaign branding and collateral, an annual report in the form of a tabloid print newspaper, and numerous website story banner illustrations.

COM Beyond

COM Beyond, a hub where lifelong learners can access skill-building communication workshops and services, was looking for a new logo and website. Hairpin came on board to update their brand with a bold look and a flexible color palette that played nicely with Boston University’s well-established brand guidelines.

For the COM Beyond website, we built a shopping cart system where users can create an account, browse courses and workshops, register, and pay tuition all in one place. Since each course has different instructors and information needs, we created a flexible backend module system so administrators can easily add or delete blocks of content as needed. Finally, we designed a simple yet elegant space for displaying a series of branded how-to videos.