University of Washington College of the Environment Brand
In partnership with Hornall Anderson (now Sid Lee), the University of Washington launched the Be Boundless campaign. With that basic visual language as a foundation, I needed to develop a unique brand and value proposition for the College of the Environment that matched their ambition to better this world and tell their authentic stories.
Results –
1
Cohesive look and feel that was unique to the College, its programs and its partners and which leveraged the equity of the University.
+$40M
In total funds raised by the Advancement Department. While we were always driven by our audience, we were held accountable by our partners in advancement. The updated brand, collateral, and digital experiences helped them exceed their fundraising goals as they became a top 5 fundraising group within all of UW.
+20
Programs and partners received design and content support to revamp how they show up to students, donors and the general public.
Role –
Creative Strategy, Art Direction, Brand Design and Production
Task –
It was my responsibility to make sure creative strategy was sound, the process provided transparency, the assets being created could scale across project requests and that we created experiences that delighted and informed our audience. As a solo designer on this team, I had to wear many hats and spent my days thinking strategically at 10,000 feet and working pixel-by-pixel to execute on final files to meet the needs of our roadmap.
What makes the College of the Environment different?
I worked with internal stakeholders and leaders to understand what made the College and its audiences unique and different from other departments at the University. This was done through different workshops led by the Marketing and Communications teams as well as audience research conducted through interviews and surveys.
Leaning on true stories
There are so many amazing student experiences happening in and outside of the classroom at the College. The first step in developing the visual brand was capturing these moments. It was my job to identify where these stories may be taking place and to art direct the photographers and make sure what they were capturing showcased these experiences and could be used for a variety of different projects.
Graphics and Content
After understanding who the College is and how they want to speak to their audience, I started creating a variety of different marketing materials. From student recruitment to policy change, I developed a set 0f deliverables the marketing and advancement team could leverage.
Interactive Presence
The College has over 20 units, programs and initiatives for which it is responsible. Once I created and understood the brand for the College, it needed to be rolled out to these different departments. I started with their online presence and designed over 10 websites that are consistent to the College brand but still show their unique mission, vision and work in the community. See that case study here.
Campaign –
I directed and created a new approach to student recruitment that is not just about getting students to apply to the college, but about creating and fostering a community of future leaders. This campaign was designed to provide an experience and outlet that encouraged them to interact with the college by expressing where they believe their future is headed.
