The Careers Centre had found it difficult to motivate its students and academics to engage with the service and needed to cut through the ‘noise’ of university messaging.
IE was appointed to clarify the service’s proposition, to develop its messaging and to create an arresting, highly distinctive visual identity – without stepping outside the university’s prescriptive brand guidelines.
IE began with a multi-stakeholder exploratory workshop followed by a qualitative listening exercise to harvest the views of students, academics, careers professionals and Students’ Union representatives. These revealed that Reading students needed a combination of gentle coaxing (delivered through witty, whimsical imagery) and a strong dose of ‘tough love’ from the Careers team (delivered through copy inspired by the language of revolution).
Award in the Transform Awards Europe 2017 for ‘Best Visual Identity for Education’ category (plus a Highly Commended for ‘Best use of Visual Property’)
IE’s work genuinely surprised and delighted us. Challenging, pithy tag lines and intriguing, quirky imagery combine to deliver precisely the mix of behaviour changing messages that Reading Careers needed to drive up visibility and engagement. What’s more, when we did a show and tell to our Vice Chancellor he loved it!
Lorna Froud, Director of Careers and Employability, University of Reading
increase in student careers appointments, over two years since brand launch
increase in the number of distinct students attending careers appointments
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