College try: Students design beach bar brand

SARASOTA — Six students at Ringling College of Art and Design won a competition to design the best brand concepts for a new beach bar and restaurant in the Virgin Islands.

The contest, a 48-hour competition held at the Sarasota-based college, was more than academic. Sanctuary Holdings, the firm behind the bar and restaurant project on St. Thomas, commissioned the students for real ideas it could put to use, according to a release. Students were assigned to create a comprehensive new bar and restaurant concept that involved research, ideas for its name, identity, logo, tagline, and a complete branding proposal, the release states.

The firm worked with The Collaboratory at Ringling College for the contest. The Collaboratory is a department at Ringling that provides students with opportunities to obtain real-life, client-based project experience.