Aurora University had the faculty, the culture, and the mission. What it didn't have was a brand that believed in itself. The work started with the visual system — but what it was really building was institutional confidence.
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Key ImpactComplete Institutional Rebrand • Visual Identity System • 70+ National Creative Awards • Multi-Departmental Rollout • 7-Year Brand Stewardship
The Unique Challenge
• Private nonprofit university’s brand failed to differentiate in competitive higher education market, with dated creative unable to communicate unique value proposition in an increasingly competitive higher education market
• Brand expression varied widely across departments, communications, and channels — there was no cohesive visual language or governing system to create a consistent institutional presence
• The university needed a complete brand repositioning capable of serving multiple distinct audiences simultaneously: prospective students and families, current students, alumni, donors, and the broader community
• Required bold creative direction that could earn trust and buy-in across a complex institutional stakeholder environment — executive board, academic leadership, athletics, enrollment, and advancement — while remaining executable within the constraints of an in-house team
The Strategic Solution
• Led a complete institutional brand repositioning — developing a visual identity system that established a distinctive, contemporary aesthetic while maintaining the academic credibility and institutional gravitas required of a university brand
• Designed a comprehensive brand architecture that unified the institution's master brand with sub-brands across academic colleges, athletics, student life, alumni engagement, and fundraising — giving each area a distinct voice within a coherent visual system
• Directed the full application of the new identity across every brand touchpoint: print collateral, digital platforms, environmental graphics, signage, photography standards, advertising, video, merchandise, and campus facilities
• Partnered directly with executive board leadership and senior institutional stakeholders to align brand strategy with the university's long-term enrollment and fundraising goals — securing sustained organizational commitment to brand standards over a seven-year period
• Built and led the internal creative team responsible for executing and stewarding the brand — growing the department from two to seven professionals and establishing the operational systems required to maintain quality at scale
Measurable Impact
• Earned 70+ national creative awards over seven years including CASE: Pride of CASE District V, Collegiate Advertising Awards, American Graphic Design Awards, American Inhouse Design Awards, and American Web Design Award — establishing Aurora University as a recognized leader in higher education creative
• Achieved sustained national recognition averaging 10 awards annually, demonstrating that creative quality was institutionalized, not episodic
• Built a brand system robust enough to anchor a multi-year integrated enrollment campaign — "Discover What Matters" — that drove $200M in enrollment growth and a 48% increase in applications
• Established brand governance standards and creative operations infrastructure that scaled with the institution's growth — from ~200 annual creative pieces to 1,000+ without sacrificing quality
Key Leadership Competencies
• Brand strategy and visual identity development creating a comprehensive institutional identity system with the depth, flexibility, and longevity to serve a complex multi-audience organization
• Brand architecture leadership developing a structured framework unifying master brand and sub-brands across athletics, academics, advancement, and student life
• Executive and stakeholder influence securing long-term organizational commitment to brand standards across a complex institutional leadership environment
• Creative stewardship maintaining brand integrity and quality over a seven-year period through evolving organizational priorities, leadership changes, and market conditions
• In-house creative leadership building and directing the team and operational infrastructure required to execute and sustain the brand at institutional scale
