The president of Southwestern is the cornerstone for campus inspiration. This incoming president was ready to take that challenge and run with it. As a new president, establishing trust while showcasing new ideas was a priority.

We chose a traditional color palette, anchored in a few historical visuals, mixed in a few exciting new stories and researched some inspiring numbers to get readers ready for where the university hopes to go.

The annual report from the president’s office sets the vision for the university to external audiences. The Walking the Walk theme was set by our creative team. The goal was to have a quick and seamless read. A report that felt more like a letter. So we designed to highlight the copy and keep the reader turning the pages.

+ full report

A night that was a literal stroll across campus, where donors and influencers encountered directors and students involved in key programs that would shape the university’s future.

The incoming class is the lifeblood of the university. Working with the Admissions office was a top priority for our marketing team. The color palette was punched up for the younger target demographic.

We were given only 2 months to create a self-contained admissions landing site to help put a modern door on the entryway to the university (while we were working on redesign of entire website). We worked through committees, launched on time and incorporated researched elements to move the impression of Southwestern into the modern age –including a video backgrounder to give vibrancy and video testimonials so students could hear directly from their peers.

Research showed that Southwestern’s appeal lay in its proximity to Austin with a small-town community vibe. We made sure to highlight the scenery, the people and the community in upcoming shot lists.

We also highlighted visuals containing facts to counteract the number one misinformation we heard about private liberal arts: “it’s too expensive.”

This presentation ran on monitors at the Visitors Center while families wait to go on a tour of campus. Also played before admissions events. The goal was colorful and eye-catching. Once template and key talking points were identified, curation of images in college archive to reinforce the brand.

University Relations is the fundraising arm of Southwestern. There are two main drives per year, each with a separate theme to focus on different kinds of giving. They also develop and maintain the alumni relations.

Campaign shot and created to show the interdisciplinary approach to degrees for each student at Southwestern. Real students and real stories were used to add authenticity.

To appeal to a younger donor, we crafted a Choose Your Southwestern campaign, which allowed the end user to donate to boutique causes within the university. Photography was commissioned to highlight the variety of places where donors could touch each student through giving. A custom converted envelope was designed to catch their attention for the signature kickoff direct mail piece and we quickly directed them online for a digital relationship with giving as an annual subscription.

Directors for the Southwestern annual fund came to us with the challenge to increase donations to our most general fundraising account. Previous research suggested that donors & alumni were more apt to give to other things that felt more applied. Our challenge was to show how the annual fund directly helps students.

The solution developed by our team was to show touch points throughout a typical day for the average student, which were in fact supported by the annual fund.

We shot video and photography at the same time, it was a logistical feat to coordinate that many faculty, students and spaces within 8 hours and I’m that proud of all we accomplished.

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A campaign run before Valentine’s day to encourage the use of the campus chapel for weddings and vow renewals. We decided to let couple who met on campus to tell us how it “started.” We gathered a few starter stories and used those in social and on website, then created an interactive form on the website to collect and publish stories. Invitations for a special celebration we sent out to kickstart the campaign awareness. The result was a treasure trove of stories of SU couples that the university can use for years to come. Attendance was great, the website grew and all were pleased with the results.

We phased the campaign to build awareness (of the dates for event & submission), to increase participation and to build excitement on the campus and in community. Posters, door hangers and signage were ramped up. We redesigned the identity around the concept of building blocks. And used quotes from famous scientists that centered around the three words from the Southwestern tagline, “Think. Create. Connect.”

“Students don’t read email.”

We quickly had to find creative ways to get the word out about events. Privacy concerns made it so we couldn’t text students (as they indicated they would prefer); so we peppered all the dorms and classroom doorways with these, worked like a charm.

A social campaign to build community spirit for the Residence Life Offices. Students self-nominated and then voted on the best dorm room decor. We then followed up with photoshoots highlighting their individual spirit. It was a win-win, we gained a lot of authentic dorm-life images and learned more about our students values in the process.